(VNF) - Vietnam Red Cross Society (VNRC) and Vietnam Women’s Union will work together in social and humanitarian activities from 2018 to 2022 under the framework of a joint agreement signed in Hanoi on April 16^th.

The signing ceremony was attended by actress Nha Phuong, goodwill ambassador of the “Companion with frontier women” program.

Vietnam Red Cross (VNRC) and Vietnam Women’s Union sign a joint agreement on humanitarian activities on April 16^th in Hanoi. (Photo: Thanh Quang/VNRC)

The collaboration aims to strengthen awareness and responsibility as well as collaboration activities of the two sides in the areas of charity, healthcare for the poor and organisational development.

Under the programme, activities will be focused on implementing five major contents, including education and communication to strengthen awareness of members and volunteers on the Party’s humanitarian and social welfare policies, international laws on humanity and gender equity and mobilisation sources for building humanitarian constructions and social welfare projects.

The two sides will also work together in organising public healthcare initiatives, inspection and supervision programmes on social welfare policies and implementation of the joint programme “Companion with frontier women” during 2018-2022.

Under the framework of the joint programme, VNRC, in collaboration with Vietnam Women’s Union and National Humanitarian Portal 1409, has launched an SMS campaign for mobilising funding for poor women living in border areas of the country. The programme also aims to raise the community’s awareness on border issues and the country’s border sovereignty.

People can support the campaign by texting BC to 1409 from March 7^th until May 6^th, 2018. Each text message will contribute VND 20,000 (USD 0.85) to the livelihood fund for poor women in border areas. To date, the program has received 38,870 messages, equivalent to VND 777.4 million (USD 34,205).

The programme’s goodwill ambassador, actress Nha Phuong, has called on enterprises, inpiduals and benefactors to support poor women in the border communes in overcoming difficulties, escaping from poverty and developing household economy.

“I always want to participate in programs aiding women and children. And when I was invited to participate in this program, I felt very happy and would do my best to spread the meaning of the program to the people, especially the youth, and calling for practical support of businesses, benefactors for poor women in the border communes,” she said.

On April 17^th, the programme’s organisation board will donate the money from the livelihood fund to the first five poor women (VND 10 million, or USD 445 each) and provide free health check-up, medicines and gifts to 200 poor women in Phong Nam Commune, Trung Khanh District in northern Cao Bang Province./.

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