Ms. Hai Ly, member of the project “Water Resources Governance: Phase 2, Mekong Regional Water Governance Program”
“Sadly, people can no longer bathe in the A Sap River."
Ms. Hai Ly opened the story with a sigh. She is one of the two leaders of a group mobilizing people to protect water resources in the mountainous district of A Luoi, Thua Thien Hue province. A Luoi is upstream of five large rivers with a dense stream system, which local people rely on for their living and economic development.
However, the water of the river is increasingly polluted partly by alum, partly due to the act of throwing garbage and indiscriminately cutting down forests of people, according to Ms. Ly. “Just being earnest is not enough. I felt I had to do something. I want to accompany people to change their way of thinking and acting.”
Ms. Ly is tasked with knowledge sharing for people, mobilizing them to protect water sources, through specific actions such as recycling and burning garbage properly, using water sparingly, and instructing people to make use of different types of water, such as water wells, rainwater, for irrigation and livestock breeding. She even joins hands with Hong Thuong Commune Women's Union to organize Green Sunday for people to clean up rivers and streams in their neighborhood together.
On the very first day of the campaign, Ms. Ly faced many difficulties. “As a woman, people had a lot of prejudices when seeing me promote the campaign, like these things are for men. They even avoided talking to me,” Not to mention many people who worked far away, only after several visits could she meet them. In some cases, only when both husband and wife were persuaded, could she yield encouraging results.
“Working with the Provincial and District Women's Unions and the Center for Social Research and Development allow me to gain more social skills and opportunities to share working experiences with individuals and groups. Only by listening to people carefully, can I understand their problems, gain their trust and motivate them to change their behavior,” Ms. Ly recalls. Thanks to her gentleness and patience, and encouragement from her husband, Ms. Ly gradually received the trust and support of local people. She even encouraged others to follow.
“It is hard to balance between family and work, but we must do for the sake of clean water for ourselves and the community. By protecting the river, we are protecting the future of generations to come.”
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Ms. Hai Ly participates in the project “Water Governance: Phase 2, Mekong Regional Water Governance Program”, jointly organized by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) funding. The project aims to promote women's leadership and the participation of riparian communities in water resource governance.