CARE in Vietnam

We are one of the leading international aid organisations in Vietnam and are known for our close work within the community, village, and district levels.

In Vietnam we:

fight HIV and AIDS
prepare people for future disasters
improve agriculture, for example by teaching farmers new techniques

CARE in action:

Bird Flu
We lead the fight against bird flu in Vietnam, which has the highest recorded rate of human infection and has seen more than forty deaths.

We have produced a ground-breaking public service video which has been seen by 1.5 million people – sixty per cent of the population. Shown in Binh Dinh province in central Vietnam and Long An province in the Mekong Delta, the video tells people who are at risk of infection how to protect themselves and their families from it, and how farmers can keep their poultry safe.

Other than the video, our STOP AI (avian influenza) project in Binh Dinh and Long An provinces raises awareness about the disease and we hand out bio-safety equipment to the local public services, such as disinfectant, gloves, and masks. STOP AI also trains public and animal health workers so that they can detect the signs of the disease, and so stop its spread.

We also show poultry farmers – three quarters of Vietnam’s households are supported by raising backyard poultry – techniques to safely cull and dispose of infected birds, and help them to take out small grants so that they can develop other areas of agriculture so they are not reliant on their flocks.

Making vital links
Vietnam looks set to flourish on the international economic stage. Its economy has doubled in the last decade and by 2010, it hopes to move from ‘poor country’ to ‘middle income’ status. However, Vietnam is weakened by continual natural disasters, high levels of corruption, and in 2004 by the severe outbreak of avian flu.

We work closely with the Vietnamese government and with local organisations to tackle these problems, by helping communities and authorities prepare for disasters, raising awareness about healthcare and how to get it, and promoting good working practices, such as transparency, accountability and equality within the public and private sectors.