People | Places
Who?
The poor
DW works with the poor and vulnerable families, with incomes in the range of 20 - 35 US$ per month or less. They are regular victims of natural disasters. On the coast they are mainly involved in fishing , agriculture and some commerce but also on things like gathering wood and small home production, depending on the location of the commune. These families are nearly all at risk from having their house destroyed or damaged by cyclones or damaged by floods, and thus at risk of losing their investment in building, building materials and possessions. They represent up to 70% of the population in the central coastal region.
Within this overall population group, DW works with different ‘groups’ :
- directly with children in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools:
- by working with teachers to introduce the theme of typhoon damage and preventive strengthening (an average of 40 teachers per commune trained);
- by working with children to better appreciate their concerns about disasters and vulneability, and helping work out how they can prepare and respond;
- by activities with the children, including painting competitions and participation in parades and concerts;
- by strengthening many of the kindergartens and primary schools in the communes, thus demonstrating the techniques that can be used.
- directly with women; over the years 40% or more of beneficiary households have been headed by women alone, and we work to enhance the expression of women’s concerns and needs relative to vulnerability reduction and the strengthening of their homes.
- with youth in the communes by providing practical training and discussion sessions on the issue of damage prevention and on the construction techniques that can be used by the building brigades that exist in each commune.
- with many of the elderly, since along with children this group are most often amongst the most vulnerable in the community and many of them need to have their houses strengthened. Community elders and traditional leaders are involved in debate in the villages during beneficiary selection processes and choices of public buildings in their village.
- with the local institutions: the ‘Damage Prevention Committees (established with DW support) the people’s committees at provincial and commune level; the local unions - farmers and women; with village representatives .
The poor are classified as those who cannot satisfy the bare necessities of life, and in 1998 were considered by the VN General Statistics Office to number 39% in South Central VN and 51% in North Central VN ; a larger proportion are classified as « temporarily poor » meaning families whose income fluctuates above and below an acceptable minimum level. GSO VN 1999
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