In response to the widespread floods that wreaked havoc in many parts of Vietnam in early August, the European Union is providing €100 000 EUR (VND2.6 bil) in humanitarian aid funding to assist the most affected communities. The aid will directly benefit over 18 000 people in some of the hardest hit areas in the southern provinces of Dak Lak, Kien Giang, and Lam Dong.  

This EU funding supports the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VNRC) in delivering much-needed assistance through the distribution of household kits, which include blankets, mosquito nets, kitchen sets, and water buckets. Cash grants are being provided to enable the most vulnerable families to meet their basic needs and sustain their day-to-day livelihoods. To ensure access to clean water, families whose water resources have been contaminated in the aftermath of the floods will also receive water purification power. As outbreaks of vector diseases such as malaria, dengue, and typhoid are common following flooding, disease prevention and hygiene promotion activities are also being conducted.

The funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

In early August, Vietnam experienced days of torrential downpours that triggered destructive floods in many parts of the country’s central and southern provinces, affecting close to 130 000 people. As a result of the flooding, over 12 000 houses were inundated while thousands of hectares of rice and other crops sustained damage, leaving the livelihoods of many in the predominantly agricultural nation in tatters. The southern province of Kien Giang was the worst hit area where more than 8 000 homes were submerged in water. The collapse of the Cam Ly landfill, which sat on top of a hill in the tourist city of Da Lat in Lam Dong, increases public health risks for those living in the affected areas.

Background

The European Union together with its Member States is the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity towards people in need around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.

Through its European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the European Union helps over 120 million victims of conflicts and disasters every year. For more information, please visit ECHO's website.

The European Commission has signed a €3 million humanitarian contribution agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to “small-scale” disasters – those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.

The Disaster Relief Emergency Fund was established in 1985 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF. For small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished by the donors. The contribution agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit in with its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of €3 million.

For further information, please contact:

Peter Biro, Regional Information Officer for Asia and the Pacific, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO): peter.biro@echofield.eu