Dong Ha, Quang Tri (6 April 2020) — In response to the call of the government of Quang Tri Province to support their preparedness in the prevention and control of the COVID-19, representatives of Project RENEW/Norwegian People’s Aid (RENEW/NPA) on Monday met with Quang Tri Department of Foreign Affairs to hand over NPA’s contributions.
The Quang Tri Department of Foreign Affairs Deputy Director Mr. Nguyen Duc Quang, on behalf of the provincial government, received packages of hand sanitizers, liquid hand soaps, face masks and thermometers donated from RENEW/NPA to the Department of Health.
During the social distancing period, RENEW/NPA has prepared and made standby four ambulances in case that our staff and the province should request and need to transport COVID-19 positive cases.
In addition to the donation of medical supplies, the Labour Union of RENEW/NPA donated 10 million VND from our Labour Union Fund, to assist the Provincial Vietnamese Fatherland Front in the fight against the pandemic.
NPA has started operations in Quang Tri, in collaboration with DOFA/Project RENEW since 2007, conducting Explosive Ordnance Disposal, survey and clearance activities in the province. NPA also provides capacity development to Quang Tri Mine Action Center and Database Unit. As a partner in the efforts to make Quang Tri safe from unexploded cluster munitions, we are willing to actively contribute our part to joining hands with the local authorities and communities to reduce the threat of COVID-19.
The authorities of Quang Tri Province have been outstandingly responding to the coronavirus outbreak. Quang Tri has not had a single case of COVID-19 so far.
Project RENEW was established in 2001 as a joint effort between the government of Quang Tri Province and interested INGOs to “restore the environment and neutralize the effects of the war” – with the main focus on unexploded ordinance.
Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) is one of the leading organizations worldwide in humanitarian disarmament. NPA has worked in Vietnam since 2008 following the signing of an MOU with the government of Quang Tri People’s Committee to support the development of Project RENEW’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) capacity. NPA’s operational footprint now covers all of Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue Provinces, with an increase of assets to four Battle Area Clearance teams, one Non-Technical Survey team, four EOD teams, and 25 Technical Survey teams.
