MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Sullivan
I am pleased to announce that the Australian Government will help the
poorest people in Vietnam by funding ten new community projects through
Australian non-government agencies.
The package of assistance, provided through the NGO-Vietnam Australia
(NOVA) programme, is aimed at helping the most disadvantaged people in
Vietnam, including women and ethnic minorities. Each of the funded agencies
has extensive experience with local partners in Vietnam and in community
development activities.
The projects funded under the package, worth a total of $4.2 million
spread over three years, will offer practical help in areas like basic
health care, clean water, HIV/AIDS education, and greater food security
with environmentally sustainable farming practices.
One of the newly funded projects will extend the very successful first
phase of a project that has combined biological control with community
action to dramatically reduce levels of sickness and death from dengue
fever in the project area. Dengue fever is a very serious illness spread
by mosquitoes, affecting nearly a quarter of a million people in Vietnam
last year. Many of those who suffer and die are young children.
Another innovative project will tackle the increasingly dangerous use
of farm chemicals in Vietnam. The rapid rise in overuse and misuse of
pesticides makes fruit and vegetable growing hazardous for farmers, for
consumers and for the environment. The project will offer training in
safer farming practices, as well as educating the wider community about
the dangers of such chemicals.
Having had the chance to see some of the many NOVA projects first-hand
during my visit to Vietnam in February last year, I am pleased that this
successful partnership is continuing. NOVA projects maintain a strong
Australian involvement at the grassroots level in Vietnam and, most importantly,
bring substantial benefits to the poorest communities in the country.
Jacinta Cubis (AusAID) 02 6206 4967 / 0417 683 126
| Media contacts: |
Judi Nixon (Mrs Sullivan's office) 07 5591 1011/ 0411 287 258 |