Hypo ‘Team Up to Clean Up’ initiative: recounting the gains of community clean up exercise

The notion of corporate social responsibility as a mere philanthropic effort to ‘do good’ is no longer applauded. Now more than ever, corporate organizations are expected to fundamentally do at least some good to improve society. “What social issues should we support? 
What charities or governmental institutions will be the most strategic partners? What initiative that connects with our brand DNA should we develop or align with, that will do the most good for society and our corporate image?
 

Perhaps this might have been the kind of corporate thinking that inspired Nigeria’s No. 1 hygiene solution brand HYPO to initiate the ‘Team Up to Clean Up’ campaign aimed at educating the public on importance of home and environment hygiene, as well as influencing positive behavioural changes towards good hygiene and sanitation habits which in the long run will lower incidences of breakouts/diseases.

It is on this basis, Hypo teamed up with health, environment and community stakeholders on a clean-up exercise in Lagos and Ibadan. The initiative which kicked off in Lagos on WORLD HEALTH DAY, Friday, April 7, 2017 was supported by the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Oyo State Waste Management Authority, and Oyo State Ministry of Environment & Water Resources. 
In Lagos, the exercise was carried out at Simpson Street in Ebutte Meta. The exercise at Ibadan followed a similar exercise in Lagos. Like, Lagos, residents in the Mokola area of Ibadan where the exercise was carried out, turned out in droves to participate in the clean-up exercise. Hypo, from the stable of Tolaram Africa Enterprises Ltd provided clean-up tools such as latex hand gloves rakes, nose mask, shovels, stick brushes, bowls, buckets, brooms, parkers, and sanitary waste bags and doled out hypo bleach products to residents.

Driven on social media with the hashtag #teamuptocleanup, the initiatives was championed by select On- Air Personalities. While Lolo 1 of Wazobia FM championed the clean-up in Lagos, Fresh FM On Air Personality, Chichi Chikito took stage on Darlington Street at Mokola in Ibadan to mobilize residents for the sanitation exercise.

In a media interview, Jadesola Surakat, Brand Manager, Hypo said that the campaign which is in its second season is primarily aimed at fulfilling the corporate responsibility Hypo has towards the society and repositioning the brand from the perceived state of just a whitening agent to a total hygiene solution.

“Being the leading brand in the category of household cleaning, we recognize our responsibility to the society and therefore deemed it right to make contributions to the betterment of the society. Hypo has become a phenomena household brand and there are no better ways to give back than this initiative of influencing a positive behaviour for hygiene by engaging residents of communities.” She explained.

Speaking further, Surakat said that “Cleaning is not a choice; to stay healthy, cleanliness must be imbibed as an essential way of life. If we have a cleaner environment, there is a good chance that most of the avoidable diseases tormenting us like malaria, typhoid, dysentery, ebola would be far away. Hypo has become a phenomena household brand. This is a collaborative effort and requires teaming up with the relevant stakeholders such as influencers and government agencies and parastatals.”

Stakeholders from relevant environment and health ministries and government agencies in the respective states lauded the initiative. According to the Assistant Director, Health Education Unit, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Mrs. Olubunmi Ilawole, “We would significantly reduce communicable diseases if the right hygiene behaviour is adopted across all social strata and that’s what this campaign is about which is commendable.” Speaking on the impact of the campaign on the environment, the Head, Waste Management Division, Environmental Services Department, Lagos State Ministry of Environment, Mrs. Tolu Adeyo said that the Ministry of Environment commends any initiative such as the Team Up to Clean Up campaign. “Government would do it’s part of providing framework, system and infrastructures such as the PSP scheme, but it’s our individual responsibility to manage the waste we generate on a daily basis by disposing them the right way and the sensitization of cleaning the environment is central to our mandate that’s why we commend the Hypo Team Up to Clean Up campaign. Adeyo and her team provided supervision for the clean-up exercise.”

Corroborating with their Lagos counterpart, the Chief Environmental Health Officer at the Oyo State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Emiola Oyerinde said that “Waste generated from the home constitute a much of the waste in the immediate environment of many households, therefore household waste management and environment waste management goes hand-in-hand. Anyone who keeps his house very clean would also keep his immediate environment clean. I urge you all to take seriously this message of hygiene which is championed by Hypo, to keep your homes and environment clean so that diseases would be far from you”, he urged.

The clean-up exercise gained huge participation by immediate residents in both locations as everyone joined hands to clear the filthy gutters with unprecedented enthusiasm. Free Hypo samples were doled out to participants and the residents as encouragement to maintain the behaviour of regular clean-up of their homes and immediate environment.