New Zealand supports female workers affected by COVID-19

Hanoi (VNA) - The New Zealand Embassy in Hanoi is working with the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) to provide immediate financial support for 420 female workers from factories in Bac Giang and Bac Ninh which have been economically affected by the recent COVID-19 outbreak.

On June 28, New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Tredene Dobson joined a virtual ceremony to officially hand over the financial package to the workers.

Each worker is provided with 1 million VND in cash to help cover some of their immediate needs. This initiative aims to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 among 420 workers in Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces, whose jobs and incomes have been affected by the recent COVID-19 outbreak.

Since April 27, 2021, the fourth wave of COVID-19 has affected many provinces and cities across Vietnam. Bac Giang, Bac Ninh and Ho Chi Minh City are among the most impacted localities. As a result, more than 9 million workers in Vietnam have lost their income and many families have fallen into economic hardship.

In Bac Giang alone, almost 200,000 workers have been off work, of whom 67,000 faced difficulties as they resided in locked-down areas or quarantine sites.

“This project demonstrates the strong partnership between New Zealand and Vietnam,” said Ambassador Tredene Dobson.

“This project is a practical initiative to help ease the economic impacts of COVID-19 on the workers and their families. I am proud to say that through the Head of Embassy’s Fund, we have been able to support around 3,000 women throughout Vietnam impacted by COVID-19 in the last 12 months.”

New Zealand and Vietnam are celebrating 46 years of diplomatic relations this year. Over that time, New Zealand has worked closely with Vietnam to develop shared prosperity and stability, drawing on the best of New Zealand’s knowledge and skills./.