Small changes in village, big peaceful relief for Mum

| Li's mum is leading her daughters wash hands with seven-step cleansing method. 

"There are no stray pipes on the road, no smelly sewage on the pavement, and we no longer need to worry about children falling into the sewers because of damaged covers. Children are happier and we parents are more at ease." Looking at her two daughters running happily, the young mother smiled with relief.

Four-year-old Li and six-year-old Juan are a pair of Dai sisters who live with their parents and grandparents in this beautiful Dai village. Mum and dad maintain the family's livelihood by running a local special snack store, and as they often have to go out, the little sisters are mostly taken care of by their grandparents.

"As a mum, I'm most worried about my children's safety. The water pipes in our village used to be scattered on the road, so children and the elderly would easily be tripped when walking, and my children have fallen because of this. Another thing that worries me even more is that many of the covers of the sewers in the village have been broken for long time, especially near the recreation ground, where there are fitness facilities and which is a favourite place for children. It was often dirty and smelly with sewage flowing all over. We didn't trust our children to come here to play for fear that they would fall into the sewage. When children came to play, the adults had to follow them and guard them nervously. Sometimes there was just too much sewage and we had no choice but to forcefully stop children from coming here." Recalling the inconvenience, Li's mother is still upset.

At the end of 2023, with the support of World Vision, the villagers' long-awaited project to renovate the community's sewage and drinking water pipes finally got underway. The project replaced the community drinking water pipes, which had been scattered for a long time and had become damaged, to ensure the safety of drinking water for local residents, and re-laid the newly replaced drinking water pipes neatly underground to prevent children from tripping over the messy pipes and getting injured. In response to long-term waterlogging on village roads, the project has enabled rainwater and sewage to be discharged appropriately through the construction of sewage drains, installed covers for exposed sewage wells, and repaired badly damaged ditch covers to prevent children from falling and getting injured.

| Li (in yellow) is playing in the recreation ground with her sister. It used to be dirty and smelly with sewage flowing all over before. After the project construction, it’s clean and safe now. 

| Li and her sister are running freely and happily in the village, no worry to be tripped by the scattered pipes.

"Everyone is happy to see the changes in the village, especially those with children at home. We are so happy with this project." Li's mum said. "The village is cleaner and safer now. Children can freely go to the recreation ground on their own and adults seldom follow. The covers are fixed, the sewage is gone, and our worries have become fewer." Li's mother also said that because of the changes they have seen in the village, everyone is also willing to work together in the future to manage and maintain the newly constructed facilities under the leadership of the village. "Everyone is responsible for the tidiness of the village." Li's mother said.

In addition to renovating the sewage and drinking water pipes, the project also carried out health education activities in the community. Led by their mum, Li and Juan came to the activity site early that day. Although the two sisters could not read yet, they were fascinated by the health information leaflets given to them by World Vision staff. When they learnt the seven-step cleansing method, they raised their hands high and followed the steps very seriously.

| Li (in yellow) joined health education activity with her sister（in pink).

After the activity, Li’s mother said: "This is the first time we have learnt to wash our hands in such a 'formal' way, and we also learnt about some ways to prevent diarrhea in children, and the video on how to make rehydration salts with common items at home is very helpful. My daughters also learnt very attentively. The use of cartoons to explain hygiene knowledge is easier for children to understand. I will also wash my hands more carefully in the future to give my children a good example."

The construction of sanitation facilities, the improvement of the village appearance and the villagers' health awareness will allow more children in the mountainous areas like Li and Juan to have a safer, healthier and happier childhood. As Li’s mother said, everyone is responsible for the tidiness of the village and the safety of the children.