Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment, the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID), the Embassy of Denmark and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on January 22 signed an agreement for non-refundable aid from the U.K. worth GBP17 million ($27.37 million). The assistance supports the second phase of the National Program for Clean Water and Rural Environmental Hygiene (2005-2010). This program is being sponsored by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Netherlands Ministry of Development Cooperation, with a commitment worth $125 million. The program has helped 79% of the rural population get access to clean water and 51% of households in the countryside to acquire hygienic toilets. To date, 75% of schools, 77% of medical stations, 67% of communal People’s Committee offices and 45% of public markets have used this program. DFID’s chief representative in Vietnam, Fiona Lappin, expressed her hope that the program will continue to grow in the next three years, focusing on environmental hygiene for the poor.
