'Rice ATM' machines benefit 41,000 needy people in Ho Chi Minh City

ABO/NDO – Rice dispensing machines, commonly known as 'rice ATMs', have provided more than 151 tonnes of free rice, benefiting around 41,000 needy people in Ho Chi Minh City as of August 5.

The machines are being operated under a programme co-hosted by the Vietnam Youth Federation Central Committee, AXYS Group, and Adam Store Co., Ltd with the aim to support households living in difficulties in Ho Chi Minh City amidst the complicated developments of COVID-19 there.

A woman collects rice from the ‘rice ATM’ machine in Ho Chi Minh City.

To date, the programme has received approximately 240 tonnes of rice and over VND1.2 billion in cash from benefactors across the country.

Each ‘rice ATM’ machine is integrated with facial recognition technology that can achieve accuracy scores as high as 99%. It can even identify people when they are wearing a face mask.

A machine can operate 8-10 hours a day and can distribute rice to 500 to 700 people, equivalent to about 1.5 to 2 tonnes of rice.

All information, including the total amount of donated rice and delivered rice, donated money, and the number of people to have received support, are made public on the programme's official website at https://www.atmgao.com. People can also make their donations to the programme via the website.

In the coming time, the programme will expand to target needy households and workers who lost their jobs because of the coronavirus outbreak in Ho Chi Minh City.

(Source: NDO)