ĐÀ NẴNG — The city’s HIV/AIDS Prevention Centre and the Việt Nam Health Improvement Project (VNHIP) hosted a pre-Tết (Lunar New Year) celebration for children with HIV in Đà Nẵng and Quảng Nam Province yesterday.

The event was one in a series of activities that the centre and donors often organise to encourage the children and their families in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The teen-age children, born with HIV/AIDS, receive medical treatment, nutrition guidance and financial support, as well as scholarships and school facilities from the centre.

Earlier this year, VNHIP, an NGO from the US, and Betula Asian Aid Foundation, signed a new agreement on improving health care for 50 kids and young people under 25 in Đà Nẵng from 2017-21. The project will aim to provide scholarships, school facilities, health care, and life-skills training for those with HIV/AIDS, and to support the children’s families.

According to the centre, some 100 kids in the central city have HIV/AIDS.

The city has been a leader in efforts to control the number of new HIV cases, maintaining a ratio of 0.15 per cent of HIV cases among the population since 2008. 

Also yesterday, the Đà Nẵng Association for Victims of Agent Orange (DAVA) organised Tet celebration for Agent Orange (AO) victims in the city, which is home to more than 5,000 AO victims, 1,400 of them children. Over VND54 billion ($2.4 million) was raised from domestic and foreign donors for AO victims in the city.

Donors also presented gifts to nearly 5,000 poor households living in Đà Nẵng and Quảng Nam Province on Saturday. — VNS