Clean water is a basic need but 97% of the poorest households in rural Vietnam have no access to piped water. This project will connect 400 rural households (1600 people) in Chau Thanh district of Ben Tre, Vietnam to safe water. Thrive's unique approach incentivizes the private water sector to establish water connections in rural areas while involving government and communities in the process to ensure sustainable, efficient water supply delivery that continues even after Thrive's involvement.
Vietnam's Chau Thanh district is located along some of the dirtiest parts of the Mekong Delta. Dirty water causes 80% of all diseases suffered in Vietnam, like diarrhea and typhoid fever, which are fatal but preventable with proper water access and hygiene. However, people in rural communities like Chau Thanh cannot afford safer water. Even if they could, private water companies are not incentivized to deliver services to rural areas, and government efforts are not always socially inclusive.
Thrive uses an output-based aid or pay for success approach that makes it possible for poor families to afford clean water, and incentivizes private companies to build water systems in areas that need it most. By sparking demand for clean water by educating communities about the benefits of clean water, and the supply side by partnering with private sector and government, Thrive serves as the catalyst for a sustainable system that gives the poorest access to safe drinking water.
The establishment of affordable, sustainable water access in rural areas, will enhance the resilience of 1600 people in rural Vietnam to potentially fatal waterborne illnesses. Beyond this, Thrive's projects deepen engagement between private sector, government, and local communities, which has set the foundation for a new paradigm where millions of people, particularly the poorest , and not just those who can afford it, can access clean water in Vietnam.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
