News:
New Zealand Ambassador to Viet Nam, H.E. Wendy Matthews, travelled to Cao Bang province from 24 to 26 September to visit communities involved in the New Zealand-funded project “Building Strong and Resilient Communities in Rural Cao Bang (Viet Nam).”
The NZD1.7 million project was implemented by ChildFund Vietnam and the People’s Committee of Tra Linh District from July 2014 to June 2019. The project boosted local families’ income from agricultural production, improved their access to credit, provided vocational training, and built their capacity to manage natural disaster risks. By its conclusion, the project had supported 1,700 local families of H’Mong, Tay, and Nung-Dao ethnic groups in the district’s six poorest communes (Cao Chuong, Luu Ngoc, Quang Han, Quang Vinh, Quoc Toan, and Xuan Noi).
As part of her first visit to Cao Bang, Ambassador Matthews visited the project’s model cow and goat farms, passion fruit farms, maize post-harvest storage, and irrigation systems, some of the key examples of the project’s positive and sustainable impact.
“I am pleased to see this project’s tangible outcomes for the ethnic minority families of the Tra Linh District. Our support was very practical, with a range of activities implemented to improve agricultural production, lift families’ income and improve their disaster resilience. Altogether 1,700 ethnic minority families in Tra Linh District benefited from this New Zealand Embassy- ChildFund project” Ambassador Matthews said.
11 irrigation systems have been built and people have increased access to new livestock through the cow bank scheme. Project participants have received capacity building training in cultivation and animal husbandry. As a result, 60% of households report increased their income compared to 2014. In addition, 400 women and young people have access to micro-credit and 180 young people received vocational training for the first time. Each of the six communes has developed practical disaster preparedness plans.
Ambassador Wendy Matthews also shared her thoughts on the sustainability level of the project: “One of the most important achievements of this project was the establishment of greater linkages between farmers and the market, especially the contract with Nafoods that has introduced passion fruit to the province with very promising results.
Our investment in Cao Bang is an example of New Zealand’s commitment to supporting vulnerable communities across Vietnam to strengthen their ability to decide their own future, and to live to their full potential.”
Tra Linh District is characterised by high poverty rate, geographic isolation, lack of access to economic opportunities, and limited arable land. The district is also susceptible to natural disasters. The district is situated in the far north of Vietnam, and is home to many ethnic minorities. 40% of households in the district are classified as “poor” according to the government’s official criteria.
Ms Nguyen Thi Bich Lien, ChildFund Vietnam Country Director said “The 10 year partnership of ChildFund and Cao Bang authority has created positive changes to the lives of ethnic minority children and their families. We are thankful to the support from New Zealand government and people in the last and coming new projects. The coming new project once again confirms the commitment of our continuous support to reach more vulnerable communities in Cao Bang in order to enable the children’s future in which they can develop further.”
For more information, please contact:
Ms Nguyen Thi Kieu Trang
Communications Manager
ChildFund Vietnam
Tel: 024 3944 6449 Ext.: 115
trangnk@childfund.org.vn
Mr. Pham Viet Anh
Development Manager
(Agriculture and Partnerships Funding)
New Zealand Aid Programme
New Zealand Embassy, Ha Noi, Viet Nam
Tel: +84 4 3824 1481 (211)
Viet-anh.Pham@mft.net.nz
About the New Zealand Aid Programme
The purpose of the New Zealand’s Aid Programme is to develop shared prosperity and stability, drawing on the best of New Zealand’s knowledge and skills. We aim to reduce poverty and contribute to a more secure, equitable and prosperous world.
In Viet Nam, New Zealand provides support in the areas of agriculture; knowledge and skills; and disaster risk management. Total investment over 2015 – 2018 is NZD$26.6m.
About ChildFund Vietnam
ChildFund Vietnam is the representative office of ChildFund Australia – an independent and non‐religious international development organisation that works to reduce poverty for children in developing communities.
ChildFund began working in Vietnam in 1995 and works in partnership with children, their communities and local institutions to create lasting change, respond to humanitarian emergencies and promote children’s rights. Projects are implemented across the northern provinces of Bac Kan, Cao Bang and Hoa Binh, where the majority of people are from ethnic minority groups, often the most vulnerable or marginalised sections of the population.
With a focus on education, water and sanitation, sustainable livelihoods, child rights and child protection, food security, and maternal and child health, including HIV prevention, ChildFund Vietnam also prioritises building the resilience of young people, by giving children and youth the opportunity to take part in sports, vocational education and life skills training, and supporting their participation in local decision‐making processes.