Accompanying disadvantaged people to overcome difficult periods of time
During the tough days in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Nguyen Thi Minh, a member of the Red Cross Society of An Binh ward, Bien Hoa city, Dong Nai province, actively called on her relatives and friends to donate money and goods worth more than 1 billion VND in order to support people in the pandemic-hit areas.
As a landlord, she not only waived 100% of rent, electricity and water bills for her tenants but also presented them with necessary items to help them overcome difficulties causes by the pandemic.
She also mobilised local unemployed workers to join hands in packing and transporting necessities to people located in the blockade and quarantine areas.
Nguyen Ngan Lai from Nghe An province, a tenant of Minh, said that without Minh's help, I couldn’t image how to get through the difficult situation while living in a strange land and earning reduced wages during the social distancing period.
Thanh Phu commune in Vinh Cuu district was one of the hardest-hit areas of COVID-19 in Dong Nai province, as the commune has recorded more than 8,000 infections. Chairman of Red Cross Society of Thanh Phu Commune, Phan Van Chau said that since the pandemic broke out, the local Red Cross volunteers and staff have worked ceaselessly to provide prompt support to families of COVID-19 patients.
During the three months of social distancing, the Red Cross Society of Dong Nai province received donations including cash and goods worth over 15 billion VND, according to its Chairwoman Do Thi Phuoc Thien. The aid was delivered to assist 40,000 people in field hospitals, blockades and quarantine areas in the locality.
It can be said that despite complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, Red Cross officials, staff and volunteers across the nation have promoted the "For everyone, in everywhere" spirit to embrace every hardship and work side by side with disadvantaged and underprivileged people.
The VRCS has also initiated and implemented many practical and flexible humanitarian models in pandemic-hit areas, including the free rice ATMs, mobile stores and temporary markets to support people in locked-down areas and assist with the consumption of agricultural products.
Particularly, in 2021, VRCS launched a Humanitarian Month in May to call for joint efforts in supporting of the needy. The programme assisted more than 1 million people with a total aid of over 440 billion VND.
Handing over flood resistant houses to residents in central provinces
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At the hand-over ceremony of flood resistant houses to residents in Tan Ninh commune, Quang Ninh district, Quang Binh province (Photo: baoquangbinh.vn)
In Quang Binh province, which is a locality where floods occur frequently, the local Red Cross Society has adopted initiatives to mobilise support from benefactors to construct flood resistant houses for residents in flood-hit areas.
Elderly couple Nguyen Tu That and Nguyen Thi Hieu in The Loc village, Tan Ninh commune, Quang Ninh district saw their house destroyed by flood waters in October 2020.
They recently received a 70 million VND flood resistant house, which was built under a project funded by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRC).
According to Phan Van Chau, Chairman of Red Cross Society of Quang Binh province, the project targets 42 households whose houses were damaged by floods last year, with priority given to poor people, the elderly, and families of people with disabilities.
Over the past five years, the provincial Red Cross Society has mobilised financial support from international organisations, businesses and individuals inside and outside the province to aid the construction of 412 flood resistant houses for local people whose livelihoods were affected by natural disasters.
The association has also hosted training courses to provide knowledge and skills of first aid and rescue for locals while stepping up communication campaigns to raise public awareness on disaster risk reduction measures.
It can be concluded that the VRCS has positively and responsibly engaged in a wide range of pandemic and natural disasters response activities, making practical contributions to ensuring the social welfare of people in need and maintaining national political stability.
