US's NGO Builds Climate Resilient Homes in Tra Vinh Province

The US non-governmental organization, East Meets West Foundation (EMWF) on October 18 successfully collaborated with Disaster Prevention Community Fund (QPT) and Tra Vinh province's Red Cross to sign the Memorandium of Understanding (MOU) and organize a kickoff ceremony of the project “Building climate resilient compassion homes (CRCH) in 2022 in Tra Vinh province”.

Three sides Tra Vinh province's Red Cross, East Meets West Foundation and Disaster Prevention Community Fund sign the MoU. Source: travinh.gov.vn

In August, EMWF signed the agreement with Tra Vinh Red Cross for this project to support poor households affected by climate change in Tra Vinh. On September 20, the QPT agreed to join the collaboration with their funding to enhance the support for 20 beneficiary households with new CRCH.

The project kick-off ceremony is held at Lam Van Chon’s household, Ba Tinh hamlet, Long Hoa commune, Chau Thanh district. This is one of 20 households heavily affected by climate change in Tra Vinh.

The house will be built with the total estimated cost of VND 80 million (USD 3.200), funded and supported by EMWF, QPT, local authorities and beneficiary households. The new house is expected to complete by the end of November 2022 to help for Chon’s family stabilize their life and get out of poverty.

Chon is living with his wife and children in a bamboo-based temporary house. He goes fishing in the river to earn a living. His wife has just given birth. The family’s income is uncertain. The house is temporary but they are in no conditions to build a better one, which greatly affects to their quality of life and activities, especially in the rainy and stormy seasons.

Speaking at the ceremony, EMWF Program Director Tran Thi Thuy Ha shared that building climate resilient compassion homes and providing knowledge, skills on climate change adaptation and disaster prevention are necessary and meaningful.

Since 2010, EMWF has completed about 600 climate resilient houses for 3,000 beneficiaries in more than 10 provinces and cities in Vietnam. In the face of increasingly unpredictable global climate change in the Mekong Delta in general and in Tra Vinh province in particular, it is extremely urgent to prepare safe accommodations to minimize damage to people and property.

Under the framework of this CRCH project, EMWF will cooperate with related stakeholders to carry out communication activities for beneficiaries on climate resilient building process, training courses on climate change adaptation, disaster prevention and livelihoods skills.

EMWF and Tra Vinh Red Cross also focus on mobilizing and calling other partners to build more compassion homes in Tra Vinh.

Kicking off ceremony of the project in Long Hoa commune, Chau Thanh district, Tra Vinh province. Source: travinh.gov.vn

“One of the important targets of QPT is help disadvantaged populations to actively prevent natural disasters, live safely and adapt to climate change. Joining hands to build more compassion homes in this project is one of our priorities. We hope there will be more community organizations interested in this activities and more safe and resilient houses will contribute to keeping the community safer from natural disasters,” said by QPT Executive Director Le Thi Thuc.

In Tra Vinh province, QPT implemented projects to support water tanks for hundreds of households during the historic drought in 2016. Besides, QPT built three clean water supply stations and pipelines to provide clean water for thousands of households in saline areas, built swimming pools in schools to prevent drowning for students.

For this project, QPT will support the building of 20 climate resilient compassion homes. Up to now, QPT has funded over VND 10.5 billion (USD 427,600) for Tra Vinh province.

The EMWF was founded in 1988 by Vietnamese American Ly Le Hayslip and is based in Oakland, California, the US. It aims at the improvement of well-being and social welfare for disadvantaged communities in Asia through sustainable solutions to clean water, environmental sanitation, personal hygiene, health and education.

During over 34 years operating in Vietnam, it builds hospitals, schools, and charity houses; improved sanitation in society; organizing educational and career guide programs, summer camps and IT courses; granting scholarships; and carried out free health check-ups and heart surgeries.

The EMWF has also run a number of small but effective projects on anti-human trafficking, natural disasters aid, and climate change adaptation, among others.

Recently, following the success from the collaboration in WOBA Covid-19 response, EMWF continues partnering with HappyTap Vietnam to pilot Conceptual Model for Integrated WASH and Climate Change resilience in Cu Lao Minh Healthcare Facility (HCF) in Ben Tre province – one of the vulnerable provinces of climate change impacts in 2022.

Under the guidance of the Vietnam Health Environment Management Agency (VIHEMA), supported by WHO Vietnam, we work and support together to set up portable hand washing stations Labobo to Cu Lao Minh HCF within 7.6 meters and line of sign of patients’ points of care to enhance medical staffs, patients and their relatives hand washing with soap at key moments to protect their health from disease.

By designing a low-flow tap, each Labobo reduces water usage by as much as 80% over standard taps. This allows medical staffs, patients and their relatives continue to practice basic hand hygiene during drought season.

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