Residents in Linh Trung Ward in Thu Duc District, sweep the street in their neigbourhood. The “5+1” model brings together five neighbouring households as a group to keep the community clean and safe.

Called the “5+1” model, five neighbouring households work together to sweep residential streets, roadsides and main roads early in the morning every day.

The groups remove litter, rubbish, waste bottles and tires as well as puddles to help keep the streets clean and prevent dengue fever and other infectious diseases.

“I wake up early in the morning and join my neighbours to sweep the streets and sidewalks surrounding our houses. It's an exciting morning execise and neighborhood gathering,” said Nguyen Thi An, 80, a permanent resident in Linh Trung Ward.

An, who has lived in the No. 4 Quarter of Linh Trung Ward since she was a child, is pleased to see the significant changes in the public spaces and landscape.

Previously, it was not uncommon to see people litte on the street, she said, adding that public spaces were filled with dumped rubbish.

Nguyen Thi An, 80, a permanent resident in Linh Trung Ward in Thu Duc District, sweeps the street in her neigbourhood. The “5+1” model brings together five neighbouring households as a group to keep the community clean and safe.

Phung Thi Ngoc Tuyen, 47, An’s neighbour, said: “My neighbors wake up around 5:30 am and start sweeping our houses and join groups to clean up surrounding areas. It has become a daily practice.”

“When the district authorities launched environmental clean-up campaigns, most groups volunteered to join,” Tuyen said.

“Crimes involving drugs and thieves in the neighbourhood are also reported immediately to the group leader by its members, resulting in lowering crime rates in the community,” she said.   

An and Tuyen are members of a neighbourhood clean-up group model that was launched in 2018 by the Thu Duc District’s Fatherland Front Committee.

Nguyen Thi My Le, a group leader in the No.4 Quarter, said 18 groups with a total of 117 households in No. 4 Quarter have been set up as part of the “5+1” model to tackle waste dumping and clean up the neigbourhood.

Every Sunday morning, the groups gather to clean up parts of their neighborhood and improve public spaces such as parks, riverbanks, sidewalks and playing fields, as well as vacant lots or abandoned properties, to prevent dengue fever and other infectious diseases.

Group leaders regularly communicate with members of their groups about emptying artificial containers such as broken bottles and flower pots and taking preventive measures against dengue infections.

Printed leaflets on prevention of dengue fever and COVID-19 have been handed out to each household.

More than 1,620 households in six quarters in Linh Trung Ward are members of 252 clean-up groups.

Residents in Linh Trung Ward of Thu Duc District remove broken bottles and flower pots to eliminate dengue larvae.

Scalling up

Nguyen Thi Thanh Luan, deputy chairwoman of Thu Duc District’s Fatherland Front Committee, said the initiative was piloted in 2018 and was scaled up to 12 wards in the district a year later.

“The model aims to encourage residents to dump rubbish in the right place and sort trash at source, as well as regularly conduct small-scale clean-up campaigns in the district.

“A total of 5,717 groups have been set up across the district, resulting in better environmental clean-up and improvement in public awareness about environmental clean-up and recycling.”

“Regular neighbourhood gartherings and community clean-up activities help strengthen neighborhood ties and build a sense of community,” she said.

The awareness-raising activities also encourage community members to adopt preventive practices against dengue fever and other infectious diseases.

Neighbours in Linh Trung Ward in Thu Duc District discuss preventive measures against the COVID-19 pandemic. VNS Photos Thu Hang

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the awareness-raising activities on prevention and control of virus infections have been hailed for their effectiveness by municipal authorities.

Residents also report any risk of COVID-19 infection to the groups so that preventive measures can be taken in a timely manner, Luan said.  

The city’s People’s Committee has told the HCM City chapter of Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee to replicate the model in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.  VNS 

 Thu Hang

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