Semarang, 22 February 2024 – Welcoming the holy month of Ramadan, leading brands of PT Unilever Indonesia Tbk namely Lifebuoy, Sunsilk, Citra, Glow & Lovely, and Pepsodent conducted education programs on clean and healthy living behavior including maintaining oral and dental health and free check-ups, and a series of upskilling classes involving 300 students at PPTQ (Islamic Boarding School) Al-Hikmah Semarang.
These collaborative programs with the Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia aim to equip students with an understanding of the importance of a clean and healthy living lifestyle and efforts to optimize the potential of male and female students.
The Director and Corporate Secretary of Unilever Indonesia, Nurdiana Darus, stated, "Pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) are centers for nurturing agents of change who will contribute to the welfare of the community and the progress of the nation. Therefore, Unilever Indonesia and the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia team up to organize the 'Healthy, Green, Empowered Pesantren Program'.”
“This program has two main pillars, namely education on Clean and Healthy Living Behavior and the personal development of male and female students. Hopefully, the benefits can have a broad impact, especially in helping the community to observe fasting with better health, comfort, and full of blessings."
H. Amin Handoyo, Lc, Head of the Division of Diniyah Education and Islamic Boarding Schools at the Central Java Regional Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, applauded the collaborative initiative with Unilever Indonesia, "We are very pleased to be able to collaborate in activities involving students in pesantren.”
“The information and knowledge received through the programs will certainly be applied and disseminated by the students to the wider community - because we believe that whoever guides someone to goodness will have a similar reward. This trainings aim to realize integral and comprehensive health, because we need to maintain cleanliness and health both physically and spiritually."
Intensive interactions within the pesantren community make the cultivation of clean and healthy living behaviors (PHBS), including the Handwashing with Soap (CTPS) movement, increasingly important. Moreover, according to the Statistics Indonesia (BPS), only 59.4% of Semarang’s total population have practiced Handwashing with Soap (CTPS) behavior.
Therefore, the Lifebuoy brand conducts educational activities and advocacy on the implementation of the CTPS in five critical moments, namely, before eating, after using the toilet, after playing, after coughing or sneezing, and after traveling. In addition, the peer-to-peer method is also applied, by appointing 2 students as peer educators to strengthen the program's sustainability. Since 2022, the Healthy Pesantren program supported by Lifebuoy has reached more than 2,000 pesantren, and has benefited more than 900,000 male and female students in Indonesia.
Furthermore, education related to oral and dental health care, as well as free dental care, is also carried out by Pepsodent brand. This education is important considering the Basic Health Research in 2018 recorded that only 2.21% of the population had proper tooth brushing behavior. The education and free dental care programs have been consistently implemented by Pepsodent since 2010 in collaboration with the PDGI, FKG, and RSGM throughout Indonesia. Through the 'Healthy Schools and Pesantren Program,' Pepsodent has educated nearly 30 million Indonesian children to date.
Additionally, Unilever Indonesia, through the #AksiCantik program supported by Sunsilk, Citra, and Glow & Lovely, presents women empowerment programs, especially for female students, by providing soft and hard skill trainings. Wrapped in interesting themes with educative speakers namely:
- Syifa Fatimah (Putri Muslimah Indonesia 2017 and business owner), in a talk show session with Sunsilk, with the theme "Make Your Business Shine Brighter in the Digital World!"
- Jihan Nadira (Education Digital Creator), in a class and talk show session with Glow & Lovely, presenting the theme "Higher Education to Achieve Your Glow and Realize Your Dreams"
- Tri Susilowarih from the Rajut Krida Murti Community, in a class and talk show session with Citra, presenting the theme "Develop Creativity and Start Your Business."
Agus Ali Zainal Abidin, Supervisor of the Tahfidzul Qur'an Girls' Boarding School Al-Hikmah Semarang, revealed the positive impacts of the programs. "Alhamdulillah, through these programs from Unilever Indonesia, the students are reminded to be better in maintaining cleanliness and personal health for themselves and their loved ones. In addition, the students also receive training in both soft and hard skills, which, God willing, will be very beneficial, not only in welcoming the holy month of Ramadan, but also as preparation to become strong and empowered Muslimahs," he concluded.
Previously, Unilever Indonesia has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the welfare of the Muslim community through long-term collaborative commitments and humanitarian aid distributed through partnerships with various trusted social institutions, including NU Care-LAZISNU (a philanthropic institution under the auspices of Nahdlatul Ulama), Lazismu (a social institution under the auspices of Muhammadiyah), and BAZNAS (National Amil Zakat Agency). A total of Rp 6 billion humanitarian fund has been distributed to help victims in conflict areas.