New Zealand’s $50,000 humanitarian aid to Ben Tre

The assistance comes as part of an ongoing $4 million New Zealand government funded project in the province, called “Building Resilience to Disaster and Climate Risks of Men and Women in Ben Tre Province”, in conjunction with Oxfam Vietnam. The emergency relief responds to urgent needs of children, women, and men in 15 most affected communes in districts of Binh Dai, Ba Tri, and Thanh Phu.

Up to 6,000 cow and goat farmers in these districts will be receiving grants in cash, to buy food and water supplies for their animals.

“We recognise the serious impact that the drought and saltwater intrusion is having on communities in southern and central provinces of Vietnam. This assistance is a modest, but practical contribution to the communities we are already working with through our existing project, and is an example of New Zealand’s ongoing commitment to supporting vulnerable communities across Vietnam,” said New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam, H.E Haike Manning. “New Zealand will continue sharing its experience and working closely with our partners, such as Oxfam, to assist local communities to deal with drought and saltwater intrusion and the effects of climate change in the Mekong Delta region.”

In addition, Oxfam is working in collaboration with the local government in Ben Tre to provide safe drinking water to more than 6,000 men and women.

“The drought and saltwater intrusion has made hundreds of thousands of families more serious, while most of them are already living under poverty line”, said Oxfam’s country director Babeth Lefur, adding that “Oxfam commits to implement this emergency response at the highest responsibility and efficiency”.

Nine out of 13 Mekong Delta provinces are facing one of the worst droughts the region has seen in ninety years. Trigged by El Nino, the drought is having significant impact by limiting agricultural production, straining livelihoods, and exacerbating food insecurity among poor and vulnerable communities in the region.

164 communes in Ben Tre have been in the historical effected list. It was among the first provinces declaring drought and saltwater intrusion disaster status and requesting support from the central government.