NATIONAL RURAL WATER SUPPLY PROJECT

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The principal objective of the National Rural Water Supply Project is to provide access to safe, conveniently located water to 4.6 million poor rural people in Hebei, Hubei, Jiangxi, and Yunnan provinces and Nei Mongol Autonomous Region, and to improve the water at the lowest possible cost and to ensure its sustainability through good maintenance and accounting practices. The core components are three: (1) Water supply -providing safe water to poor communities currently lacking such supplies, by maximizing community participation in selecting service alternatives, and supporting water system operator and accounting training to keep costs low and ensure project sustainability; (2) Sanitation and health education, involving working with primary school teachers, village doctors, Women's Federation representatives, and public health systems in their efforts to improve water use and sanitation practices in the villages by supporting demonstration programs to increase use of composting latrines, preparing health education messages aimed at expanding adopting improved sanitation and hygiene practices, primarily among housewives, school-aged children, and household decisionmakers, and training health education specialists; and (3) Project management, supporting increased project office capacity to service villages, including surveys and research, and training in procurement, water supply technologies, water quality protection, and health message delivery.