ADB, UNFPA help flood-hit victims in Central VN

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong and Director of the Southeast Asia Energy Division at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Andrew Jeffries sign an international aid agreement for disaster recovery for the Central provinces, Ha Noi, November 24, 2020.

The aid, worth US$2.5 million, was sourced from the ADB’s Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund (APDRF), which provides incremental grant resources to developing member countries impacted by major natural disasters.

Speaking at the event, Minister Cuong said that Viet Nam has suffered devastating natural disasters in 2020, particularly from mid-September to mid-November. 

During the period, the Central region was seriously battered by nine storms and two tropical depressions, which claimed the lives of 235 people and caused an initial loss of VND30,000 billion. 

Cuong welcomed the aid of the ADB, highlighting its significance to the Vietnamese people and Government, adding that the Ministry will join hands with local authorities to use the aid effectively. 

The handover ceremony of dignity kits to female farmers in the flood-affected Central provinces of Viet Nam, November 24, 2020.

The same day, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative in Viet Nam Naomi Kitahara handed over 5,704 dignity kits to Chairman of the Viet Nam Farmers' Union Thao Xuan Sung. 

The dignity kits will be distributed to female farmers in three flood-affected provinces in Central Viet Nam including Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Quang Nam. 

The kits consist of fundamental items which are useful for women and girls to protect themselves and ensure sanitation during crisis, said Naomi Kitahara.

According to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), due to unprecedented rains and floods over the last two months in Viet Nam, over 7.7 million people living in nine Central provinces have been affected.

More than 2.5 million children are at risk of diseases due to the lack of access to drinking water and hygienic environment.

Approximately 380,000 houses have been flooded, damaged or destroyed. Many families have had their houses blown off and all their furniture and possessions washed away. 

By Thuy Dung