The Australian Consulate General in HCM City recently awarded Direct Aid Programme (DAP) grants worth more than 3.3 billion VND (around US$144,500) to 11 projects for the 2016 - 2017 period.

Australian Consul General Karen Lanyon (4th, left) and DAP recipients at a ceremony to award aid grants in the 2016-17 period. — Photo courtesy of the Australian Consulate General in HCM City

The projects, based in the central and southern regions, span a range of sectors from community healthcare to small-scale infrastructure projects and water and sanitation.

The projects are based in HCM City, Da Nang and the provinces of An Giang, Vinh Long, Dong Thap, Hau Giang, Quang Nam, Ca Mau and Khanh Hoa.

A small aid programme funded by the Australian government, DAP aims to address humanitarian hardship through funding small-scale development projects.

The Australian Consulate General in HCM City administers DAP in provinces from Da Nang southward, while the Australian Embassy in Ha Noi administers DAP from Thua Thien-Hue Province northward.

Karen Lanyon, Australian Consul General, said “I’m so glad to see that our small-scale DAP grants are making such a difference in local communities throughout Viet Nam. This is what makes the Australian Government’s DAP programme so unique: its accessibility to local communities in need of a small amount of funding to make a big difference.”

(Source: VNS)