Hope Foundation starts building two school toilets in far northern province

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the toilets at Ta Phin Secondary & High School and Sinh Lung Primary & Secondary School on Thursday, Nguyen Van Chinh, vice chairman of the district, said local schools lack many facilities, especially toilets.

“The ‘School Hygiene’ project is a gift that offers students good learning and living conditions, thereby improving the quality of education.”

Le Quang Hien, deputy head of the district Department of Education and Training, said in recent years the size and quality of schools have been improved, and the number of students attending schools has also increased. But the quality of school facilities, including toilets, remains low. Some schools completely lack toilets while others’ are dilapidated, lack water and are unsanitary, and this has a significant impact on the quality of life and learning of teachers and students, he said.

Children use a makeshift toilet at a school in Dong Van District, Ha Giang Province. Photo by VnExpress/Ha Phuong

Nguyen Van Lam, principal of Sinh Lung school, said the school has more than 400 students and 20 teachers, but only one toilet and without a private cubicle. During school time, children have to wait in line for their turn to use the restroom, while teachers often wait until late at night to do so.

“Overuse and lack of water make the toilet stink, affecting the quality of education.”

Mai Thi Thanh Huong, Public Affairs lead of Consumer Healthcare of Sanofi Vietnam, said in 2022 her company and Hope Foundation built 20 school toilets in Van Ho District, Son La Province, also in the northern highlands.

“Seeing the students use clean toilets and wash their hands in clean tap water, we felt very happy. It has also been our motivation to continue working with the Hope Foundation to bring ‘School Hygiene’ to Dong Van, Ha Giang.”

The ‘School Hygiene’ project, part of the ‘Schools of Sunshine’ program, has the goal of eliminating dirty and unsafe toilets for children. It has been implemented since June 2022.

In six months it has built 49 new toilets in Van Ho District in Son La Province and Muong Nhe District in Dien Bien Province.

Some 7,000 students and teachers in schools there have access to clean, safe facilities.

To support the Hope Foundation, readers can find more information below:

The Hope Foundation Office

9th Floor, FPT Buidling, 10 Pham Van Bach Street, Cau Giay District, Hanoi

6th Floor, Exchange Tower, 1 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, Nguyen Thai Binh Ward, District 1, HCMC

Hotline: 0972 776 776

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