Japanese Red Cross has committed US$2.76 million to help a Viet Nam Red Cross mangrove and disaster risk reduction project till 2015.

Local Red Cross deputy chairman Phung Van Hoan said at a workshop yesterday that the project aimed to support 346 vulnerable communes in eight northernmost coastal provinces and 10 communes of two extended mountainous provinces, Vinh Phuc and Hoa Binh.

The project was expected to directly benefit 125,000 people and indirectly benefit 2 million people in 356 communes of 10 provinces nation-wide that belonged to three major hazard zones of Viet Nam, including the Northern mountains, Song Hong (Red River) Delta and Central coastal zones.

Activities would be focused on the adaptation of local Red Cross experiences in forest resource development from coastal to mountainous areas. Around 150 communes in 20 provinces would receive intensive technical support and assistance to become safer and more resilient, Hoan said.

The local Red Cross was expected to expand its project to 1,000 communes and to provide input into the National Programme for Community-based disaster risk management that would cover 6,000 communes.

According to the statistics, 22,400ha of mangroves have been planted in 166 communes of eight coastal provinces of Viet Nam thanks to Red Cross projects since 1994.

A total 222 communes received disaster preparedness training and support, including 3,900 teachers and 108 students. About 350,000 people have directly benefited from the project and around 2 million people now are better protected from the impact of typhoons and floods.

V.N.S