People travel by pirogue (a long narrow boat made from a hollowed-out tree trunk) on a river in the village of Mabala in the western province of Bandundu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The village was recently certified as a ‘Healthy Village’, indicating that residents have successfully adopted healthy hygiene and sanitation practices.
In 2010 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, improved water supply sources and hygiene promotion have contributed to a reduction in diarrhoeal diseases among children under age five. Still, water and sanitation coverage in the country is among the lowest worldwide. The ‘Villages Assainis/Ecoles Assainies’ (Healthy Village/Healthy School) programme, implemented by the Government and supported by UNICEF, promotes the protection of safe water in over 1,500 communities and the provision of gender-separated toilets, hand-washing stations and hygiene education in over 600 schools nationwide.
© UNICEF/Olivier Asselin