ViceChairwoman of the VWU Tran Thi Huong said the union has made it a priority tosupport women in building and using hygienic toilets as part of a campaign to encouragehygienic practice in rural families.
Theissue is significant in ensuring the right to sanitation for everyone,especially women living in disadvantaged circumstances and those withdisabilities, she said, adding that it will help to gradually change the awarenessand behaviours of women, other people and the community about protecting ahygienic environment for the health of the community and their own families.
TheVWU needs support and technical assistance from all sectors, the authorities,organisations and enterprises in working for the right to sanitation, Huongsaid.
Countrydirector of the East Meets West Vietnam Hanh Nguyen highlighted that the issueof environmental hygiene and clean water is more urgent than ever in thecentral region which was hard hit by historic floods.
Theorganization will continue to work with local partners to ensure access toclean water and hygiene for disadvantaged communities, she said.
TheVWU has coordinated with the East Meets Wests and partners to implement aproject on hygiene and clean water in five provinces of Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa,Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Ben Tre. As a result, more than 9,100 households in ruralareas were persuaded to build hygienic toilets. Besides, 980 other households,along with 50,000 children and 173 communal health clinics were provided withhand cleaning devices and soap for COVID-19 prevention under the project.
Poorhygiene and lack of clean water are among causes of malnutrition and diseases,especially in children. Under-five children in communities without hygienictoilets are 3.7cm shorter in average than their peers in communities withhygienic toilets. Pneumonia and diarrhea are the cause of nearly one third ofdeaths of under-five children in Vietnam. /.