Many children in Vietnam lack access to safe water for both drinking and hand-washing. Safe water is defined as water free of disease-causing organisms and chemicals that harm human health. Hygiene education is severely lacking and diseases like diarrhea run rampant. MEDRIX addresses these issues by providing water filtration systems, hand-washing stations, and hygiene education to create a sustainable future for the next generation.
In emerging countries worldwide, diarrhea remains a major cause of death for children 5 years and younger. Approximately 9,000 children die daily from diarrhea. A major reason for this is a lack of access to clean and safe water for both drinking and hand-washing. Children do not grow up with hygiene education, and do not always have access to hand-washing stations or supplies such as soap. Contaminated drinking water makes even careful families sick.
MEDRIX donors and partners work together to sponsor water filtration systems and hand-washing stations in rural schools. The installation of the hardware is combined with education in proper hygiene and oral care. As commercial treatment systems become more affordable to build in Vietnam and makes safe water projects more sustainable, focus has shifted to expanding health education instead of maintaining existing stations.
MEDRIX focuses on providing real solutions and resources as well as local sustainability. The dedication of local Vietnamese officials who maintain existing water systems ensures that MEDRIX can focus on expanding water safety into rural areas. Benefits continue far into the future and multiply exponentially as children bring their new-found knowledge of safe water home to their families and encourage further hygiene education. MEDRIX has sponsored installation of 15 complete water systems.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
