Plan International Laos is excited to announce the launch of the fourth phase of the Integrated Health, Nutrition, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Project in Saravan Province, which will benefit over 40,000 individuals, including 21,000 girls and women, this project is poised to significantly impact the local communities in the coming years.

(KPL) A Memorandum of Understanding on the fourth phase of the Integrated Health, Nutrition, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Project in Saravan Province was signed here today.

Signatories to the document were Dr Akhom Lamvichith, the Head of Saravan Provincial Health Department, Ministry of Health and Mr Sengsantisith Sanasisane, Deputy Director of International Plan International Laos.

The fourth phase of this project will contribute to achieving the National Plan of Action on Nutrition 2021-2025, provincial open-defecation-free status in 2024, and move towards a country open-defecation-free status in 2025. The fourth phase of Integrated Health, Nutrition, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene project will work in and support 52 villages and 13 health centres in Saravan.

This project is US$195,119 financially supported by Plan International Australia, the Government of Australia and individual donors through Plan International Laos. The fourth phase of this project will end on June 30, 2025.

The previous phases of the Integrated Health, Nutrition, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Project had a significant outstanding and successful contribution to reducing malnutrition that causes infants and children's substandard height.

Therefore, the fourth phase of this project will focus primarily on the first 1,000 days of life and improving nutrition among women in targeted villages. Moreover, it will contribute to Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 6 achievements in 2030 of the Government of the Lao PDR.

"Improving access to health and sanitation services and improving the nutritional status of women, girls and boys in the target community is one of our priorities. Plan International Laos has worked closely with the government. It has continued to support the Health Department of Saravan Province and the District Health Offices by building the capacity of Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS) Committees at the village level to implement CLTS work. The impacts of the implementation of the project in the last three phases have shown that we are moving in the right direction in supporting the communities and government partners. In the fourth phase of this project, I believe that the villagers, especially women, children and pregnant women in 52 villages and neighboring villages, will benefit from the services and facilities we will provide to the 13 health centres," said Mr Sanasisan, Deputy Director of Plan International Laos.

At the same time, the fourth phase of this project will focus on technical work in two main areas to build the capacity of the CLTS committees to lead communication work to change the behaviour of the communities - the CLTS committees integrate their work with climate change adaptation, and to implement the "True Friends" activities at the health centre level, focusing on keeping the workplace clean, safe and friendly to children and women, including the underprivileged and disabled people.

Plan International initiated the Integrated Health, Nutrition, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in 2014 with good collaboration and close coordination with district health offices and the provincial health department. At the end of the last phases of the project, 218 target villages in Houn, Pakbeng Districts, Oudomxay Province and in Ta Oi and Saravan Districts, Saravan Province, received open defecation-free village status. At the same time, the project has also built four health centres, provided equipment and facilities to facilitate childbirth, and built seven mother and child annexes in Saravan Province.

KPL