From October 26th to 28th, Oxfam and partners organized a training workshop on "Participatory Capacity, Vulnerability Assessment (PCVA) in the context of natural disasters and climate change". The workshop aims to increase community participation in the prevention and management of natural disaster risks and climate change. Participants are key members of the provincial, district Commanding Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control & Search and Rescue, and core staff of the Technical Support groups on community natural disaster risk management, including representatives of the People's Committee, the Women’s Association, Red Cross, and Farmers' Association in the 3 communes of the project’s area.

At the workshop, participants were acquainted with legal documents on natural disaster prevention and management, climate change, and how to use the mobile application for natural disaster prevention. They also participated in group discussions and sketched disaster maps and priority rankings, drafted assessment of the community's disaster prevention capacity and proposed appropriate response solutions. Topics such as gender equality, people with disabilities, and social inclusion were also included, ensuring the active participation of the government, citizens, and vulnerable groups.

phòng chống thiên tai

Participants were discussing in group at the ”Participatory Capacity, Vulnerability Assessment (PCVA) in the context of natural disasters and climate change” training workshop.

According to the head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Soc Trang, the main livelihoods of riverine and coastal communities depend on agricultural and aquacultural production. However, these livelihoods consistently contend with negative impacts of climate change, leading to increasing instability and vulnerability among the local population in the face of climate change. Effective disaster risk management must rely on the community. This will lead to a transformation from a “vulnerable community” to a “capable community, working together to prevent, manage and recover” by proactively optimizing available resources.

The workshop was organized by Oxfam in collaboration with the Commanding Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control & Search and Rescue and the Sub-Department of Water Resources in Soc Trang province. It is part of the "Strengthening Climate Resilience in the Lower Mekong" (SCR) project implemented in Soc Trang province from July 2023 to June 2025. Its overarching goal is to reduce the vulnerability of riverine communities in the Mekong River basin in the face of natural disaster risks, hydrometeorological hazards,and climate-related risks. 

The project is funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), implemented in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. In Vietnam, the project is jointly implemented by Oxfam, Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development),  Sub-Department of Water Resources (Department of Agriculture and Rural Development), and Soc Trang Provincial Farmers' Association.