Vietnamese in Australia pledge US$378,000 to refugees
The Vietnamese community in Australia has pledged to provide AUD500,000 (US$378,000) for the local arm of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to support refugees.
The announcement was made at a recent ceremony in Sydney where a cheque of AUD250,000 was presented to UNHCR National Director Naomi Steer.
The money was donated by more than 800 people who attended a Vietnamese community fundraising dinner in Sydney.
The remainder was pledged by Vietnamese communities in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide.
Speaking at the event, Steer said that the refugee crisis has forced more than 65 million people to flee their homes due to conflict and violence with children accounting for nearly a half of that number.
The UN's humanitarian agencies are struggling to meet the basic needs of millions of people, she added.
