VNRC Campaign to Help Poor, AO Victims

Vietnam Red Cross Society (VNRC) has launched a humanitarian campaign to help the poor and Agent Orange (AO) victims prepare for the upcoming traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) festival. The annual campaign, called "Tet for the poor and Agent Orange victims 2017," aims to mobilize support from local and international communities to provide 1-1.5 million Tet gifts, worth at least VND300,000 ($14) each, to poor families and AO victims nationwide, VNRC Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu said. Thu said by mid-December, the VNRC at all levels registered to provide nearly 1,153 million gifts and mobilized more than VND52.124 billion ($2.27 million), including money and goods, from local and international donors. On the occasion, the society also launched an SMS campaign to mobilize funding for the campaign. People can support the campaign by texting TET to 1402 from December 10, 2016 to February 8, 2017. Each SMS costs VND20,000 ($0.85). VNRC on Dec 20 received nearly VND15 billion (over $652,000) as donations from several groups and companies, such as Vingroup, Tinh Nguoi Red Cross Assistance Society branch, PVPower Service JSC, and Coca Cola Vietnam, as well as Frisland Campina, Prudential Vietnam. According to VNRC’s statistics, the society has mobilized more than VND4.5 trillion ($196 million) to help more than 17 million poor households and AO victims over the past 18 years since the first campaign was launched in Vietnam in 1999. Last year, VNRC mobilised more than 2.17 million gifts, worth over VND852 billion ($37.8 million), to help the poor and AO victims in the country. (Vietnam News Dec 20)