HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam Red Cross (VNRC) and Việt Nam Women’s Union will work together in social and humanitarian activities from 2018 to 2022 under the framework of a joint agreement.

The deal was signed in Hà Nội today.

The collaboration aims to strengthen awareness and responsibility as well as collaboration activities of the two sides in the areas of charity, healthcare for the poor and organisational development.

Under the programme, activities will be focused on implementing five major contents, including education and communication to strengthen awareness of members and volunteers on the Party’s humanitarian and social welfare policies, international laws on humanity and gender equity and mobilisation sources for building humanitarian constructions and social welfare projects.

The two sides will also work together in organising public healthcare initiatives, inspection and supervision programmes on social welfare policies and implementation of a joint programme called “Companion with frontier women” during 2018-2022. 

Under the framework of the joint programme, VNRC, in collaboration with Việt Nam Women’s Union and National Humanitarian Portal 1409, has launched an SMS campaign for mobilising funding for poor women living in border areas of the country. The programme also aims to raise the community’s awareness on border issues and the country’s border sovereignty.

People can support the campaign by texting BC to 1409 until May 26, 2018. Each text message will contribute VNĐ20,000 ($0.85) to the livelihood fund for poor women in border areas.

The programme’s goodwill ambassador, actress Nhã Phương, has called on enterprises, individuals and benefactors to support poor women in the border communes in overcoming difficulties, escaping from poverty and developing household economy.

On April 17, the programme’s organisation board will donate the money from the livelihood fund to the first five poor women (VNĐ10 million, or US$445 each) and provide free health check-up, medicines and gifts to 200 poor women in Phong Nặm Commune, Trùng Khánh District in northern Cao Bằng Province. — VNS