United States Sponsors Avian Influenza Workshops for Farmers

Hanoi July 27, 2007

Farmers are learning about the dangers of avian influenza (AI), then staging skits and songs about combating the disease in villages and communes as part of a U.S.-funded effort to stem the spread of the virus, which has struck 19 provinces since May 1.

The project trains commune-level Avian Influenza Steering Committees to detect and report AI in poultry and humans and to spread the word about the dangers of AI. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is sponsoring the program, which is being implemented by Abt Associates and CARE International.

Eighty shows have been staged in northern Hung Yen province. Performances will begin in southern Can Tho province this fall. A launch workshop was held in Can Tho earlier this month to introduce local agencies and authorities to the project and to recruit volunteers to improve the AI surveillance network.

“This project encourages farmers to educate their peers by staging entertaining and informative shows. It gets them involved in the prevention process,” said Vo Ngan Giang, interim project director of Abt Associates. “While they aren’t trained actors, they are enthusiastic participants, and we have seen large turnouts for all of the performances.”