South Korea-Vietnam Proj Supports Vietnamese UXO Survivors amid COVID-19

Representatives from the South Korea-Vietnam Mine Action Project on May 26 presented food, face masks, and hand sanitizers to over 9,100 unexploded ordnance (UXO) survivors, and their families in Vietnam’s central provinces of Quang Binh and Binh Dinh, in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), state media reported. With the support of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Embassy of Ireland in Vietnam and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in Vietnam, the UN Development Program (UNDP) in Vietnam organized the rapid assessment to help identify health and socio-economic challenges faced by people with disabilities and their families during COVID-19. Many of the UXO survivors in Quang Binh and Binh Dinh provinces participated in this assessment and shared their difficulties in accessing necessary medical care, supplies and basic items such as food and personal protective equipment. Accordingly, 66% UXO victims do not have enough money to purchase essentials, 59% see their family income reduce and 35% are facing temporary unemployment. In collaboration with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalid and Social Affairs, the project has developed an official database on 75,000 people with disabilities, 9,100 of them are UXO survivors. The database includes need assessment of UXO survivors, thus enabling the project to provide them relevant and targeted support. (Vietnam Plus, en.Vietnam Plus, Kinh Te Do Thi, en.Dang Cong San, english.VOV, Tap Chi Thong Tin Doi Ngoai, daibieuNhan Dan, Vietnam Plus)