Nghe An receives clean water and sanitation project.

On the morning of April 12th, the Provincial People's Committee held a working meeting with a delegation from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union and the East-West Center.

Attending the working session, on the delegation's side were Ms. Tran Thi Huong - Vice President of the Central Committee of the Association; and Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Hanh - Director of the Clean Water and Sanitation Program, East Meets West.

Representing Nghe An province were Mr. Dinh Viet Hong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; and representatives from relevant departments and agencies.

A view of the working session. Photo: Phuoc Anh

The meeting discussed the results-based, women-led sanitation and water improvement project implemented by East Meets West.

The project has an estimated budget of approximately 30-32 billion VND, with the main funding provided by the Women's Water Aid Fund - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia; the implementation period is from 2018 to 2022.

The project aims to improve public health and gender equality by supporting poor, near-poor, and vulnerable households to increase access to sanitary toilets and clean water.

Residents of Nghi Thai commune, Nghi Loc district – a newly designated rural commune for nearly a decade – still do not have access to piped water and must rely on water from drilled and dug wells. (Photo: Archival image)

Speaking at the meeting, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Dinh Viet Hong said that in 2011, Nghe An only had 11 out of 421 communes meeting the criteria for clean water and environmental sanitation, accounting for 2.5%.

To date, after 7 years, with the synchronized involvement of the entire political system, departments, agencies, and organizations, and the consensus of the people, the results of building new rural areas have made remarkable progress.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Dinh Viet Hong speaks at the working session. Photo: Phuoc Anh

However, the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also emphasized that Nghe An is a province with a large area, a large population, and a low average income. Regarding clean water and sanitation, the central government's clean water and sanitation program has ended, while many projects remain unfinished in the province, posing significant challenges in balancing the budget.

Therefore, the fact that the East-West Center is bringing the Women-led, Results-Based Sanitation and Water Improvement Project to Nghe An is good news, and the provincial government is committed to creating all favorable conditions for the project's successful implementation.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Hanh, Director of the Clean Water and Sanitation Program at East-West Center, presented some basic information about the project. Photo: Phuoc Anh

During the meeting, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Hanh, Director of the Clean Water and Sanitation Program at East-West Center, presented some basic information about the project. Representatives from various departments and agencies also gave their opinions on issues related to matching funds, financial support for households to build facilities, and criteria for project acceptance.

Nghe An is one of five provinces in Vietnam that will benefit from this project.

Concluding the meeting, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Dinh Viet Hong affirmed that Nghe An province is committed to ensuring the matching funds as required by the project and assigned the Provincial Women's Union as the focal point for this project, with relevant departments and agencies responsible for coordinating its implementation.

"Nghe An will cooperate with the East-West Center to implement the project with high determination to maximize benefits for beneficiaries and strive to improve sanitation and clean water issues in the province," said the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee.

Phuoc Anh