SCJ Supports Disaster Preparedness in Schools

28th April 2021 18:00

• Hand-washing stations at schools were also repaired and maintained ©Mr. Tran Duc Manh/Save the Children

In central Vietnam, the torrential rains that occurred in October last year caused great damage.
Although similar disasters are expected to occur in the areas supported, disaster prevention measures in schools are not sufficient.

Save the Children Japan (SCJ), a JPF member NGO, distributed life jackets to several target schools and held meetings to review and strengthen school disaster prevention plans in order to reduce disaster risks and improve disaster preparedness.

Students and faculty participated in the meetings. The plans were reviewed to ensure that they were revised based on the Comprehensive School Safety model, a framework for disaster risk prevention that is being promoted in many parts of the world, and that the plans reflected the views of teachers and students.

PLAN’s Livelihood Improvement Assistance in Flood-Affected Areas

25th March 2021 20:00

• Children looking very happy; they’re wearing jackets with JPF and PLAN logos ©PLAN
• Children cleaning up the repaired facility to keep it clean ©PLAN
• Provision of poultry (chickens and ducks) ©PLAN

As part of the JPF program, JPF member NGO PLAN International Japan is providing assistance in the flood-affected areas of Kon Tum Province in Central Viet Nam. PLAN is supporting the reopening of schools and livelihood improvement there. PLAN has been repairing toilets and water supply facilities in schools that were damaged by the floods. The children themselves clean up the repaired facilities to keep them clean.

In addition, the flooding caused damages to farmland and livestock. PLAN is providing chickens, ducks, and other livestock to the affected people so that they can raise them and increase their numbers to earn an income from eggs and meat, thus sustainably improving their livelihoods. Priority is given to families that have been severely affected by the disaster and are in financial need, families with young children, and female-headed households.

Assistance for Children Affected by the Floods

23rd February 2021 6:00

As part of the JPF program, JPF member NGO Save the Children Japan (SCJ) is providing assistance in Central Viet Nam. SCJ is implementing WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) and DRR (disaster risk reduction) and resilience support for the children affected by the floods.

In Central Viet Nam, the floods damaged toilets, hand-washing stations, and water tanks in preschools, primary schools, and secondary schools. SCJ supports a safe learning environment for the children through repairing and maintaining WASH facilities.

In addition, since there is a possibility for similar natural disasters to occur in the future, SCJ will be engaged in the review and strengthening of school disaster prevention plans. They will also provide psychological first aid training for teachers and staff so that they can learn how to reduce the psychological burden that the children may experience in the event of a natural disaster.

PLAN’s Assistance to Help Children Continue Their Schooling

22nd January 2021 20:00

• ©PLAN
• ©PLAN

Typhoons and torrential rains repeatedly hit Viet Nam in early October last year. JPF member NGO PLAN International Japan is continuing its support for the people affected in Central Viet Nam.

Schools affected by the floods and landslides have lost educational materials and books, and toilets and water supply facilities have become unusable. Additionally, the deterioration of sanitary conditions increases the risk of the spread of infectious diseases, and for individual families, children's clothing and school bags have also been lost. This has made it difficult for children from impoverished families to continue their studies.

PLAN is supporting the reopening of schools and the improvement of livelihoods in Kon Tum Province in Central Viet Nam, where poverty rate is high and there were severe damages from the floods. Last month, as part of the support for reopening schools, PLAN distributed school bags and winter down jackets to children attending preschools and elementary schools, and this month they distributed water purifiers to the schools themselves.

PLAN's School Reopening and Livelihood Assistance

21st December 2020 16:00

As part of the JPF program, JPF member NGO PLAN International Japan is supporting the reopening of schools and livelihood improvement in the flood-affected areas of Kon Tum Province in Central Viet Nam.

PLAN is implementing the project in Kon Plong and Kon Ray Districts. These two districts have the highest poverty rates in Central Viet Nam among the nine provinces that were severely damaged by typhoons and torrential rains that repeatedly hit the area in early October.

To support the reopening of schools, PLAN will provide school bags and winter jackets to students as many had their belongings swept away by the floods. They will also support the affected schools in the area through providing books and water purifiers, and through repairing school toilets and water supply facilities. For livelihood support, PLAN will provide poultry (chickens and ducks) to vulnerable households. Currently, PLAN is in the process of selecting beneficiaries and schools for their project and procuring supplies.

Decision to Launch

10th November 2020 23:54

On 6 November, Japan Platform (JPF) has decided to launch an emergency response program to support the people affected by the floods and landslides caused by the sustaining heavy rains in Central Viet Nam. Torrential rains that hit Central Viet Nam from 6 October caused severe and widespread flooding and landslides in nine provinces including Da Nang City.

Additionally, Typhoon Molave, one of the biggest typhoons to hit Viet Nam in the last 20 years, made landfall on 28 October, followed by Typhoon Goni also making landfall in South Central Viet Nam on 6 November. They have both caused further damages to the region.

As of the end of October, 150 people have died, 62 people are missing, and more than 375,000 people have been evacuated. More than 200,000 homes have been flooded so far but this number may increase in the future.

Many schools have been damaged by the floods, as well as agricultural land, livestock, and poultry, and these losses have had a severe impact on the livelihoods of affected households. Also, many people have been cut off from access to safe water, and with public healthcare facilities affected by the floods, the spread of infectious diseases, especially those caused by unsanitary water, is of particular concern.

JPF and its member NGOs will implement projects in line with local support needs, such as NFI (Non-food items) distribution, school reopening support, and healthcare and sanitation improvement. We will promptly provide the necessary support while paying close attention to COVID-19 prevention.

We will be posting regular updates on JPF's website and social media.