Vietnam: shelter repair in the Mekong Delta

Save the Children is supporting the repair and strengthening of homes damaged by the 2011 floods in Dong Thap province.

This shelter programme forms part of a multi-sector, early recovery response in the Mekong Delta region of south Vietnam.

The team is working directly with households to fix and reinforce their houses. The long-term aim is to reduce their vulnerability to floods and storms. The Mekong Delta region is frequently affected by natural disasters.

Save the Children is supporting the most vulnerable households, in particular we’re concentrating on:

• poor families
• families with large numbers of young children
• single parent or child-headed families
• families affected by HIV/AIDS.

Empowering households

Save the Children is using Cash Transfer Programming (CTP) – providing cash to people after disasters – to empower the households to carry out the repair themselves. We’re working together with local material suppliers to use a voucher system for the purchasing of construction materials.

Voucher systems give a greater share of control and engagement to the beneficiary households. It encourages competitive markets and gives households more choice.

This approach is supported by a combination of technical guidance and training provided by Save the Children.

Our field teams are currently carrying out individual household assessments, carried out with the households and local community leaders. The engagement of the households and local communities has been terrific so far!

My next blog entry will focus on the bridges that Save the Children is supporting repair.