I am writing to let you know about Blue Dragon’s emergency relief
efforts following Typhoon Ketsana.
The typhoon struck central Vietnam on September 29. At least 163
people were killed by the storm, and over 6000 homes were completely
washed away.
Blue Dragon has long been working in two areas of central Vietnam, Hoi
An town and Hue province, where the typhoon hit. We are relieved to
report that none of the families we are working with lost their lives
as a result of the typhoon.
Sadly, however, almost all of the families and children we work with
in those areas have been badly affected.
Hoi An Town
In Hoi An, where Blue Dragon runs the Hoi An Children’s Home, a flash
flood caused by a collapsed dam resulted in the loss of many personal
items belonging to the 30 kids living there. Thanks to some private
donations from around the world, we have been able to replace those
lost clothes, books, and personal effects.
Hue Province
In Hue, the typhoon was much more devastating. Many homes lost their
roofs or were destroyed totally. Some families lost everything they
owned.
Immediately after the typhoon, Blue Dragon worked with the United
Nations International School (UNIS) to deliver rice, noodles, and
other essentials to over 300 families in coastal areas of Hue
province. We were careful to ensure that we were delivering emergency
supplies to families who were in the greatest need, and had not
received support from any other agency.
Follow-up
Almost a month has passed, but the situation in Hue province remains
dire. Hue airport has been closed recently due to flooding, as storms
continue to cause havoc. Many roads remain impassable.
One consequence of this ongoing disaster is that impoverished fishing
families from coastal areas have been unable to go to work for a full
month. This is leading to widespread hunger in many areas of Hue.
As I write, Blue Dragon staff are in Hue distributing over 4.5 tons of
rice and noodles, which have been funded by the Australian Chamber of
Commerce in Ho Chi Minh City. We are also providing families with
simple water filtration systems which will provide clean drinking
water for at least 2 years.
What’s next?
Everyone is hoping that the rain will ease and the floods start to
recede soon. Once that happens, Blue Dragon will start helping
families to rebuild damaged or destroyed homes.
At the moment, we have enough money for the ‘emergency relief’ phase
of this work, but we would welcome donations to help us with the
repair and rebuilding that will take place over the coming months. You
can visit our website if you wish to donate –
www.streetkidsinvietnam.com – or email us on info@bdcf.org.
See for yourself
The Blue Dragon blog – www.vietnamstreets.blogspot.
photos of the affected areas, as well as images of our relief work.
With sincere thanks for your support,
Michael Brosowski
Director
Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation
