| Implementing activities in schools has always been essential to EAST Vietnam’s commitment for people living in difficult socio-sanitary conditions. Since its establishment in Vietnam in 1994, EAST has implemented 5 several-year school programs in 4 Vietnamese provinces. These programs benefited to pupils from 165 primary and secondary schools.
 1994-1997 :
South of Bac Thai province (became Thai Nguyen province in 1997), 60 schools in 6 districts
 1998-2001 :
Thai Nguyen province, 27 schools (1 district)
 2002-2004 :
Lam Dong province, 24 schools (3 districts)
Nam Dinh province, 46 schools (3 districts)  2004-2006 :
Ninh Binh province, 8 schools (1 district) Every school program we implement aims at improving sanitary conditions in schools, in order to lower children’s water-related diseases. To achieve this objective, EAST Vietnam implements several complementary activities.
First of all, we provide schools with water supply and sanitation systems by improving drinking water systems, by building latrines with septic tanks, and by setting up cement pits for solid waste.
 | Pupils in front of their new latrines and the new drinking water tap in the primary school in ChiPhong
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Moreover, we train school teachers to a new and participative health education method. Based on the use of drawings and on the active participation of pupils, this method aims at teaching knowledge on water, hygiene rules and health to children. Conceptual lessons are completed by practical exercises, so that children can adopt best hygiene practices, as hand washing with soap.
 | Health education lessons with children in Thai Nguyen province in 1999 (left picture), in Nam Dinh province in 2004 (central picture), and in Ninh Binh province in 2006 (right picture)
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 | Drawings designed by EAST Vietnam and practical exercises in Nam Dinh province in 2003
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Last but not least, in order to reinforce the supervision of children’s health within the school, a school infirmary equipped with basic medicines and small equipments is implemented or rehabilitated in each school. Moreover, school health agents are trained to basic interventions and to school medicines stock control. They have the responsibility of renewing the stock of medicines when needed, and they are able to provide children with basic medical care in case of light diseases or incidents. In case of more complicated troubles, they bring children to the communal dispensary.
 | School health agent in Quang Lac school in front of the medicines storage
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EAST Vietnam places special emphasis on implementing activities with children. On the one hand, children are more fragile and as a matter of fact, they are the firsts to suffer from bad sanitary conditions and non safe water consumption. Unfortunately, water-related or hygiene-related diseases are still a major cause for school absenteeism in many provinces in Vietnam, which prevents children from the benefits of an assiduous scholarship. On the other hand, EAST Vietnam enables the youth to understand the stakes related to water, hygiene and environment and implants good hygiene behaviors in schools. Thus, EAST Vietnam teaches children how to be tomorrow’s responsible adults. EAST Vietnam’s actions in schools are a bet on future, following a sustainable development approach, based on very-long term objectives.
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