People in mountainous areas in northern Lao Cai province are enjoying a better life with improved customs and hygienic toilet facilities as the result of a local project carried out from 2011-2015.

After five years of implementation, the project has proven effective in contributing to the recognition of nine communes as modern rural areas.

Since 2011, the locality has seen a significant increase of certified marriages, accounting for nearly 96 percent of local marriages.

Meanwhile, a remarkable reduction has been recorded in child marriages, from 233 couples in 2011 to 151 couples in 2014, or 3.2 percent. The majority are in Bac Ha district of Sa Pa town.

The district also recorded fewer marriages among people of the same direct blood line or among relatives within three generations, only 0.08 percent.

Thanks to the project, clean water supply has been ensured for 84.5 percent of local households. Roughly 77 percent of the local households have been equipped with hygienic toilet facilities, 56.5 percent of which are standardized.

Giang Seo Thao, Head of the provincial Ethnic Minority Department, highlighted the contribution the project has made to improving the spiritual and material lives of local residents.

Local children under six, the impoverished and ethnic minority people in disadvantaged areas have received health insurance coverage.

The local poverty rate has also been halved since 2011, posting at 17.61 percent in 2014 thanks to practical assistance offered to local residents.-VNA