Trần Thị Hiền stands in front of her new house. — Photo by UNDP

QUẢNG BÌNH — Seventy-three storm and flood-resilient houses, built jointly by the United Nations Development Programme, Quảng Bình Province's Department of Planning and Investment, and World Share, have been newly given to poor households in disaster-prone areas.

Phan Mạnh Hùng, Vice Chairman of the Quảng Bình provincial People's Committee, said at the event held recently, "we hope that the donors will continue to care for and support poor people, helping them stabilise their lives, contributing to sustainable development, poverty reduction, and disaster risk reduction."

The event was on the occasion of the Day for the Poor (December 31).

Park Hyeon Mo, Chairman of World Share, said, "although the world is currently experiencing numerous challenges, including disasters like floods, droughts, and the COVID-19 pandemic, World Share will continue to help the people of Quảng Bình Province."

Speaking at the event, Ramla Khalidi, UNDP Resident Representative in Việt Nam, said that according to a recent study on resilient housing conducted jointly by UNDP and the Ministry of Construction, over 110,000 families across 28 provinces still live in unsafe-condition houses, including 25,000 families in coastal areas.

Of these, at least 1,000 families are located in the six coastal districts of Quảng Bình Province.

"This contribution by World Share provides practical support that improves the resilience of local poor and near-poor families to climate change shocks," Khalidi said.

Trần Thị Hiền, residing in Quảng Xá Village, Tân Ninh Commune, Quảng Ninh District, was one of the beneficiaries, and said, "my old house is small, run-down, and unable to hold up against storms and floods. The area where I live gets deeply flooded. Every year, my daughter takes me to her house in Lộc Ninh Commune, Đồng Hới City, when we want to escape from a storm or flood after hearing the weather report."

"We return home when the storm or flood is over, but my house's furnishings are soaked, ruined when we get there," Hiền said. "It takes me a long time to clean up and repair everything. I am very happy to have the resilient house. My neighbours can stay at my home if a storm or flood occurs."

Since 2021, a total of 112 resilient houses have been built within the framework of this tripartite cooperation. —VNS