Thanks to your support we were able to quickly provide direct assistance to our scholarship students, their families, and communities who were most affected by the storms and floors in Central Vietnam. Photos shared are taken by our students and teachers of their communities.
Storms Noul, Linfa, and Nangka in 2020 brought severe floods and hardships onto hundreds of thousands of Central Vietnamese families, including the disadvantaged students in our scholarship program in Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Hue, and Nghe An provinces. Rice fields and crops were damaged and animals went missing, resulting in a loss of livelihoods for already vulnerable communities. Schools were covered in water, halting students’ education. People’s lives are at a standstill as they struggle to rebuild their lives. Our children face higher risks of dropping out of school to help their families.
Together, we helped lift each other up through the toughest of days.
Updates from the Field on Delivering Support to Families in Need
1. Our first shipment of support has reached Quang Tri. Life jackets and flashlights will help locals navigate the floods in their neighborhood. We will continue to provide updates from our students on the ground. Thank you so much for joining us in our fundraising campaign to support flood survivors in Central Vietnam.
2. The generators have reached Hai Tan and Hai Que in Quang Tri province to bring some light to people here after a week in the dark. The second shipment of life jackets and lifeboats are on the way to the most flooded areas. Our deepest thanks to all of our donors during the last few days. Your timely generosity brings strength to the locals here to overcome yet another hardship in 2020.
Stories and Photos from our Scholarship Students about the Effects of the 2020 Floods in Central Vietnam on their Homes and Communities
“We were all fast asleep when the water started seeping in in the middle of the night. My mom woke up startled when she felt her back getting wet. She woke everyone up to help her move everything away from the water and find shelter from the flooding. The heavy rainfall and strong gusts of wind are very dangerous. My dad shed tears as the flood and storm tore into the garden and rubber forest—all of the efforts my family put into maintaining them were now destroyed within a night with just one natural disaster. The flooding came in way too quickly; it left my family with nothing, just like everyone else in my community. I could only cry as I gazed at the flooded scene: only the roofs of each house could be seen. I felt so helpless.”
– Pacific Links Scholarship Student, Hue
“My family lives in Quang Tri Province. Right now the flood has overtaken my house and stables for our livestock. All of our chickens and ducks were swept away. The water keeps rising. For many days, we were surrounded by nothing but water. Doing any kind of activity was extremely difficult. My family frantically waded back and forth through the water to move all of our belongings to the roof. The hardest days were the first day of the flooding and today—the day the flood quickly returned and rose. I hope the flooding will pass quickly so our lives can return to normal and I can go back to school again.”
– Pacific Links Scholarship Student, Quang Tri
“My family had a sleepless night moving all of our belongings when the third flood came. Although we were prepared, the flood came too quickly for us to react. The power has been cut for the last few days, and we have to use our drinking water sparingly. I can only shower every other day. I hope this kind of flooding will only happen once; it would be too miserable to suffer such a flood every year. I hope the flood will be over soon so that everything can get back to normal.”
– Pacific Links Scholarship Student
“I live in Quang Tri Province. Our family raises pigs, chickens and ducks. After the storm, nearly all of them died. We had 15 packages of rice that were damaged. The water covered two-thirds of our house. My family was evacuated. My house was flooded for a week already, then another flood suddenly came in the middle of the night. I was sleeping when my parents woke me up. Everyone was so worried and exhausted, but we still had to move our things quickly. It’s hard to forget a moment like this, during this long-lasting flooding. I hope no one will be injured in this historic flood of 2020.”
– Pacific Links Scholarship Student, Quang Tri
“I live in Hue. When the storm and floods came, more than half of our rubber trees were broken and we only had a few flowers left in our garden. The Melaleuca plant seeds we had incubated can no longer be grown. At night, my family would have to wake up every couple hours to get away from the rising water. The flood would unpredictably rise 2.4 meters (7.87 feet) and subside, so we constantly had to move our belongings. This made us really tired and unable to rest. We have been eating instant noodles for the past 2 weeks and probably will for the next couple of days too!”
– Pacific Links Scholarship Student, Hue
“I live in Thua Thien-Hue Province. My whole family depends mainly on my mom selling vegetables to make a living. However, the flooding led to many acacia trees rotting and dying due to the waterlogging. The leaves and vegetables have washed away, leaving us with nothing to sell. The water has been rising in my house, so we’ve had to bring our electronic appliances and clothes up to the higher floor. The flood water finally emptied out of my house after 4 days. It’s raining again today, and the water is rising again. We have nothing left anymore.”
– Pacific Links Scholarship Student, Hue
