New Zealand envoy visits Dinagat Islands
By Renelle L. Escuadro
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) - Dr. Catherine McIntosh, New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines, visited the Province of Dinagat Islands on June 17.
As primary donor to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Ambassador Macintosh, during her courtesy visit to the provincial governor, confirmed the global commitment and continuous support on the implementation of the programs on WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) and Zero Open Defecation or ZOD in the province.
As support to the global initiative on WASH program, the government, through its key agencies, aims to promote hygiene, improve access to water, and sanitation facilities in a long-term program for all households and schools, and so forth.
Through the Provincial Health Office, the ambassador and the team from UNICEF received an update on the status of the sanitation interventions made to the province, including the water supply intervention, status on Rehabilitation Towards Climate Resilience Programme (RRTCR), WASH implementation in schools, campaign on ZOD at the barangay level, among others.
The governor expressed gratitude to the ambassador and guests for the help extended to the province that benefited and changed the lives of the Dinagatnons and improved the island province.
Ambassador McIntosh, in return, thanked the governor for the full support of the provincial government. “Thank you, Governor Demerey. I would like to acknowledge your commitment to support the programs and to ensure the province has climate-resilient services that will benefit the children. I commend your leadership in engaging so many partners and stakeholders to achieve the single mission of improving the lives of your constituents.”
The ambassador also took time to join the turnover of gender segregated toilets and handwashing facilities at the elementary schools of Sto. Nino and Luna.
She met with the children and families who benefitted from the New Zealand government-funded projects in Dinagat Islands and witnessed how the province recovered from the effects of Super Typhoon Odette in 2021, while integrating the climate-sensitive programs on WASH and ZOD into the province’s climate adaptation plans and budgets through the meaningful collaboration between the government, private sector, and development partners.
For Ambassador McIntosh, the visit was not only ceremonial, but a reaffirmation of her government’s long-standing commitment to child-focused and rights-based development in vulnerable communities.
“Toilets and handwashing facilities are not luxuries. They are the minimum standards for safety, dignity and equality in education. UNICEF reports have long warned of the disproportionate impact that poor sanitation has on children, children with disabilities and those living in extreme poverty,” she said.
“This has been our mission,” she added. “To ensure that learning continues, even in crisis, and that no child is left behind.”
For Luna Elementary School, the ambassador’s visit served as a pivotal moment to bolster the inclusive campaign on child health, protection and educational resilience, especially in climate-vulnerable Dinagat Islands. (RLE, PIA Dinagat Islands with a report from PIO Dinagat Islands and DepEd Dinagat Islands)
