- Over 1,000 students and teachers of two secondary schools in Binh Dinh have received upgrades to their drinking water systems and latrines under the sponsorship of the oil and gas company Talisman Vietnam and East Meets West. The gifts, worth VND400 million ($19,200) in total, provide them with access to clean drinking water during school and improved sanitation facilities at the two schools, located in communes My An and My Chanh Tay in Phu My District of the central province. Before the project began, students not only lacked sanitation facilities during their school day but also drank water that had a high level of sediment and smelled. In addition, around 600 students and teachers at My An School did not have any latrines, while nearly 400 others at My Chanh Tay shared an old one. (tuoitrenews.vn Sept 20)
- Teenagers who love football in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue will have access to better conditions of practice under a new project funded by the Football Association of Norway. The local authorities received the project, entitled “Community football in the 2012-2015 periods”, at a ceremony on September 18. With a total investment of VND19.5 billion, of which VND17.6 billion is from the sponsor and the rest from the local budget, the project support the province’s 120 existing clubs in running training courses for club coaches and referees, and organizing tournaments of all levels. Under the project, two clubs for disadvantaged children will also be equipped with football gears. As many as 10 new clubs are expected to be established each year, with the aim of getting more children to play the game. (vov.vn Sept 19)
- TNK Vietnam BV and Ho Chi Minh City’s Poor Patient Protection Union signed a deal worth more than VND1 billion ($47,846) to provide free-of-charge surgery for 30 poor patients with inborn heart diseases in the city. The move is aimed to help poor patients, especially children with inborn heart diseases to access better healthcare services. Addressing the signing ceremony, Mr. Hugh Mclntosh, General Director of TNK Vietnam, said that he expects the fund will help the recipients to have a better without causing any burden to their relatives. Last year, TNK Vietnam also donated VND4.2 billion to equip a modern ambulance and train staffs for emergency at Le Loi hospital in Ba Ria-Vung Tau. (Tin Tuc – News Sept 20 p12, Thanh Nien – Young People Sept 20 p18)
- The Japan-Vietnam Peace and Friendship Promotion Council (JVPF) has presented 30 gifts worth $120 each to disadvantaged and studious ethnic students at a boarding school in the northern province of Ninh Binh. JVPF Deputy Chairman Sato Haruo said he wishes that students at the boarding high-school for ethnic people in Nho Quan district will study well and make contributions to social activities. Vice Principal of the school Nguyen Tien Cong said the presents encourage disadvantaged and studious students and highlight mutual assistance between the two countries. This is considered as an activity to mark the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Year 2013 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic ties. (nhandan.org.vn Sept 18)
- The Thai Business Association (TBA) and the Vietnam-Thailand Friendship Association (VTFA) presented 40 scholarships worth VND1 million each to outstanding but poor pupils in Ho Chi Minh City on September 18. The money was raised by Thai people on the 83rd birthday anniversary of Thai King last year. Over the past 10 years, the TBA and the Thai Consulate General in HCM City have granted many scholarships to poor students and pupils and worked with the VTFA to organize contests on Thailand’s land and people and its friendship relations with Vietnam. The TBA’s Vice Chairman in HCM City, Prasit Keeratitrakun said the association often raises funds for charity and is very happy to offer scholarships to poor students for the benefit of social development. (vov.vn Sept 18)
- More than 1,500 people will attend a charity program namely ”Project Happy Feet (PHF) slipper Race 2012” on October 21 to raise funds for needy students who wish to go to school. The program is co-organized for the first time in Ho Chi Minh city by a non-government organization known as “Project Happy Feet” and the Australian-Vietnamese charity program as KOTO (know one-teach one). It is expected to raise about $10,000 through a network of big-hearted sponsors, partners and volunteers. All the money will be used by the KOTO units, the Vietnam Association for Protection of Children’s Rights (VAPCR) and the Loreto Vietnam-Australia program (LVAP) to grant scholarships to children of low income families in mountainous areas of Lao Cai, Bac Kan and Ha Giang provinces who had to drop out of school. (vov.vn Sept 17)
- The Chinese Embassy in Vietnam on Sep 14 granted $10,000 worth of relief aid to help flood-hit victims in the central region of Vietnam, state media reported. The ambassador believed that with the help of the Vietnamese Communist Party and government and assistance from the international community, local residents will rapidly recover from the aftermath of the floods. On the same day, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi sent condolences to his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh over heavy human and property losses caused by floods in Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces. The floods triggered by heavy downpours two weeks ago left 16 dead and 38 other injured, inundated 14,548 houses and 43,791 hectares of rice and 14,000 hectares of other crops, causing a total loss of VND1.53 trillion ($72.86 million). (www.vietnamplus.vn [1] Sept 15)