Representatives of  the HCM Communist Youth Union (HCYU) Central Committee and organisations at the launch of a programme to support children whose parents have died of COVID-19. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI The HCM Communist Youth Union (HCYU) Central Committee, in coordination with relevant agencies, launched a programme on Sunday to call for assistance for children whose parents have died of COVID-19.

Attending the event were Nguyễn Anh Tuấn, First Secretary of the HCM Communist Youth Union Central Committee and representatives of a number of ministries and agencies. 

The COVID-19 pandemic in Việt Nam has caused more than 19,000 deaths. According to statistics from the Department of Children’s Affairs under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and reports of the Departments of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs of 30 provinces and cities, as of October 1, up to 2,091 children and juveniles under 17 have lost their parents, mothers, fathers or caregivers due to the pandemic.

The programme aims to mobilise organisations, businesses and individuals to help take care of and support the orphaned children due to the COVID-19 pandemic until the age of 18 in a sustainable way so that they can overcome difficulties and stabilise their lives soon, ensuring conditions for them to develop comprehensively and become useful people in society.

The programme will concentrate on provinces and cities that have been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and focusing on providing financial, education, health and spiritual support.

Students who lost their parents due to COVID-19 will be provided with VNĐ500,000 per month until they are 18 years old.

The Youth Union collaborated with FPT, a technology giant in Việt Nam, to establish schools for 6-18 year-old children whose parents died of COVID-19. The programme also calls on experts and volunteers who have experience in the field of child psychology to provide support and timely intervention for children, especially at the beginning when they are going through trauma.

People who want to donate to the programme can access the website www.noivongtaythuong.vn or send financial aid through account number: 1000 001 001 191919 at the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies' branch in Hà Nội. VNS