As many as 900 students from five primary schools in Ho Chi Minh City joined water-saving activities under an education programme introduced on March 22 in the southern region.

The 12-month “Mizuiku - I love clean water" programme, organised by the districts' education and training divisions and the Japanese Suntory Group and Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage (SPVB), is an initiative to celebrate World Water Day (March 22).

The programme focuses on practical, outdoor activities to educate children on the role of water on the planet and to raise their awareness on the importance of water resources and water hygiene in their daily lives.

The programme aims to educate children on the role of water on the planet and to raise their awareness on the importance of water resources.

It also funds the installation of water facilities, water filter stations and upgrades of toilets at targeted schools.

Addressing the ceremony, Tomomi Fukumoto of Suntory Group said the group pledged to continue the implementation of the programme in the north while expanding it to the south in a bid to ensure sustainable water use in Vietnam.

In 2015, the pilot programme was carried out at six primary schools in the two districts of Thanh Oai and My Duc in Hanoi with the participation of about 1,600 students and teachers.

This year, it aims to help nearly 2,400 students from 10 other primary schools in Hanoi, the northern province of Bac Ninh and Ho Chi Minh City.

In Japanese, Mizu means "water" and iku stands for "education". Mizuiku is a natural water education programme that has been successfully implemented in Japan since 2004.

Over 10 years, 98,000 children and parents in Japan have attended classes and outdoor activities through the programme.

Source: VNA