DRR IN
Vietnam Vietnam has suffered a series of typhoons, cyclical monsoons and floods. These disasters pose a significant obstacle to sustainable development, poverty reduction and environmental preservation. Vietnam is among the top 5 most vulnerable countries facing the consequence of climate change. The country is hit by typhoons an average of five times a year,
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resulting in devastating floods, landslides, and salinity intrusions that affect millions along the coast and in heavily-populated delta regions. Climate change is likely to increase the frequency and intensity of these natural disasters and will have a profound effect on the lives and livelihoods of people in the most disadvantaged communities.
Save the Children’s Presence in Vietnam Save the Children has been working in Vietnam since the 1990s. Save the Children in Vietnam is currently focusing on the areas of Health and Nutrition, HIV/AIDS and Youth Health, Child Protection, Education, Emergency, Child Rights Agenda and Livelihood. Save the Children currently works locally in over 34 provinces and at the national level, with a representative office in Hanoi and two regional offices in Danang City and Ho Chi Minh City. Through strong partnerships, Save the Children mobilises communities, builds capacity, provides technical assistance, and engages in evidence-based advocacy. Over the past 6 years Save the Children has implemented approximately 7 programs with over one million USD funding for DRR & CCA activities. Collectively these projects have reached 8,000 children directly and over 780,000 indirectly. Save the Children has launched a number of community led and child led DRR initiatives in Vietnam and built institutional capacity and raised awareness for children in DRR.
Above: Community map displays evacuation routes, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Cover: Moi, nine, Em, six and Hanh, nine (left to right) stand next to a row of thin palm trees, Tan Dien, Vietnam. Severe floods hit this region in October 2007, destroying harvests and forcing many people to leave their homes. These children participated in Save the Children’s DRR program where it was decided by the community the need to build an evacuation road so that children could still reach their school and playground despite the floods.
DRR and Education
Climate Change Adaptation
Save the Children has introduced DRR activities to the education system in 27 communities in six districts. We aim to engage with the most vulnerable communities, especially children, in disaster prone areas to reduce the negative impact of natural disasters through building local capacity to conduct a Hazard Vulnerability Capacity Analysis (HVCA) and develop annual disaster preparedness and response plans with small-scale mitigation and prevention activities. In addition, Save the Children is part of the Joint Advocacy Networking Initiative (JANI) in Vietnam which aims to support the process of inclusion of disaster preparedness into school curriculum with leading education and Disaster Preparedness agencies
In response to Global Campaign for Climate Action, the Ministry of Education and Training, in coordination with Save the Children and Oxfam, organised the Learn about Climate Change for Pupils/ Students Competition. This was a chance for Vietnamese youth to learn more about climate change and the United Nations Global Summit on Climate Change, which was held in Copenhagen in 2009.
DRR & Livelihoods In response to Typhoon’s Ketsana and Mirinae, the project ‘supporting recovery of livelihoods, infant and young child nutrition, and building community capacity to prepare for and reduce risks of natural disasters’ supported livelihood recovery, and promoted diversified disaster-resistant livelihoods. We increased the local capacity of vulnerable communities to prepare for natural disasters and reduced the impacts of future disaster through risk reduction awareness and mitigation. In addition, we supported and maintained nutritional well-being of vulnerable infants and children in flood affected highland communities. In addition, Save the Children provided recovery assistance to victims of the Mirinae storm/flood disaster in districts of Phu Yen Province. Assistance was given to selected families to recover their home and livelihoods (rebuilding/repairing houses). Community members, including teachers, students, selected village leaders, commune and district decision makers were trained in DRR.
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Reducing risk and adapting to a changing climate Save the Children in January 2010 commissioned a study into DRR and CCA in the Typhoon areas. This was conducted by external researchers, and is titled “Research on disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation capacities and gaps in areas affected by Typhoon Ketsana and in a climate change affected area in the Mekong Delta”. Save the Children is running a Child-Focused Disaster Risks Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation program in Vulnerable Coastal Communities in North-eastern Vietnam. In partnership with local communities, Save the Children proposes to expand emergency preparedness interventions and build capacity to prepare for and mitigate the effects of natural disasters and climate change.