“Cleanliness is half of faith,” began Ustadz Omar Benito as he inspected the expanse of a newly-fabricated ablution facility behind Masjid Addawah Al-Islamie. “On regular days, we pray five times. This means that we need to wash our bodies five times a day,” referring to the act of purifying one’s self before turning to Allah in prayer.

The difficulties that worshippers at the Masjid Addawah Al-Islamie mosque faced centered around the ablution facility. “It was difficult at the time when the ablution area didn’t have a reliable water supply. Our people walked downhill and hired a truck so they could bring water here,” Benito said.

Through a grant from the USAID-funded Philippine Environmental Governance Project (EcoGov), the Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City improved the mosque’s sanitation facility as part of Marawi City’s solid waste management program.

Since 2006, EcoGov has provided technical assistance to Marawi City for the proper management of Marawi’s urban wastes. Renovation work on the ablution facility started in March 2008, and the completed project was formally turned over last October 22.

MSU, being a major force in Marawi City’s solid waste management program, hoped to tap the potential of the religious sector as it advocates behavior change in wastewater disposal. By working on the 20-year-old Masjid Addawah Al-Islamie mosque, which stood on MSU grounds in Barangay Dimalna, MSU’s advocacy benefited the mosque and touched the lives of over 300 families who come to pray each day.

The needs of women, who comprise a significant bulk of the mosque’s population, were also considered. The renovation of the ablution area included the construction of a separate cubicle for women’s cleansing rituals.

In Ustadz Omar Benito’s view, the improvements at the ablution area lead not only to cleanliness, but also peace.

“The word Islam means peace. It carries the word ‘Salam’, meaning ‘peace.’ It seeks peace in everything — not just peace among people, but peace with the environment,” he says, citing lessons from his studies in Saudi Arabia.

He extended his hand towards the ablution area’s new faucets, their gleaming PVC pipes jutting out of the wall. “When we miss out on sanitation, our people will get sick. We cannot disregard our environment; it is too crucial.”

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