Female street vendors, scrap collectors receive Covid-19 assistance

Aid will be afforded to those working as street vendors, scrap vendors, or house helpers in Da Nang and Hue over the next three months. It includes training in household economic literacy and management, women’s rights and child nutrition. The financial support could be used to purchase food, living essentials or recover lost livelihoods.

The project is a partnership between New Zealand and ActionAid Vietnam, an organization addressing rural and urban poverty issues.

"Recipients will be helped to recover their livelihoods after the economic shock created by Covid-19 outbreaks in their cities," a Monday press release from the New Zealand Embassy stated.

New Zealand Chargé d'Affaires Joseph Mayhew said the initiative aims to help ease the economic impacts of Covid-19 and strengthen the resilience of those most affected. He believes supporting women in sectors hardest hit by the pandemic is "a vital component of robust, inclusive, and equitable recovery."

The pandemic has disrupted Vietnam's tourism industry, with central Da Nang and Thua Thien Hue, two major international tourist hubs particularly affected, according to the release.

Recent ActionAid Vietnam research showed more than 90 percent of tourism sector workers had lost their jobs and income due to Covid-19. In Da Nang and Thua Thien Hue, nearly 90,000 people either became unemployed or suffered from greatly reduced income. Only 22 percent of workers surveyed currently have access to the government's VND62-trillion support package.

Hoang Phuong Thao, country director of ActionAid Vietnam, said the project would help female workers become more visible in the public eye, and set up a practical model where support can be delivered to target groups and individuals in an efficient and transparent manner.

Last month, women operating in the informal economy of Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Hai Phong, and Da Nang received similar assistance to overcome the impacts of Covid-19.