Vietnam COVID19 Hunger Relief

GOAL:

This is a global fundraiser to assist with providing food parcels and essential items to the most impoverished and vulnerable people in Vietnam who through the harsh COVID19 lockdown measures and the loss of essential income, are now at risk of starvation.

The fundraiser contributes to the ongoing efforts of My Huong Le, a Vietnamese Australian who began life in war torn Vietnam and returned in 2004 to give back by working in an orphanage and a school and skills training centre for poor children. Her efforts are part of her well-recognised work dedicated to some of Vietnam’s most vulnerable people. This specific campaign will assist families and individuals in Vietnam who are in lockdown and unable to work or provide living essentials for themselves.

FACTS:

What is it like for the poor in Vietnam during COVID19?

Prior to lockdown, people have already been living paycheque to paycheque, day to day. With the new enforced stricter COVID19 restrictions, people are left without jobs and therefore no savings. Many of the poor sell lottery tickets or work selling items on the streets. In Vietnam, if you do not work then you do not have money and are not able to pay rent, buy medicine or afford food.

In Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and Long Dien province, you can only leave your home for essential items but after 6pm, there are no exceptions and everyone must stay home.

Since July, Vietnam has had 216,000 COVID19 cases and this is currently rising at an average of 5,000 new cases per day. So far, only 0.7 percent of the population has been vaccinated due to limited availability of vaccines.

Police blocks are everywhere. Police are going through all areas ensuring people’s doors/gates are closed and that nobody leaves their home/room.

Increasing restrictions affected people’s access to deliveries including food. In parts of O Mon as of August the people are totally locked in their homes. If they require anything urgent an army officer will purchase what is needed. You must have money to pay for it though. Financial assistance is vital.

Why is there a need to help?

These are vulnerable communities who have ongoing essential needs during the pandemic.

Giving food parcels ensures poor families do not go hungry.

People have no money and do not know how long they will be unable to work. They are surviving not knowing where their next meal is coming from, so every dollar you can donate counts.

Food parcels provide families with critically needed sustenance to care for their loved ones and their own physical and mental needs.

Even small donations improve the quality of life for struggling families. Know that some families and children have been able to eat because of your donation.

What are the results of your involvement?

Your donations will provide food packages including 10kg rice, oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and noodles. In addition rental payments will be made for families in need. With the aid from these essentials, you will help these people survive. These families have NO money.

What your donations can afford:

Each food parcel is between $35- $40

• 10kg to 20kg of rice (depending on the size of the family)
• Oil
• Soy sauce
• Fish sauce
• Sugar
• Noodles
• Milk if families have small children

So far about 700 parcels have been distributed and over the next week another 400 parcels which will be distributed. That’s over 10,000kg of rice! 200 families have also received in cash 500,000vnd (aud $30) to assist with other essential needs such as rent or medicine.

How are we operating?

My family and some close neighbours voluntarily assist in preparing the parcels. In O Mon, there are 3 distribution points. My house, the People’s Committee office and my friend’s electrical shop, located in the centre of the town. The parcels will also be prepared at these locations.

The actual delivery of the parcels will be done by staff from the People’s Committee and my relatives. This is a huge job, given that you can only carry so much on a motorbike, hence needing to go back and forth to the distribution point. There is also quite a distance to travel and many of the families live down small alleyways and dirt tracks. In Long Hai parcels are prepared at Nha Xa Hoi Long Hai and distributed by the staff who work there. There are no administration costs, it is entirely volunteer based and all donations will go directly to families in need.

About the campaign director (me): My Huong Le

My Huong is a Vietnamese adoptee and grew up in Canberra, Australia. She is involved in the work of the orphanage in Vung Tau where her 2 sons where adopted from. My Huong is the director of Nha Xa Hoi Long Hai, which is a school and skills training centre for poor children. She has worked at these centres for 12 years. My Huong is dedicated to assisting the underprivileged and vulnerable in whatever capacity she can. My Huong was renunited with her birth mother over 3 years ago and just prior to the lockdown moved to her hometown O Mon in the Mekong Delta. Her extraordinary journey to discovering her birth mother was covered by the ABC in this article, here .

FOLLOW US:
See how your donations are directly helping the poor in Vietnam by following our progress on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VNCOVID19Relief (@VNCOVID19Relief)


THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND DONATION!