Thousands of children to benefit from European Union aid

Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Save the Children and World Vision have worked together to support 12,889 of the most vulnerable households and about 4,800 school children in areas affected by severe floods in Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien – Hue provinces.

The aid will address the damage caused by floods, lack of clean and safe water and hygiene, and the disruption of education for children.

The support, worth up to 800,000 euros of integrated interventions, is funded by The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) within the framework of its Vietnam Central Emergency Flooding Response project.

The joint action between Save the Children and World Vision is implemented from November 2020 to February 2021 through an integrated package of interventions, including education kits, household kits and WASH kits at home and school.

It aimed to provide immediate assistance to those in the most urgent need, in support of the local government response and in line with the Government request for relief assistance.

The assistance includes improving access to safe, clean water and hygiene through the provision of water containers and treatment chemicals as well as supporting affected children to continue education at home and school through the provision of learning kits and school supplies; and facilitating continuity of daily life through the provision of household kits for affected families.

The action will promote reviews of existing disaster risk reduction plans integrated into early action/early warning to be better prepared for future disasters, and child and vulnerable adult safeguarding will be mainstreamed in all relevant and appropriate sectoral activities.

“This series of disasters has deepened the COVID-19 pandemic’s existing impact on the vulnerable," said World Vision Vietnam’s National Director Tran Thu Huyen.

"We are committed to acting fast and working closely with the Vietnam Disaster Management Group, UN agencies, INGOs – including Save the Children, and other concerning stakeholders to relieve the direst needs of affected children and people,” she said.

Dragana Strinic, Country Director of Save the Children in Vietnam, said: “As children are among the most affected groups in terms of educational disruption and unsafe environments to live in, Save the Children has prioritised our interventions towards the most deprived children to ensure a safe learning environment in which physical safety and psycho-social well-being of the deprived children are secured and supported.”/.