Resilience and hope for persons with disabilities in Viet Nam's coastal communities

Mrs. Pham Thi Lien has lived in Tan Loc village, Quang Tan commune, Ba Don town, Quang Binh province, for most of her life. When we arrived, she was hoeing the garden in front of her house with only one arm. She lost her other arm when she was eight years old.

"At that time, I went to my grandmother's house to play, was crouching around the haystack, suddenly a bomb came, and I lost consciousness. I did not know what had happened. When I woke up, I felt pain all over my body, and my arm was gone."

Sitting in the courtyard between the new and old houses, she said “I still remember the horrifying memories of constant natural disasters that struck here. The storms that swept in the middle of the night, the white rains, or the floods engulfed the shacks of this poor countryside.”

"The old house was built in 2012. At that time, I was supported by the commune for 8 million Dong. I tried to borrow more and temporarily built it to live in. I called it a house, but it had only four walls and a roof, but no pillars," she said.

"Sometimes when it rained and windy, sitting in the house, I was afraid that it would collapse. There was no one in the house and I was alone. So when there was a storm, I was very worried."

The disasters that swept through her village made her life even more challenging.

"I could not forget the historic flood in 1996. I remember it was raining heavily then, and the wind was terrible. I was sitting in the house, and the house kept shaking. The water rose very quickly into the house, and soon, in the night, it rose to near the roof. My son and I could only climb on the roof to call for help. I could only cry and pray to God not to drag us along the flood. Fortunately, the soldiers arrived in a canoe and took us to the safe area,” she recalled and two lines of tears rolled down her face.

In 2016, another flood came, and the water reached up to half of her house. Luckily, the water flow was not fast, and her home was not swept away. For several decades, her life was like this, year after year. She couldn't repair it or even dream of building a safe house against floods and storms. Whenever she heard there was a big storm, she left her home to live in a neighbor's house.

The desire to build a resilient home was far from reality for Mrs. Lien and her son until early 2019 when she was supported by a Green Climate Fund (GCF) – UNDP and the Government of Viet Nam project entitled "Improving resilience of vulnerable coastal communities to climate change in Viet Nam." Her life has been transformed.

"Now, the storm is no longer as scary as it was in the past. The new house is safer and more secure. The walls are solid, not rickety like the old house, and the roof is made of corrugated iron, so I do not worry about rain and flood anymore. Whenever there is a flood, we can move to the mezzanine for safety without having to stay at the neighbor's house," she said and smiled.

The project's impact extends far beyond Mrs. Lien's own experience. As of 2022, the project has supported building more than 4,000 resilient homes for vulnerable poor people in the central coast region of Viet Nam. The project has provided a lifeline for many people like Mrs. Lien, who have faced unimaginable hardships.

Through the support of the project, the poor, near-poor households and the person with disabilities have been able to increase their resilience to disasters, making them more prepared for the unpredictable weather patterns that have plagued the region for decades.

As she said, "Having a new resilient house, we can stay safe," the project has provided a sense of security and stability that was once just a dream for her and her family.

"At UNDP, we believe no one should be left behind in the face of natural disasters and fast changing climate. These houses are not only shelters from storms and floods but also symbols of hope and resilience, showing that together we can build a safer, more sustainable future for all," said Mr. Patrick Haverman, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Viet Nam.