Elisa Fernandez Saenz, Country Representative of UN Women in Vietnam (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – More than 30 consultants and social workers, on February 26, began a three-day Australian-funded course that helps them improve their work toward abused women and children during the current time of pandemic. Sponsored by the Australia n Government, the course is co-organised by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and Vietnam’s Centre for Women and Development (CWD) as part of a project on emergency response to violence against women and children amid COVID-19 . Participants are currently working at the CWD in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, as well as hospitals and social centres in the two cities. During the training session, they will be provided with knowledge and skills to identify symptoms of stress and types of psychological trauma as well as practice some first aid and psychological care methods. Statistics showed that, in the context of the pandemic, the rate of violence against women and children in Vietnam and in the world has increased by between 30 and 300 percent. Nguyen Thi Thu Hoai, a social worker at CWD, said amid surging number of calls to a CWD hotline for abused women and children in conjunction with the pandemic happening, knowledge from the course will help her better approach and support the victims to soon ease their trauma./. VNA …
Agent orange victims fund
PM allocates rice to flood victims in central region
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered the supply of 4,000 tonnes of rice from the national rice reserve to support flood victims in the central region. Flood victims are given donations. The PM on October 18 signed a decision to supply 1,000 tonnes of rice to each of Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue provinces. On the same day, the PM also issued directives about the search and rescue works for the landslide victims who are missing at Rao Trang Hydropower Plant 3 in Thua Thien-Hue Province and Army Economic Group 337 in Quang Tri Province to all related agencies including the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the National Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue. The PM sent condolences to the victims' families and sent Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung and leaders of state agencies to the scene to direct the search and rescue mission. According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the water level of the Kien Giang River in Quang Binh Province was very high. The water level at 12 am on October 19 stood at 4.73 metres, 0.82 metres higher than the water level during the record flood in September 1979. In the next six hours, the water level in Kien Giang River would continue rising to 5.5 metres. Landslides and flash floods have been warned at mountainous areas in the districts of Tuyen Hoa, Minh Hoa, Bo Trach, and Le Thuy. The river bank and road erosions have also been warned. Many areas will be under water in these areas as well as Quang Ninh and Dong Hoi City. In the past 12 hours, the rainfall in Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces was at 150-350mm. The rainfall in Ky Thuong Commune, Ha Tinh Province was as high as 586mm. Rain continues to be forecasted for the Central Region from now to October 20. The rainfall in Ha Tinh and Quang Binh is forecasted to reach 200mm to over 400mm. The rainfall in Quang Tri and …
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Support pours in for flood victims
Immeasurable support from international organisations, countries, and locals helps to cope with the crisis Over the past week, photographs and videos of relief trucks pouring into Central Vietnam, causing congestion on National Highway 1A passing the natural disaster-struck provinces of Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Quang Ngai, and Phu Yen have taken over social media. Just like these images, the flame of solidarity and compassion has spread across the nation, bringing tears to the eyes of Vietnamese people abroad and inspiring international friends to show support for Vietnam’s plight. Various donation activities to support the people of Central Vietnam in overcoming the aftermath of floods and landslides have been organised across the globe. International organisations and many countries were quick to send cash and materials for disaster relief and help ungrounded Vietnamese find their footing again. As soon as the first storms passed, the US government issued a statement to express its sympathy to all those affected by the tragedy. According to a statement by US Embassy to Vietnam, the US government is ready to assist Vietnam in overcoming the flood damage and we extend our deepest sympathy to all those affected by this tragedy, including thousands of displaced person. On October 17, the US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink also announced an initial disaster response aid worth $100,000 to meet urgent humanitarian needs in communities affected by typhoon Linfa. Kritenbrink added that he wanted to express his concern for people with disabilities in affected provinces because they are among the most vulnerable groups when disasters occur. They are typically at home, have less access to information, and cannot fully benefit from preparedness and evacuation procedures. It is estimated that the Vietnamese central provinces affected by typhoon Linfa have more than 200,000 disabled people, 61,000 of whom are directly affected by this …
