Nghe An summarizes the project 'Women-led Results-Based Water and Sanitation Improvement - WOBA'

Conference scene. Photo: Contributor

Project “Improving sanitation and clean water based on results ofwomen"Owning - WOBA" is sponsored by the East Meets West Foundation (EMWF) and assigned by the Provincial People's Committee to the Provincial Women's Union to take charge of implementing the project since 2018.

Accordingly, many propaganda and training activities were organized for women's union officials at all levels and supply units.clean water, preventive health facilities and commune collaborators related to environmental sanitation, clean water use, health care, and personal hygiene.

In addition, the project also promotes communication activities and disseminates two protection policies.childrenand prevent exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment on social networks Facebook, Zalo...

Comrade Nguyen Thi Quynh Hoa - Member of the Provincial Party Executive Committee, Chairwoman of the Provincial Women's Union spoke at the conference. Photo: Contributor

Along with propaganda, it is necessary to mobilize people to build hygienic toilets, connect, use clean water and save water in the context of climate change; communicate about hand washing with soap, preventing and fighting the COVID-19 epidemic in some schools in Quy Hop and Tan Ky districts; hygiene and care for women...

Besides propaganda, women's unions at all levels have also actively connected with organizations, agencies, units, and businesses to build models and connect loans to implement project contents.

Women's Unions inspect and accept underground sanitation works for residents. Photo: Contributor

Specifically, the association at all levels has linked with 3 water plants to propagate and mobilize people to connect and use clean water; linked with 14 stores supplying construction materials and clean water equipment to support people in paying in installments and deferring the cost of building toilets.

The association at all levels directed 100% of communes to pilot self-help groups to mobilize available resources in the community to support poor households in building hygienic toilets, such as labor exchange groups, savings groups, and models of turning waste into toilets.

Mr. Nguyen Hiep - Chief Representative of EMW in Vietnam spoke at the conference. Photo: Contributor

Through the project's funding, the Provincial Women's Union has also supported the construction of 6 model sanitary latrines in 6 communes, with priority given to people with disabilities; improved access to 1 sanitary facility at Dong Van Commune Health Station worth 30 million VND; and distributed 720 mobile hand washing devices to kindergartens, health stations and poor households with elderly and disabled people.

Along with that, from the project's support and the province's counterpart funds, from 2018 to now, the whole province has had 3,700 poor, near-poor households, and households with disabled people supported to build hygienic toilets; supported 2,396 households to connect and use clean water.

In addition, the association at all levels has also reviewed the people's demand for loans to build hygienic toilets and clean water connections to advise the government to propose the Social Policy Bank to arrange capital according to demand, with a total disbursed capital of about 29 billion VND with 2,920 borrowing households.

Leaders of the Provincial Women's Union and the Chief Representative of EMW in Vietnam awarded prizes to 3 units that implemented the project well. Photo: Contributor

Through the implementation of the project, many positive changes have been made in people's awareness and actions regarding clean water, environmental sanitation in general and personal hygiene in particular; increased coverage of hygienic toilets and the rate of households using clean water in rural areas, contributing to improving and enhancing people's quality of life; contributing to promoting the implementation of environmental sanitation criteria in new rural construction in localities in the province.

From the results achieved in the past time, the task set for the women's unions at all levels in the province is to continue to organize propaganda and mobilize households to be aware of the benefits of using hygienic toilets and clean water; associated with mobilizing households to build, use and maintain hygienic toilets, contributing to improving people's health, especially in rural, mountainous areas and ethnic minorities.