One year ago, we pledged $40,000 to World Vision and embarked on our second project in partnership with them to help young preschoolers in Minh Long access clean drinking water and washing facilities. Today, we are heartened to share that since August, the Water and Health for Life Programme has provided water filtration and hand washing systems as well as 10 drinking water fountains across seven kindergartens in Minh Long.
With these new hand washing facilities, 1152 children have been able to protect themselves against COVID-19 while they attend school. Moreover, their families can be assured of their children's well-being as their daily consumption of safe water at school ensures their good health.
"This is the poorest school in the district. The school's amenities were poor in the past, and children were frequently absent," said Le Thi Tien, a teacher at the Long Mon Commune Kindergarten. "But this year, parents are actively taking children to school because of our new sanitation and hygienic facilities. We are really thankful to our World Vision donor for caring for our children even in this very poor area."
In addition, we are proud to have helped in funding family-based educational efforts, in the form of water and hygiene learning programmes and campaigns targeted towards parents and caregivers.
For one father, Dinh Thi Su, learning about the harmful effects of water pollution has enabled him and his family to make more informed decisions in relation to hygiene. He said of the learning programmes, “We are grateful for the training. I now feel equipped to prevent illness by keeping children clean. The whole family now drinks boiled water, and we remind our children to wash their hands with soap before eating and after going to the toilet.”
It has been a humbling and rewarding experience working with World Vision on this project, and we are so thankful to have had your support in doing so as well! Empowering families and communities has been and continues to be at the centre of our mission at The Missing Piece, and we are endlessly grateful that we are able to share these meaningful experiences with our TMP family. As we close this chapter and embark on our next project, we just want to say a BIG THANK YOU to each one of you who supported us in this.