News & Learning

EMWF successfully implemented “Empowering poor vulnerable women to overcome COVID-19 impacts in Hai Duong province.”

Hai Duong province was severely affected by the COVID-19 outbreak before and after Vietnamese New Year in February. Measures to control the spread of COVID-19, such as travel restrictions and social distancing, affected the economy and the livelihoods of vulnerable families. Many households lost everything. Even livestock could not be sold. The lives of poor and near-poor families were getting harder and harder.

“My family is underprivileged, I have to take care of my disabled aunt by myself. The lockdown earlier this year caused price decreases, so I couldn’t sell my products and they withered.” Mrs Hoang Thi Hoi shared her story!

Mrs. Hoi’s family is one of the poor households in Nam Ha, Hai Duong province. She is a single woman who supports her disabled sister with a meager income from working on acres of paddy field. The lockdown earlier in this year put her family in difficult circumstances by reducing the availability of fertilizers and money for farming. Thanks to East Meets West Foundation (EMWF), she received money as financial hardship relief to purchase necessities, as well as an in-kind donation of fertilizers to maintain the family’s livelihood.

EMWF collaborated with Hai Duong’s provincial Women’s Union (WU) to successfully implement the project “Empowering poor vulnerable women to overcome COVID-19 impacts in Hai Duong province.” This project was funded by the New Zealand Embassy in Vietnam. It is project with “leave no one behind” motto, officially implemented in 3 months from May 7 to August 15, 2021 across 5 communes in Kinh Mon town, Hai Duong province, including Hien Thanh, Le Ninh, An Luu, Thai Thinh, and Long Xuyen in order to support short and medium-term livelihoods for 270 beneficiary households with female members who affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Support package worth 2,500,000 VND/household, including financial hardship relief and in-kind donations.

Project beneficiaries identified by EMWF and Hai Duong WU and must be on the lists of poor and near-poor households according to the regulations of GoV. In which, 30% of beneficiaries are poor households, 37.8% of beneficiaries are near-poor households and 32.2% of beneficiaries are economic hardship households; 61.9% of beneficiary households are female-headed households. According to statistics, the project has supported 677 people, 56.1% of total beneficiaries are women and 5.9% of households having members with disabilities.

Note: The economic hardship households in the project are defined as the poor/near-poor households in regard to Decree 07/2021/ND-CP on multidimensional poverty line for the 2021-2025 period, issued on January 27, 2021, and effected on March 15, 2021.

Through the project, these 270 beneficiary households received 1 million VND as financial hardship relief to support their purchase of necessities such as food, medicine, children’s books, tuition fees and/or healthcare services.

Besides, EMWF collaborated with two consultants affiliated with Vietnam National University of Agriculture and specialized in Agricultural Economics to conduct a rapid needs assessment of beneficiaries’ livelihood recovery to overcome COVID-19 impacts. Based on the results of needs assessment survey, EMWF worked with the provincial WU to learn the full details of beneficiary households’ needs. Ultimately, 25,853 kg of fertilizers (Dau Trau NPK 13-13-13-TE) were given to 251 households (average: 103kg/household), 1,620 chickens (three  hybrid strain) were given to 18 households (average: 90 chickens/household) and 100kg of chicken feed were given to 1 household. These in-kind donations were worth 1,500,000 VND/household.

In-kind donation for beneficiary households: Chickens (90 chickens/household)

We would like to thank donors, local partners and other stakeholders for standing with us and supporting the economic recovery and hardship relief of 270 beneficiary households in Hai Duong. It helps the poor vulnerable women to overcome Covid-19 pandemic.