Rural Water Supply - Promoter Mrs. Son

Mrs. Son is an active member of her community in Vinh Thai commune in Thua Thien Hue province. Several years ago, due to cutbacks in a local trading company, she found herself out of work with a disabled husband and three children to look after. With few alternatives, she started gardening and raising pigs in an effort to provide for her family.

Seeing that many of her neighbors were in the same predicament, Mrs. Son joined the ‘Poverty Reduction Program.’ As she explained, she feels it is her duty to help others in her community. When IDE came to the commune, she joined the network of local promoters whose job it is to educate people about hand pumps and sanitary water practices.

Armed with IDE materials, Mrs. Son promotes hand pumps at every opportunity she can: village meetings, weddings, and even when she goes to the market. Having personally experienced the benefits of having a hand pump, she feels that it is her duty to help others to buy them. She has a hand pump at her house, which she says is essential for persuading other people.

Last year Mrs. Son found 50 new families to purchase hand pumps. For every customer she finds, Mrs. Son receives a commission of $0.80 from the drilling team. She negotiates terms of credit for new purchasers and serves as a guarantor for collecting the loan. When a customer has a problem with their pump, Mrs. Son helps them contact the drilling team.