A rice ATM was present in Nha Trang City on April 16, after Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hue, etc. The program is jointly held by Nha Trang City Red Cross and Khanh Hoa Ex-student Group...
A rice ATM was present in Nha Trang City on April 16, after Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hue, etc. The program is jointly held by Nha Trang City Red Cross and Khanh Hoa Ex-student Group.
At nearly 7a.m, many poor people and those earning a living from cash-in-hand jobs were waiting in line at the Nha Trang City Red Cross. They were required to stand 2m apart from each other, wear face masks and use hand sanitizer before receiving rice.
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The automatic rice dispensing machine began to operate at 7.30 am, providing rice for needy people waiting in lines. 71-year-old Pham Thi Manh, Hon Ro, Phuoc Dong was moved saying, “I have 3 grandchildren to feed. The eldest is 14 years old and the youngest is 5. I am out of work due to the pandemic. I am so happy to receive the rice for free."
65-year-old Nguyen Thi Hao in Vinh Ngoc Commune says there are 9 people in her family, all depending on the income of her husband and their eldest child. Her husband's lost his job in the pandemic. They are so grateful for the rice and instant noodles offered by the local authority. The automatic machine dispenses 2kg of rice to each person. With this bag of rice together with the food offered by the locality, they can have enough for 1 day with 2 meals.
Helping with the rice distribution, Teacher Pham Huu Thanh, Vo Van Ky Junior High School, Nha Trang City, a member of Khanh Hoa Ex-student Group says the effective operation of rice ATMs in some cities and provinces has motivated the group to cooperate with Nha Trang City Red Cross to create a similar machine to provide rice to help poor people temporarily laid off from work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After 2 days of research, production and trial operation, the rice ATM has come into being. Its operation is quite simple. When a button is pressed, 2kg of rice comes out through a small silo. The machine has two silos to help decrease waiting time.
Dr. Le Quoc Thinh, Chairman of Nha Trang City Red Cross says, "When receiving the suggestion from Khanh Hoa Ex-student Group on the operation of a rice ATM in the city, Nha Trang City Red Cross has applauded to launch the program at once. However, on the first day of the rice distribution, there were too many people at the site, causing traffic disruption. Therefore, the rice distribution was paused after 2 hours of operation with about 2 tons of rice already delivered. We decided to choose another convenient place for the rice distribution. Approved by Nha Trang City People’s Committee, the rice ATM will be moved to Phuoc Tien Primary School (10 Le Thanh Ton Street, Nha Trang City) and the rice distribution will continue again from April 18 to April 30, from 8am to 11am, 2pm to 4:30pm with 1,000 bags of rice expected to be offered a day.
The program has mobilized approximately 30 tons of rice from individuals, organizations and agencies. Environmentally-friendly biodegradable and paper bags are used to contain rice. Reportedly, Saphira Company, Nha Trang City will donate 1,000 medical face masks and 40 plastic face shield hats to be worn during the rice distribution.
C.Dan
Translated by N.T
