Helping communities heal in the time of a pandemic

The day will come when we take off our masks, feel safe to be close to each other, and finally get back to our firm handshakes and visible smiles, but we should remember how we got through the difficult times and how some practices can get us through future difficulties, too.

We've learned several important things during this pandemic, and these are things that we should carry with us even as the world returns to 'normalcy' - or something close to it.

Help others heal through malasakit

One very powerful thing we’ve learned is that helping each other is the only way through a crisis like this. We've experienced a rise of stories about selfless individuals helping the less fortunate, economic frontliners like delivery riders using their tips to help the homeless, donation drives for health workers and under equipped hospitals, and more.

The current surge of community pantries that aim to feed those who have fallen on hard times have garnered praise from foreign nationals. So many individuals have stepped up and restored our faith in humanity after facing so many struggles. The growth of true concern for others or malasakit is really a welcome contagion.

Corporations have also stepped up in protecting lives and livelihoods. The COVID-19 response program of Unilever Philippines called Malasakit for All has completed purchase agreements for COVID-19 vaccines for their employees and their dependents.

“Our vaccination program is an assurance that the safety and wellbeing our employees and their families continue to be our priority,” shares Benjie Yap, Chairman and CEO of Unilever Philippines. In giving importance to protecting the workforce, consumers, and communities, people grow more hopeful of the promise that they will return to a life where they can be secure in their physical and financial states to be able to provide for their families and loved ones now and in the future.

Cleanliness is crucial to health and safety

It would be safe to say that we have ingrained into our daily lives the processes of sanitizing, disinfecting, and personal hygiene. Cleanliness clearly plays a large role in staying safe and healthy. It is at the forefront of many health programs to keep us safe from illness and infection. This should become second nature to everyone, if it isn’t already part of your life. The calls to 'wash your hands for at least 20 seconds' or 'keep disinfecting high touch surfaces' are constantly heard as we try to make public health and safety during a pandemic easier and more reachable for ordinary citizens.

Fatigue may be setting in, which perhaps renders some people careless when it comes to cleanliness, but it is our duty to keep reminding each other about how this can save lives and curb the spread of illness. Clean equals safe, before, during, or after a pandemic, that is why the fight against germs should be done every day.

The continued fight of the Filipino to stay safe and healthy is shared by Unilever’s hygiene brands Breeze and Domex. Part of the Malasakit for All program, Breeze and Domex donated up to PHP 1,000,000 worth of antibacterial detergents and multipurpose cleaners for World Health Day to highlight the role of hygiene in staying safe and healthy. In fact, even early on in the pandemic, Unilever took quick action and provided food and hygiene products for frontliners and communities in need.

Adults who have to leave their homes occasionally for work or to purchase supplies, health care workers who carry out their jobs of healing, and families at home trying to get by with their everyday activities, all of them require clothes that are both germ-free and stain-free. Breeze is determined to provide you with confidence in cleaning clothes through the new Breeze Antibacterial Powder Detergent with GERM ATTACK technology which kills up to 99.9% of germs, including Coronavirus, in one wash.

Domex also offers all-around protection and provides sanitation in homes, offices, and other establishments to keep the community safe. Toilets, barriers, door handles, floors, faucets, and sinks are just some of the areas or surfaces that require our attention when it comes to hygiene and sanitation. This is why Domex has taken on the mission to keep homes and public areas clean by becoming your go-to cleaning product for killing germs and keeping surfaces disinfected. Domex is proven to kill all known germs including the coronavirus - it is the unstoppable germ-kill expert that provides long-lasting protection.

Malasakit For All may be a Unilever program, but it is the spirit that every Filipino should embody as we struggle to reopen and repair communities that have been taken apart by the pandemic. True concern for others and acting upon it will be the answer to the call of restoring the country and our lives.