By Brad Rantayy
MIRI, July 25: Deputy Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development I (Women and Childhood Development) Datuk Rosey Yunus has pledged to contribute two eWASH sets to the Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) Sarawak Chapter to help people especially in the rural areas to have access to safe water supply and to improve hygiene.
Rosey who is the Bekenu assemblywoman disclosed this after officiating at the closing of the four-day Emergency Water Sanitation and Hygiene (eWASH) training programme today at MRC Miri here, involving 33 participants from MRCS branches Statewide.
“MRCS Sarawak will decide where to place the utility machines (of the eWASH), especially in areas that are facing water supply problems,” she said.
One eWASH machine costs about RM35,000.
The machine is able to process raw water into safe drinking water for daily consumption.
“I am given to understand that this eWASH training was conducted via various platforms since June, from webinars, online quizzes, to self-e-learning from International Federation Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ learning portal to the face-to-face training focusing on practical sessions which took place over the last four days,” Rosey said.
Programme participants will be able to use eWASH as a tool to support health promotion programmes in non-emergency response.
“Safe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene are crucial to our health and wellbeing. Safe WASH is not only a prerequisite to health, but contributes to livelihoods and dignity and helps to create resilient communities living in healthy environments,” Rosey added.
Also present was MRCS Sarawak Chapter vice=chairman John Lam who is also the eWASH training course coordinator. — DayakDaily
