Luu Thi Phuong in Quang Nam province's Que Thuan commune (left) and UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam Caitlin Wiesen stand inside the house she received last week. (Photo courtesy of UNDP)Luu Thi Phuong,56, in Que Thuan Commune, Que Son District, Quang Nam Province, saw her housedestroyed by a storm in October 2020.
She was oneof the thousands of people who lost nearly all of their assets due to thestorms of 2020 in central Vietnam.
Her husbanddied when she gave birth to her fourth child 16 years ago, so Phuong aloneraised her four small children.
“Life is sohard. I work alone in the field as a hired labourer to support these children,”she said.
Now, her twoeldest daughters have their own families and work in a local factory.However, her two sons have health problems, so they still live at home andcan only work as hired labourers around the commune.
In the newtwo-storey house, she reserved the most solemn area on the second floor as analtar for her husband. On the first floor, she presented a set of wooden tablesand chairs bought from money saved by children.
“I give mythanks to the UNDP, the provincial People's Committee and the Red Cross.Without this support, I don't know when we would have been able to build such ahouse," she said.
"I willpick up local neighbours to live at my house if there are floods and storms inthis area," she added.
The housewith a ground area of 16sq.m and worth 110 million VND (5,000 USD) wasone of more than 430 storm-resistant houses provided by the UNDP in fiveprovinces in central Vietnam.
Thisassistance activity is part of the project 'Responding to natural disasters in Vietnam'funded by the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).
At the endof April, the UNDP handed over 10 houses to people in Quang Nam Province aspart of the UNDP’s 2021 plan to build flood-resistant houses.
In additionto building more than 430 new houses, the UNDP in collaboration with thePeople's Committees of central provinces that suffered heavy damage in thestorms last October (Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam and QuangNgai) and the Red Cross completed the repairs and reinforcement of more than3,300 damaged houses.
Some 3,300household kits have also been provided to poor households. Household items,including kitchen equipment, blankets, curtains, personal protective equipment,and chemical disinfectants were all necessary for people to get back on theirfeet.
UNDPResident Representative in Vietnam, Caitlin Wiesen, said that more than ever,affected people, especially the poor, women and girls were in need of safehouses and essential items to deal with the damage.
“Our safehomes have saved thousands of people during the historic floods and storms thatdevastated central Vietnam,” she said.
“However,there is still a long way forward to be able to assist those in need of safehomes.”
Tran Van Tan,Deputy Chairman of the Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee, said there werestill many poor households, lonely mothers and disabled people sufferingdifficulties in life and some had lost their homes in last year’sfloods.
"Thismakes the poor, who already struggle so much, in even greater difficultieswithout community support.”
Tan saidthe local authorities appreciated the UNDP's efforts and timely support tobuild and repair the houses.
“It is verypractical and meaningful support for local people. We hope to continue toreceive this support so that people living in areas affected by storms andfloods have a warmer life,” he said.
At a househandover ceremony at Que Thuan Commune last week, Nguyen Van Tien, DeputyChief of the Standing Office of the Central Steering Committee for DisasterPrevention and Control, said: “I appreciate the co-ordination of UNDP that helppeople in the disaster area.
"Thisassistance not only solves immediate post-disaster recovery but is alsosustainable for local residents living in frequent disaster areas such ascentral Vietnam."
The UNDP isalso organising a crowdfunding campaign titled 'Safe House, Peace ofLife' to support the construction of 100 new safe houses in vulnerablelocations in Quang Binh Province and further construction of safe houses in QueSon District, (Quang Nam Province) and Ly Son island district (Quang NgaiProvince).
“In particular,our safe homes in Ly Son Island will have a new design and enhanced resistanceto special wind conditions, and rooftop solar systems are capable of providingsufficient lighting systems for households,” said Wiesen.
Central Vietnamwas battered by strong storms and floods last October. According to the CentralSteering Committee for Disaster Prevention, more than 230 people were killed orwent missing. At least 380,000 houses were flooded, damaged or collapsed./.
VNA
