NDO/VNA – Nearly 1,500 Tet gifts were presented to children orphaned by the COVID-19 pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City, and the southern provinces of Dong Nai and Binh Duong from January 16-18 under a programme launched by the Hope Foundation.

Nguyen Xuan Tu, Managing Director of the Hope Foundation, said the fourth COVID-19 wave have left thousands of children under 18 years old orphaned, with many losing both their parents. Some lost their mothers at birth.

Ho Chi Minh City, the epicenter of the fourth coronavirus wave, reported more than 1,400 children losing parents to COVID-19.

The programme is carried out with the hope of bringing a warm Tet (Lunar New Year) festival to the children, she added.

Around 1,100 packages were delivered to children in different districts of Ho Chi Minh City, and nearly 400 others were given out in neighbouring Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces.

Each package consists of 1 million VND (44 USD) in cash, a schoolbag and food items.

Since its inception five years ago, the foundation run by VnExpress e-newspaper and FPT Group has given out more than 5,000 gifts worth over 5 billion VND to needy children and poor, disabled and vulnerable people.