(VOV) - The Danang Red Cross and Save the Children Vietnam held a meeting on November 29 to introduce a project to strengthen the capacity of vulnerable communities in the coastal central areas to prevent and adapt to natural disasters.
From October 2011 to March 2013, the USAID funded-project has been implemented in 24 communes in Quang Dien and Phu Loc districts of Thua Thien-Hue province, and in Thanh Khe district of Da Nang city.
The US$700,000 project aims to increase the vulnerable communities’ capacity to deal with such emergencies and improve the professional qualifications of the local authorities in high-risk areas.
It also drew up a community plan to cope with natural calamities, provide rescue equipment and build works to prevent disasters, and organize flood drills for students and teachers.
Nguyen Van Gia, head of the Save the Children Vietnam Emergency Program, said that the first phase will be targeted at Da Nang city and Thua Thien-Hue province, which were the hardest hit by natural disasters in recent years. He said he hopes the project will be replicated in the whole central region and across the country.