Five cities including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, the central city of Danang, the Mekong delta city of Can Tho and the northern city of Hai Phong yesterday in HCMC held a meeting to review its tasks and Red Cross Society activities in first six months (H1).
In past six months, under the lead of the central Red cross Society and the Party Committee, People’s Committee, People’s Council, Fatherland Front and related agencies, members of unions and volunteers, the red cross movement has gained achievements and collected VND 377.85 billion (US$16,942,794) for humanitarian activities.
The highlights of charitable activity are “Tet vi nguoi ngheo va nan nhan chat doc da cam” (Charitable activities for the poor and Agent Orange victims), the Red Cross Societies in five cities have actively called for social contribution and presented 320,419 gifts worth VND127 billion (US$5,694,680) to families whose economic condition is close to poverty line and Agent Orange victims.
The movement to call for each individual to do a humanitarian act launched by the central Red Cross Society in May, 2008 is being carried out in unions in districts. Unions have conducted surveys to make lists of Agent Orange victims, families of social welfare, alone elderly people, orphans, good students from low-income families and poor families so that the society will support.
Within H1, red cross unions called for the support from organizations and benefactors to provide regular aid to 51,466 poor people with total donation of over VND23 billion (US$1,032,269). Of 51,466 poor people, the Red Cross Society in HCMC supported VND9. 6 billion to help 13.936 people as well as the 3,570 homeless elderly people.
The Red Cross Society also offered charity meals and opened charity eateries to provide over 2,746,456 meals for alone elderly people, orphans, disabled people, homeless people, disadvantaged people and poor patients in hospitals. Total is worth over VND 31.7 billion.
The project to provide cow to the poor are being implemented in some localities. In H1, the Red Cross Societies in HCMC gave 47 cows to poor people in districts Can Gio, Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon and Cu Chi worth VND1.4 billion & costing each cow of VND30 million.
Additionally, red cross societies provided financial aid to 33,370 Agent Orange victims, families of social welfare brackets, lonely elderly, orphans, good students from low-income families by giving cows, bank accounts, scholarships, employment. Moreover, the Red Cross Society called for social contribution to build 131 charity houses, repair 79 houses worth VND4.7 billion; construct 49 bridges and fix 86 other bridges worth VND5.1 billion.
About blood donation, the red cross societies encouraged people to give their blood & it collected 214,940 blood units and provided free medical services to special people.
Speaking at the meeting, head of the Red Cross Society of Vietnam Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu highly appreciated the red cross societies’ humanitarian activities expecting that more charitable activities will be carried out to help the poor in the upcoming times.
