Tiền Giang is a locality where we have long implemented our Scholarship Programme and is also the first province in the Mekong Delta to declare an emergency due to saline intrusion this year. In response to the severe freshwater shortage in this province, 6,435 litres of drinking water were urgently transported by saigonchildren and distributed to 143 scholarship students in Tân Phú Đông and Tân Phước districts at the beginning of May, ensuring they have enough drinking water for the next 30 days during the dry season. Among them, 65 cases with particularly difficult circumstances will receive additional drinking water support for their entire families (5 bottles of 1.5L each day).
Additionally, recent rains in the Mekong Delta signal the end of the dry season. Fortunately, 2000-litre storage tanks were transported in time to similar districts in June to equip 38 households of our scholarship children for rainwater collection to help them during drought and water shortage. All these support components are funded by saigonchildren’s partner, Jadestone Energy.
Many parents on the list to receive water tanks shared their thoughts with delight, “The news of receiving a new water tank filled me with delight. I couldn’t sleep after waking up at 4 am, eagerly awaiting the morning’s event,” and ” My family and I would like to thank saigonchildren and the sponsors for traveling the distant route to come here and provide us with this equipment.”
For many years, accompanying children in the Mekong Delta region, understanding the unique climate challenges here, saigonchildren and our partners have always sought solutions not only to address immediate needs but also to provide long-term sustainable solutions. We hope that this project has timely alleviated the pressure of drinking water scarcity, and will help the children and their families remain resilient in coping with and overcoming this year’s and future years’ unpredictable weather crises .