Community-based disaster management promoted

Photo for illustration.

A large number of people in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang have been provided with skills to protect themselves and their families from natural disasters thanks to a project on community-based disaster risk management.

The outcome was reported at a meeting to review the project held in the locality on February 24.

Funded by the Red Cross of Germany and Australia, the project, which started in July 2012, will continue until December 2014 in three districts, namely Thoai Son, Tri Ton and Tinh Bien, which are considered to be extremely vulnerable to climate change.

Through training courses, residents in the areas have learnt how to prevent, cope with and adapt to the impacts of natural disasters and climate change.

Thirty-three campaigns to raise public awareness of responding to climate change have been organised with the participation of 988 local people, most of them are women and Khmer people.

As many as 210 pupils from primary schools in the three localities have been taught how to administer first aid in urgent cases.

The project has also made use of the experience from activities of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent implemented in Vietnam and the region, towards ensuring clean water supply and environmental sanitation as well as promoting healthcare and development of livelihood-support models in the locality.