The Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) held a conference in Kien Giang province on April 4 to review a project on climate smart community-based disaster risk reduction in the Mekong Delta.

Supported by the Australian Red Cross and the German Red Cross, the project has been implemented between July 2012 and December 2014 in 15 target communes in Kien Giang and An Giang provinces.

Its overall goal is to increase the resilience of regional vulnerable communities against the current and projected impacts of climate change.

The project was built on the VRC’s successful community based disaster risk reduction model, which includes a range of training courses for communities, schools and for emergency response teams as well as activities to improve early warning systems and provide resources and equipment for communities.

It has extended this model to integrate climate change adaptation considerations and has drawn on the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement’s experience and expertise in Vietnam in water, sanitation, health and livelihoods.

It has also proposed and supported the implementation of livelihood and climate change mitigation models, focusing on vulnerable groups such as women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

Many models have proven effective, helping ensure sustainable livelihoods for locals and minimising the impacts of climate change.-VNA