In a year marked by extreme drought in Vietnam, Thi Phieu and her son, Van Vuong, 8, are thrilled to receive a large barrel for storing water in their home.  

The family’s barrel "helps us contain well water, and now I can wash hands and clean the vegetables,” says Van Vuong.

Vietnam’s usually wet and fertile Mekong Delta has been hit by the worst drought in 90 years, turning the nation’s lush “rice bowl” into a dessicated desert.

When rains finally come, the trouble won’t be over. Without the usual flow of water through the delta, salt water is intruding in farm fields, tainting the land so that it won’t support crops.

Across the world, El Nino has hit poor and vulnerable communities the hardest. From Malawi to Honduras it has left people hungry, thirsty and sick - especially children. 

In Vietnam, prolonged drought and saline intrusion across much of the country has led to serious groundwater depletion in some districts. Over 400,000 hectares of crops have been lost and two million people don't have access to water.

Photo©2016 World Vision