MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Downer
I am pleased to announce that Australia will provide
$2 million over three years to improve living conditions for twenty poor
communities in the Tra My district of Quang Nam province in Central Vietnam.
In Vietnam, poverty is mainly found in rural areas
where isolation and lack of capital resources are major obstacles to
development. The Tra My district is among Vietnam's poorest with an average
annual per capita income of less than $100.
Australia's contribution will assist 53,000 people
living in this remote and mountainous area by providing better year-round access
to transport, education, health care, markets and agricultural services. During
the wet season, access is extremely dangerous - a village can be cut off from
other villages and essential services for months at a time.
Our funding will contribute to a joint project with
the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). It will work with district
authorities and local communities, of which a large percentage are ethnic
minority groups.
The people from the twenty communities in the Tra My
district will be closely involved in planning and running project activities.
Women will be especially encouraged to participate in order to ensure that the
project helps to address the needs of all members of the community.
The Australian contribution will help local
communities with:
- New village infrastructure - schools, clinics,
irrigation schemes - based on needs identified by thecommunities; - Improvements to the district's main arterial road,
which for many villages is the only means of access to the outside world; - Construction or upgrading more than 70 walking
tracks and footbridges; - Building six medium-sized suspension footbridges;
and - Training for local Vietnamese in construction,
repairs, maintenance and planning.
This latest initiative follows the Howard
Government's recent announcement of a new and increased four-year aid pledge to
Vietnam.
Australia will continue to assist Vietnam in its
efforts to improve the living standards of its people, and to manage the
economic and social impacts of the regional financial
crisis.
Media contacts:
Judi Nixon (Mrs Sullivan's office) 07 5591 1011 or mobile 0411 287 258 Matt Francis (AusAID) 02 6206 4967 or mobile 0417 683 126