The Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is a joint project worth EUR 132,000 between Save the Children and the Prudence Foundation Vietnam which aims to increase emergency preparedness and recovery capability for 3,500 vulnerable children and 14,000 community members in coastal areas at high risk of disasters.
Tien Giang and Dong Thap lie along the edge the Mekong River Delta and are extremely susceptible disasters, which have been getting worse due to the impacts of climate change.
Children are particularly vulnerable and more likely to be injured or killed during such disasters. In the most recent floods in the Mekong Region in 2011, children account for over 90% of total casualties.
“Save the Children believes that, while children are vulnerable, they also have the potential to effectively communicate risks and act as agents of change in their communities”, said Save the Children Interim Country Director Doan Anh Tuan.
Through training on emergency preparedness, rescues drills and other life-saving skills learned in schools and in communities, the project is expected to raise awareness of disaster risk reduction and the possible impact of climate-related hazards to communities and schools in Mekong region, strengthen children and their communities’ capacity to build a culture of disaster preparedness and recovery in communities through mitigation measures and risk reduction practices.
“This project is a brand new activity for the Prudence Foundation Vietnam, giving us the opportunity to help support the people in need not only after but also before any natural disaster”, said Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of Prudence Foundation Vietnam, Jack Howell.
Present at the launching ceremony was the British Ambassador, Dr. Antony Stokes, who stressed the importance of community based education in Vietnam concerning climate change and emergency preparedness. “I wish the DRR project great success and hope larger communities in Vietnam can will see real benefits from this project,” he said.