Habitat for Humanity Vietnam completed a four-month project to recover and improve education facilities in Quang Ngai province post-disaster. Nearly 900 school children and teachers are served with funding support from GE Foundation. Being a coastal province in central Vietnam, Quang Ngai is vulnerable to natural disasters, with hundreds of unroofed schools and houses during the 2020 typhoon season.
In collaboration with Binh Son Department of Education and Training and school management boards, Habitat Vietnam renovated 10 classrooms with new typhoon-resilient roofs and electricity system establishment, provision of fans and lights in Binh Nguyen primary and Binh Thanh 2 primary schools. A new latrine is also built-in Binh Thanh 2 primary school with disability-accessible features and a hand-washing facility. With this support, students and teachers of two primary schools will have access to a better learning facility and improve their hygiene and sanitation practices.
The principal of Binh Thanh 2 primary school, To Van Duan, shared, “We are very thankful for the project’s support. With the new facilities, we feel more confident and safer during typhoon season, and school children’s academic performance is no longer disrupted. The new latrine also creates a more hygienic and sanitation environment for children’s education; especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, teachers can educate students on proper hygiene practices with the handwashing facility. ”
Deputy Head of Binh Son Department of Education and Training, Tran Thi Phuong Linh, said, “I am pleased that Habitat Vietnam and GE Foundation cooperated with local authorities in the recovery effort after typhoons to help students and teachers soon stabilize their learning environment. The school becomes not only a safe shelter for students but also an evacuation site for the community in disasters. This support not only helps students and teachers have a comfortable environment for their study but also increases the capacity of public facilities to receive more evacuees, thus enhancing the disaster preparedness of the community.”
“Having this support in place is a great step forward in strengthening community disaster preparedness capacity,” said Bells Regino-Borja, National Director of Habitat for Humanity Vietnam. “I am grateful that Habitat Vietnam has been able to partner with GE Foundation, the local authorities, and schools in ensuring the best education environment for children and build community resilience to disasters.”
