Australian support for Vietnamese community projects

 

HE Mr Hugh Borrowman, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, today announced funding of AUD$230,000 for 13 community development projects in Northern Vietnam.

The funds were provided through the Australian Government’s Direct Aid Program (DAP), administered by the Australian Embassy in Hanoi.

The Ambassador said ‘DAP is an important program that allows us to assist the neediest communities. This year we are supporting communities in upgrading a health clinic in Thanh Hoa, building a new classroom in Thai Binh and providing training on environmental protection and waste management in Ninh Binh.’

The grants are being provided to local People’s Committees, Women’s Unions or other local level government or community groups in 11 provinces across northern Vietnam.

Projects span a variety of sectors including health care, education, environmental protection, agricultural development and livelihood support.

Fourteen projects were funded through DAP in Northern Vietnam in 2013-14, including an important collaboration between Australian NGO Caring and Living as Neighbours (CLAN) and the Vietnamese National Paediatrics Hospital. The project established a club of 100 families of children living with Lupus.

The establishment of the Club provided the opportunity for parents to gather together, meet Australian and Vietnamese doctors and learn more about the best ways to look after their children and help them enjoy the highest quality of life possible.

The Australian Embassy has provided more than 150 DAP grants to community projects in Northern Vietnam during the last 13 years.

The Australian Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City administers the Direct Aid Program south of Thua Thien Hue province. The total DAP budget for Vietnam in 2014-15 is $618,000. The global DAP budget is $22 million.

Application forms for DAP 2015-16 will be available on the Australian Embassy website in August 2015.