Covid orphans in HCMC to get government support till 22

Accordingly, orphaned children under four would get VND900,000 ($39.50) per month till they turn five. Those five and above will receive a monthly allowance of VND540,000, said Le Minh Tan, director of the municipal Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.

The orphans will also be granted medical insurance cards and tuition waivers until 16, and will be eligible for social benefits till 22 if they continue their education.

An underprivileged child is given food in HCMC, June 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

All city districts and Thu Duc City have allocated ex gratia payments of VND3-4 million for each orphaned child as also some essential items. Various localities and HCMC’s Department of Education and Training have called for support to provide access to electronic devices so that the orphans an keep up with online classes.

Many social agencies like the Fatherland Front, Women's Union, Youth Union, etc. are building programs to give scholarships to the orphans, Tan said.

Children undergoing Covid-19 treatment, meanwhile, will be granted VND1 million, VND80,000 for their daily meals, and all hospital fees related to the pandemic will be paid for.

Vietnam recorded more than 11,800 children infected with the novel coronavirus as of early September, with more than 3,000 in HCMC. Of all 250 children orphaned by the pandemic, 238 were in the southern metro, as of August 23.

The labor ministry has said that it will grant children of pregnant women infected with Covid-19, born between April 27 and December 31, ex gratia payments of VND1 million each and that those who’ve lost their parents to Covid-19 will be given VND2 million. These allowances will come from the National Fund For Vietnamese Children.

As of Sunday morning, HCMC had recorded 291,871 cases in the current outbreak, with 11,660 deaths.