Jumbangla Desk: Bangladesh's most popular toilet cleaner brand Harpic has organized a special event to raise awareness about the importance of sanitation and hygiene on the occasion of World Toilet Day.
Through this initiative, emphasis is placed on the need to promote improved toilet facilities and improve sanitation conditions in the country.
Renowned experts along with popular personalities participated in a panel discussion on the occasion. Harpic brand ambassador Nusrat Imroz Tisha along with UNICEF WASH expert Md. Monirul Alam; Deputy CEO of Sajeda Foundation. Fazlul Haque; and Sabrin Maruf Tinni, Marketing Manager, Reckitt Bangladesh.
The event was moderated by External Affairs Manager of Reckitt Benckiser (Bangladesh) PLC. Rakib Uddin
Panelists discuss safe sanitation and toilet hygiene from their respective locations. They talk about various challenges in dealing with sanitation problems in Bangladesh.
It is also mentioned that both public and private institutions should come together to face these challenges. Then people can get better sanitation facilities.
Harpic believes hygiene and good health are basic human rights, not a luxury. The organization is working to improve hygiene in Bangladesh. For this reason, various social programs are being conducted across the country to increase awareness especially among marginalized people.
The highlight of the event was Harpic's social work initiative around 1,000 sanitation workers and their families through Harpic's partnership with Sajeda Foundation. Through this initiative, apart from health insurance, special discounts on health care and hygiene awareness sessions at 250 hospitals in the country.
Besides, a comic book named “Dipu-Tushir Hygiene Abhiyan” has been published under this program to make children aware about hygiene. It will sensitize children about personal hygiene, toilet cleaning, pollution and the importance of healthy food through entertaining stories. The book is part of Harpik's long-term effort to raise awareness about hygiene. Harpik expressed interest in further increasing the scope of social work in the future.
Jack Sim, also known as 'Mr Toilet', is the founder of the World Toilet Organization and World Toilet Day.
A video was screened at the event showing Jack Sim thanking Harpic Bangladesh for its contribution to improving the lives of sanitation workers and their children in Bangladesh through Harpic's initiative.
The main speaker of the program. Tanveer Ahmed said in his presentation, Bangladesh has achieved significant success in reducing the rate of open defecation. Currently, less than 1 percent of people defecate in the open. However, only 5 percent of people in the country have access to safe sanitation, which is much lower than the global average. Rapid urbanization, natural disasters and poor infrastructure are challenging the development of the country's sanitation system.
Sabrin Maruf Tinni gave the closing speech on the occasion. "We have created this platform so that people can tell their stories about sanitation, especially their struggles and successes," he said. The safe sanitation program in Bangladesh is still ongoing and we have more to do. By collaborating with other partners, Harpic wants to play a bigger role in the issue. We are proud to contribute to improving the quality of life of sanitation workers and common people through social initiatives.'
World Toilet Day is observed on November 19 every year. This global initiative helps raise awareness about the sanitation crisis. A large number of people in the world still lack access to safe toilet facilities. Many defecate in the open which is a threat to health and environment. The day supports efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG), which aims to ensure clean water, safe sanitation and hygiene for all by 2030.
