New Zealand Helps Improve Livelihood for Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam Province

The ethnic minority communities in Huong Hoa, a mountainous district of central province of Quang Tri will benefit from a livelihood development project worth $2.2 million mainly donated by New Zealand Ministry for Foreign and Trade (MFAT) and implemented by World Vision in partnership with the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV) for five years between June 2015 and May 2020. The launching workshop of the project “Ethnic Minority Economic Empowerment (EMEE) in Huong Hoa district” is co-organized by World Vision, SNV and Huong Hoa District People’s Committee on June 23rd in Khe Sanh town, Huong Hoa district. The project aims at reducing the economic vulnerability for 1,200 poor ethnic minority households in six of the poorest communes in Huong Hoa district with mostly Van Kieu people, including Huong Tan, Huong Phung, Huong Linh, Huong Son, Huong Viet and Huong Lap, where World Vision has implemented an Area Development Program since 2008. It also supports the target households so that 20% of households of Producer Groups will increase their income from EMEE products’ value chains. To realise the above target, the project will establish 50 producer groups in the six communes to implement Accumulating Savings and Credit Associations (ASCA) model and Local Value Chain Development (LVCD) approach. In addition, member of the groups will be received training on sustainable farming techniques and financial management. The project will strengthen relationships between private sectors and businesses to create products meeting market demands. Through the workshop, the Project Management Board wishes to establish possible partnership with various stakeholders at district and province level and discuss suitable project management and cooperation mechanism so that the activities of the project can be carried out most efficiently and effectively. Huong Hoa is one of the two poorest mountainous districts of Quang Tri province with the poverty rate of nearly 19% (reported in 2014). Ethnic minorities in the district often suffer from poverty and lack economic opportunities due to limited crop diversification, poor market access, and low financial knowledge. The project is among the latest efforts in cooperating with local government and partners to address the above issues. Indeed, this project also responds the Decree No. 06/2012/NQ-HDND by the Quang Tri provincial People’s Council on sustainable poverty reduction strategies for very poor and remote ethnic villages as well as the calling upon the Quang Tri provincial People’s Committee to promote investment attraction of international non-governmental organizations. (Dangcongsan.vn June 24)