HCM City’s Red Cross Society supports poor people ahead of Tet hinh anh 1Visitors at the festival (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City’s Red Cross Society organised a festival on January 16 to provide humanitarian aid for the impoverished in the city.

The festival featured six “health consultation” booths of the red cross organisations from Tu Du Hospital, 115 People’s Hospital, Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital, Van Hanh General Hospital, HCM City Humanitarian Blood Donation Centre, and the city’s First Aid Centre.

Besides, there are 32 booths exhibiting consumer products and souvenirs.

Money collected from the festival will be used to bring a warm Lunar New Year (Tet holiday) to poor people in the locality.

According to Chairman of the city’s Red Cross Society Tran Truong Son, the society launched the campaign “Tet for the poor and AO/dioxin victims” last November, which received wide support from local businesses and residents.

As of January 16, the society mobilised 21 billion VND (906,800 USD) through the campaign, and presented tens of thousands of Tet gifts, each worth from 500,000 – 1 million VND, to families of social policy beneficiaries, poor households, near-poor families, ethnic people, AO/dioxin victims, people with disabilities, and lonely old people.

Besides, the society also worked to ensure warm Tet for the poor in Long An, Tien Giang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Tay Ninh, Binh Duong, Lam Dong, Gia Lai, Binh Thuan, and Thua Thien-Hue provinces.

Most recently, it provided 500 coach tickets for workers from central provinces to return home for Tet./.
VNA