The campaign "Sending love: Providing clean water for children – Medical staff walk together", will provide clean water and improve water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices in Thach Thanh District, Thanh Hoa province.

The press conference launching the campaign was held at the CMUH in Taiwan (China), with an online connection to the Thanh My Kindergarten in Thach Thanh District.

The press conference launching the campaign was held at the CMUH in Taiwan (China), with an online connection to the Thanh My Kindergarten in Thach Thanh District.

Located about 70km from Thanh Hoa City, Thach Thanh is one of the most difficult mountainous districts of the province. About 40% of households are using untreated water. Water sources at elementary schools have not been treated according to standard procedures. The local people’s knowledge and practices about clean water and environmental sanitation are still limited. The above difficulties and challenges are part of the reason why 20% of children under 5 years old are malnourished and suffer development delays.

The donation of VND780 million (about US$32,000) from CMUH will be used to build water supply systems, toilets, and hand washing facilities in five communes in Thach Thanh District. The project also organizes sessions to improve clean water and environmental sanitation practices for local people, especially children.

“In Taiwan (China), you can turn on the faucet and use clean water anytime, anywhere. It's hard to imagine that there are places where people have to walk for hours, cross mountains, wade rivers to get water for daily use... Water pollution and lack of sanitation facilities can seriously affect food security, livelihoods, and the educational conditions of children. I hope today's press conference will help everyone become more aware of the issue of clean water and environmental sanitation,” De-Yang, CHOU, Director of China Medical University Hospital shared.

Children's dancing performance at the Thanh My Kindergarten.

Ngo Cong Thanh, North 2 Zonal Programme Manager of World Vision International in Vietnam, said, “The campaign will bring clean water to 2,500 people, thereby helping local children and communities enjoy good health and thrive. World Vision is committed to implementing the project effectively, creating positive impacts on child wellbeing.”

Hoang Thi Loan, principal of Thanh My Kindergarten, said, “At Thanh My Kindergarten, there are classes with more than 20 children, but the school has only two faucets. It is very difficult for us to guide children in daily hand washing.”

It is even harder on rainy days when children's hands and feet get dirty when they go to school, teachers often have to wash children's hands and feet.

“With the campaign’s support, we will repair four toilets and build new hand washing areas. We will also organize training sessions for students on hand washing to improve health and prevent disease," she said.

In 2023, with the support of sponsors and donors around the world as well as partners in Vietnam, World Vision has installed 2,020 household sanitation facilities and helped 10,463 people access sanitation services.