This week, our Ride for Rights team have been cycling across Vietnam and Cambodia, empowering women and girls with each pedal. While in Vietnam, they witnessed first-hand the life-changing work made possible by your support.
The team visited Vietnam’s Dong Thap province, where UN Women have partnered with the Vietnamese Women’s Union and the Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention to strengthen women’s capacity in disaster risk reduction to cope with climate change.
Climate change has wreaked havoc across Vietnam, increasing the risk of natural disasters. The largely agriculturally-dependent Dong Thap province is one of the worst affected areas, with floods, landslides and storms destroying rice crops and preventing many women from being able to feed themselves or their families.
Women are among the most adversely affected by climate change and are more likely to be killed during natural disasters, yet they are typically left out of decision-making processes in their communities, seen as victims rather than agents for change.
The Dong Thap Disaster Risk Reduction project works to ensure women play a central part in preparing for, reducing, and responding to natural disasters, advocating to increase women’s representation on local committees and enhance women’s participation in disaster management across Vietnam.
The Ride for Rights team met with women who are being empowered to take an active role in mitigating the devastating effects of climate change within their communities. These women are learning how to build sustainable livelihoods by making and marketing hyacinth reed baskets, and introducing climate-friendly crops to their communities.
After a successful pilot, UN Women are planning to roll out activities in two other provinces as well as continue to run the existing workshops.
The Dong Thap Disaster Risk Reduction project is just one of the transformative UN Women projects the 2016 Ride for Rights team is visiting as they cycle across Vietnam and Cambodia.
Want to see the work of UN Women first-hand? A second Ride for Rights adventure is now being planned for Northern Vietnam in March 2017. Register now for the adventure of a lifetime.
