Friends of LOO

Youth for Public Health - My Volunteering Experience at Clean & Green Week 2006

Adonara Mucek is the president of Catholic Junior College’s Environmental Society. After a project with RAS, she led 10 other of the society members to volunteer for RAS during Clean & Green Week 2006.

It started with a school project that involved us researching on developments in our society. With the craziest notion in our minds, we decided to look into toilets. Little did we know that it was a doorway into an entirely different world. After preliminary research into toilets, we discovered that Singapore actually has an organisation dedicated to improving the conditions of toilets. Delighted at our discovery, we sent in an email interview to Mr Colin See to find out more about the Restroom Association, Singapore (RAS). He graciously replied with an invitation from Ms Kelly to take part in activities that would enable us with a better understanding of what the RAS aims to do, as well as what we as part of the public can do. So once our project was completed, our project group, as well as various other members of the Environmental Society in school volunteered to help out with the Clean and Green Week School Carnival 2006 at the Singapore Expo.

Prior to the event, we were briefed on our duties as event facilitator and how to handle different people. After which, I organized a duty roster stating our shifts in accommodation to our time schedule. It was exciting to be helping out in the exhibition when we realised that it was a rather big event. By the time we reached there at 7am, the Singapore Expo was already crowded with exhibitors. We helped set up the booth with the posters as well as with the matching games and it was ready by the time the crowd started coming in.

It was quite interesting to see people, old and young alike, stopping in their tracks half way, puzzled at what we were trying to promote. Many school children, whether be it those from nursery or secondary, were interested in playing the matching game, where the theme needed to be matched with the picture of the toilet to win a toilet ambassador badge. It was definitely fulfilling to see everyone playing the game eagerly and learning little nuggets of health education such as washing your hands before you eat and flushing the toilet. I felt surprising reluctant when my shift ended at 12 noon. I suppose it was because everyone there had the desire to learn and it was quite satisfying to be able to quench that thirst for knowledge.

This is the first time I have volunteered to participate in such activities for the RAS and I hope I can continue to volunteer my services together with my friends. It is a noble aim to help out in toilet hygiene and cleanliness and I am proud to be part of it.

From Volunteer to Friend - RAS's Star Volunteer

Uncle Lim is a long-time volunteer with RAS and has supported us in several of our activities. He was recently awarded the Certificate of Appreciation for his dedicated volunteering efforts with RAS.

One day as I was checking my e-mail, I saw this particular mail sent by my friend requesting for volunteers to assist the Restroom Association of Singapore (RAS) in their activities. I have read about them in newspapers but not sure what are their roles.

I replied to RAS indicating that I was available on that day and requested for more details.

So from that day onwards, I started to volunteer my time with RAS. It is a very interesting organization whose roles amongst others are to assist and train people to keep their toilets clean and hygienic, especially public toilets.

As a volunteer, I’ve help them to set up panels and exhibition stalls. There, we will distribute pamphlets and flyers about toilet etiquette, cleanliness and hygiene. With these good attributes and habits, we could lead a very healthy lifestyle. We also explained and advised the public how and why they should keep toilets clean.

During talks and seminars organized by RAS, I was there to assist them in registration of guests, ushering them to their seats. When they organized seminars for schools, I had the opportunity to meet up with many school principals, teachers and operation managers. I knew quite a few of the operation managers as they were formerly from the Army.

On one occasion when one of the Residents’ Committee, Besatri, was organizing a Block Party cum Healthy Lifestyle in Kebun Baru, Ang Mo Kio. On behalf to the RC Chairperson, I extended the invitation to RAS staff to participate in the event by delivering a talk on Good Habits when using the toilet and how to keep the toilet clean and hygiene. Ms Kelly briefly talked on good toilets habits and why toilets are to be kept clean all the time. The tips given by Ms Kelly were well received by the residents. The children also enjoyed by playing “The Loo-tiquette Quest!”a game, where they learnt to cultivate good toilet habits and those who finished the game were given a gift.

After volunteering with RAS for about two years, I am now quite attached to them and am very supportive of their activities. I also became good friends with the RAS staff.