Streams of Change: Prioritizing Youth Engagement in the Water and Sanitation Sector

MA Jessilou “JLO” Morigo-Tanguilan shared an inspiring story of TUKLAS Visayas Lab, a community-centred innovation project in the Philippines, and a youth-led response to Typhoon Yolanda. Tuklas empowers marginalized Filipinos who have first-hand experience with disasters to share their practical solutions, fostering homegrown innovations for disaster preparedness.

She highlighted the work of Fidel Ramos, featured by Young Water Solutions for his leadership in VIQUA Water Care Solutions. Supported by TUKLAS, VIQUA develops mobile, hybrid water treatment facilities for disaster zones and remote communities, including a Rolling Water Station pilot that aims to provide affordable clean water even in the most isolated areas.

Jessilou further explored the WASH context in disaster response, focusing on Loguingot Island, Iloilo—an island community devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. She recounted the critical challenges faced in accessing water, sanitation, and reproductive health, and described how the Filipino spirit of "Bayanihan" (communal unity) brought together various organizations such as Plan International, Action Against Hunger, CARE Philippines, and the Citizens' Disaster Response Center to aid recovery and promote gender-responsive humanitarian action.

She urged for deeper, non-tokenistic youth involvement through what she described as the “Flower of Participation”, a visual model that illustrates the spectrum of youth involvement from passive roles to active, empowered engagement. This model encourages a shift toward deeper, more meaningful youth participation in community and governance processes.