Ha Noi, 27 April 2011 – For many Vietnamese children, Xuan Bac is a familiar name associated with friendliness and slapstick comedy.

In one of his first appearances in his new role as Viet Nam's Goodwill Ambassador for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), the 35-year-old actor and comedian is featured in a series of 30-second television spots showing children how to boil clean drinking water, help senior citizens clean the village to prevent water-borne diseases, and clean school toilets. The spots, recently broadcast on major national station VTV, target children between 7 and 15 years of age across the country, particularly in rural areas where use of unsafe water and poor sanitation and hygienic habits are still widespread.

Role-modeling for behaviour change

Recently appointed as a WASH Ambassador by the Government under a partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), UNICEF Viet Nam and Singaporean NGO Lien Aid, the well-known celebrity has committed to making the role part of his family and professional life.

"Being a role model will not be an easy task," Xuan Bac admits. "I was born and brought up in a rural context, which has given me good understanding of many unhygienic practices that are hard to change. I see myself as an efficient channel to communicate with wide audiences, particularly with children, and raise awareness of these issues in order to encourage safe behaviours and save young lives. But first and foremost, behaviour change will start within my own family!" he says with a cheeky smile.

Known as 'Mr. Clean Water' in the TV spots, Xuan Bac delivers easy-to-understand messages about clean water and sanitation to improve the health of people and their communities. All the TV spots show the Ambassador joining hands with children and celebrating their good work in an upbeat, suburban setting. With his down-to-earth image, it is anticipated that thousands of child viewers will relate well to Xuan Bac's messages being shared around the country.

This latest partnership between UNICEF, MARD and Lien Aid aims to significantly raise public awareness, improve hygiene and sanitation practices, garner media attention and encourage interested organizations to create joint strategies, activities and communication materials to promote safe water, sanitation and hygiene in Viet Nam. Already four more organizations (Path, Plan International, World Vision, and Helevtas) are participating in the joint WASH communication campaign for 2011.

Water, sanitation and hygiene challenges in Viet Nam

In Viet Nam, despite tremendous progress in this area, 20,000 people die every year from diarrhea-related diseases related to poor water and sanitation – most of them children. According to the latest 2009 Census undertaken by the General Statistics Office, close to one in five Vietnamese households lacks access to improved water supply, while three out of five households lack access to hygienic sanitation in rural areas of the country. This means some 3.3 million children in rural areas do not have access to improved water and over 11 million children lack access to improved sanitation. Poor environmental sanitation is one of Viet Nam's biggest development challenges. While the Government of Viet Nam has made significant progress in providing clean water and safe sanitation for people living in rural areas in the past few decades, much work remains to be done to further improve the situation and to reach people in remote areas. Among the eight MDGs, Viet Nam is slated to miss out on the achievement of the water and sanitation targets by 2015.

As part of his new role, Xuan Bac will also appear in a wide range of communication activities, including media and community events. He will also conduct interpersonal communication activities in various provinces across the country and generate WASH awareness in relevant public and media appearances. According to Mr. Dao Xuan Hoc, the Vice Minister of MARD, the appointment of Xuan Bac as WASH ambassador will be crucial to the Government's efforts to achieve its water and sanitation goals.

In the meantime, public awareness remains a priority if Viet Nam is to reach the Government's targets. According to a recent national survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and UNICEF, only 18% of people in Viet Nam know that the use of hygienic latrines contributes to the prevention of diarrhea and parasitic diseases. Barely 2% of the rural population understand that hand washing with soap prevents parasitic diseases and diarrhea. And although an estimated 75% of households in rural Viet Nam have latrines, only 18% of those latrines meet the Ministry of Health's hygienic standards.

"We are very happy that artist Xuan Bac joined in our efforts as goodwill ambassador," says Lotta Sylwander, UNICEF Representative in Viet Nam. "We believe his talent and influence will be pervasive and have a positive impact on communities, particularly on rural people and children".

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