‘Alis Kuto’ program brings comfort and joy
The Alis Kuto program of Aspen Philippines garnered Aspen Asia’s 2015 Community Involvement Award after its employees used Permethrin (Kwell) to delouse 150 heads of public school children in Barangay Barangka, Mandaluyong City.
For the second time, Aspen Philippines won the Aspen Community Involvement Award when it sought to bring comfort and joy to the four to 12-year-old public school kids with head lice.
In 2014, Aspen Philippines won the very first Aspen Global Award for Community Involvement, an internal award endorsing Nelson Mandela’s call to “take action, inspire change and make every day a Mandela Day.” Mandela Day is a national holiday in South Africa and commemorates his birthday, July 18, 1918. The South African-based Aspen Group has actively participated in initiatives to heed his call.
Head lice infestation is the second most common health concern among Filipino children 12 years old and younger, according to a study in 2012 by the Department of Health and the University of the Philippines.
A separate study published in 2011 shows that 85% of the children in Barangay Calatangan, Iloilo have active head lice. This is an alarming percentage as it affects the children’s quality of life. The children have difficulty sleeping, which in turn diminishes their focus in school and participation in activities.
In one of the Mandaluyong City community health centers, the mothers who accompany their children for health services raised head lice as one of their main concerns, prompting health care providers to relay the issue to the City Council.
Aspen, the brand owner of Permethrin (Kwell) shampoo, the market leader among pediculicides, was sought out to respond to this concern. Within two months, the Alis Kuto (head lice eradication) program became a reality under the lead of Earl Jayona, Aspen Consumer Healthcare product manager.
On June 20, 2015, dubbed “Alis Kuto Day,” 150 kids from Barangay Barangka were gathered together with their parents to learn about head hygiene. Afterwards, delousing was conducted using Permethrin (Kwell) shampoo. Hygiene kits were also distributed to all the families.