Socialist Republic of Vietnam

The US will provide US$222,000 in emergency disaster relief to Vietnam’s southern central provinces in response to what is being considered the worst drought to afflict Vietnam in 30 years.
According to a press release of the US Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, the assistance will be provided to Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan provinces through the US Agency for International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA).

The assistance would come in the form of a grant to WorldVision, a non-profit humanitarian organization working to improve the quality of life of people, and especially children, around the world.

The OFDA-funded project aims to improve access to cleaner, healthier water to 2,600 local families with water filter equipment, 300 rooftop rain harvesting systems, and an innovative cash-for-work initiative.

The work initiative is to infuse badly-needed money into the local economy while providing new and improved dug wells for bathing and washing and to provide water for livestock.

The project will also support the food security and nutritional needs of at-risk groups by providing crop seeds for maize, rice and peanuts.

In total, OFDA’s emergency relief assistance will benefit approximately 41,000 people in the two provinces, especially targeting the most vulnerable groups including the disabled and children under five years of age.

Vietnam is suffering from a severe drought that has continued for up to three years in the south-central coastal and Central Highland regions.

Since 1992, OFDA has provided US$3.4 million (VND54 billion) to the Vietnamese people for emergency relief after devastating floods, storms and droughts. OFDA has provided an additional $3 million (VND47 billion) to fund natural disaster mitigation activities.

(Source: US Consulate)
Story from Thanh Nien News
Published: 29 August, 2005, 21:54:24 (GMT+7)
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