Mrs. Nguyen Thi Dieu lives with her son’s family in Yen Thanh district, in Vietnam. The 80-year-old has suffered from high blood pressure for the last few years, leading to a stroke two years ago. Since then she can only walk with a walking stick, and even then it is difficult to get around. She uses the toilet next to her bedroom, but until recently she had to ask a family member for help each time she needed to defecate.

“It was very difficult for me to sit down and to stand up, I was so scared of falling and breaking my legs,” she said. “There must be someone in the house to help me, and I felt so dependent. My children have to work to make a living, so they can’t stay at home to take care of me”.

That all changed two months ago when, through the DFAT-funded WASH-SUP project, a health worker in the commune installed a small handrail inside the toilet and instructed Mrs. Nguyen how to use it. “I am so happy I can use the toilet by myself now – the handrail is so helpful! I no longer have to ask for help.”

Mrs. Nguyen’s story is an illustration of the success that iDE has achieved in building local government capacity to provide well-designed WASH products, including for people with disabilities.