11,000 to benefit from new hygiene and sanitation project

Plan El Salvador Country Director Rossana Viteri at the project launch

Plan El Salvador and the European Commission have launched a two-year education project on hygiene and sanitation for rural communities in the country.

The project - which will run in 20 communities and 23 schools - aims to promote behavioural changes among more than 11,000 people living in 13 rural municipalities.

Several high-profile government and EC delegates attended the launch, including a representative from the Ministry for the Environment and the European Commission delegate for El Salvador. More than 100 children and adults from the communities which will benefit also attended.

The Mayor of San Isidro, José Bautista, said at the launch: "The selection of these communities was not a random act of kindness. They were selected because of their spirit of cooperation and organisation, and because of their capacity to work in partnership with local governments and other institutions."

Community leader Angel Martínez added: "Our children will not only have access to safe water but they will also play a key role in community development. They are at the heart of Plan's work but it is very important to remember that they are at the heart of our families and communities. The changes in our behaviour to take care of water, the environment and ourselves, is something we owe to them, and to the children that will come after them."

Find out more about Plan's work in El Salvador