Four barangays in Agdangan, Quezon Province are now validated to have zero open defecation cases after the implementation of convergence programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH), World Bank, and the local government unit (LGU) of Agdangan.

This convergence of services, which uses the Community-Led Total Sanitation approach, aims to mobilize communities to eliminate open defecation and practice proper hygiene. This is one of DSWD’s initiatives to help improve the level of wellbeing of poor families.

This approach is integrated in the Family Development Sessions of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and is also supported by DSWD’s Kalahi-CIDSS program and initiatives from the LGU.

From the start of its implementation in August 2014, the barangays of Binagbag, Ibabang Kinagunan, Poblacion 1 and Poblacion 2 are now open defecation-free as per validation conducted by the local government last July 2015.

Further, the DSWD has recorded 173 Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries who stopped open defecating out of the 193 households initially identified to be practicing open defecation.

According to Darold Jopson, Municipal Link of Agdangan, the FDS helped increase the awareness of the beneficiaries on the negative implications of the practice of open defecation and its effects on their health, especially of children. Their increased awareness encouraged them to build their own toilet facilities and improve their hygiene through the proper use of the health grants they receive from the program.

“The local government unit also provided big support for this initiative through the creation of ordinance on Water and Sanitation and provision of toilet bowls to extremely poor households,” added Jopson.

He also said that beneficiaries and other community residents have become more aware of their responsibilities towards their community.

In Brgy. Poblacion 1, for instance, the community residents identified a river control sub-project to protect their community from flood, which usually causes problems in sanitation and health, through the DSWD’s Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS).

“Malaking proteksyon ito sa sakuna sa buong komunidad. Laking tulong talaga ng mga proyekto ng DSWD sa aming lugar,” said Jocelyn Delos Reyes, one of the residents in Brgy. Poblacion 1 and a community volunteer of Kalahi-CIDSS.

Other Kalahi-CIDSS projects supporting CLTS in Agdangan include water systems and communal toilet facilities in Brgys. Kanlurang Calutan and Ilayang Kinagunan.#