Authorities of Mekong Delta Bến Tre Province present Tết gifts to local disadvantaged children on Monday. —VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVA) offered support to nearly 15,500 youngsters affected by COVID-19 last year at a total cost of over VNĐ20.8 billion  (US$904,000).

NFVA Director Hoàng Văn Tiến said 2,930 of them were orphans and 520 had their mothers infected with the virus.

In an interview with Vietnam News Agency, Tiến said each orphan caused by the pandemic received VNĐ5 million. The homeless orphans obtained additional VNĐ20 million each to open a savings book, which could be withdrawn when they reach the age of maturity.

Children who are F0s and F1s of parents under treatment in hospitals will be given VNĐ1 million each and additional VNĐ1 million to buy necessities in case they are put in concentrated quarantine.

The NVFA delegations also visited and presented gifts to affected children in localities together with Party and State leaders, he said.

The NFVA has achieved the yearly goal of raising VNĐ90 billion and assisting 110,000 children by early October 2021.

By late December 2021, it fulfilled child support targets and surpassed fund raising goals by over 150 per cent.

However, targets related to the use of medical services such as smile and heart surgeries failed to be met due to social distancing orders during the pandemic, making it hard for families to take their children to medical facilities.

Part of funding for the effort will be given to affected children and the remainder will be spent under the request of philanthropists or on surgeries for children in 2022 and subsequent years if possible.

About plans to care for children during the upcoming Tết (Lunar New Year) festival, Tiến said the NFVA followed the Prime Minister’s Decision No 558/QD-TTg on raising social resources for children in specially disadvantaged communes in ethnic minority and mountainous regions by giving warm clothes to children in remote, border and island areas.

After receiving donations from the programme “Spring for Children” on January 9, Tiến said the NVFA will send Tết gifts to disadvantaged and COVID-19-hit children shortlisted by localities.

As the pandemic will prolong and spread complicatedly, Tiến said the NVFA will maintain effective support activities for children, care for their mental health and help them accustomed to online learning, especially in remote and mountainous areas via learning equipment assistance.

It will also continue pooling resources for the effort, he said. — VNS