NGOs should get State development support

The State should create a fair environment and legal system to help associations and civil social organisations to develop.

This was a comment by the participants of the seminar on the legal environment for social organisations referring to the draft Law on Social Organisation which was co-held yesterday by the Việt Nam Union of Science and Technology Associations and the Non-Governmental Organisation Information Centre.

According to the statistics of the Ministry of Home Affairs, there are more than 500 associations and organisations at central-level, 4,000 ones at city and provincial level, and over 10,000 at district level.

Besides, about 1,200 international non-Government organisations have been operating in the country with the total assistance worth US$3 billion from 1991-2012.

Speaking at the seminar, Dr. Hoàng Ngọc Giao, director of Law and Policy Research Institute, said “the rapid increase in the number of civil organisations in Việt Nam meant bigger roles and effects of associations and civil organisations to society”.

The associations and civil organisations have attracted hundreds of thousands of employees, contributing to job creation, said Giao.

At present, the associations and civil organisations have been widely involved in all fields of society including monitoring activities of the State apparatus.

Notably, the civil organisations have been permitted to contribute their opinions to the Party and State’s policies.

“In short, associations and civil organisations’ contribution to the country’s development for the last years was appreciated by the State, society and international community”, Giao told the meeting.

Meanwhile, Dr. Hàn Mạnh Tiến, chairman of Business Managers’ Association, raised the concern about relations between the business community and civil organisations.

“Three major pillars in a good society are State, businesses and civil organisations”, Tiến said.

“In last years, only the relationship between the State and civil organisations was taken into consideration. So, the legal system was focusing on the ties”, he said.

But in fact, the relations between businesses and the organisations should be enhanced. It was because ten years ago, the civil organisations were given big funds from international NGOs.

However, in recent years, the funds have been dramatically reduced due to many reasons, including the economic crisis.

Luring businesses to granting funds to civil organisations should be considered a strategy of State.

But, presently, few businesses have given funds to the organisations because of a lack of information. Besides, businesses still doubt the financial transparency of the organisations, he said.

At the meeting, the participants agreed that to encourage civil organisations, the State should boost the right of setting up associations and civil organizations, considered a policy of ensuring and protecting human rights and citizenship.

Besides, the procedures of association establishment should be simplified, said Giao.

Under the draft Law on Social Organisation, it takes 105 days to get an operation licence. It is too long, he added.

Souce: VNS

Public participation in law making on the rise

Nguyen Si Dung, Vice-Chairman of the Office of the National Assembly acknowledged the contribution PARAFF made in enabling Vietnamese non-governmental organisations and the public at large to constructively engage in law – and policy development. — Photo thoibaotaichinhvietnam.vn

People around the country have paid more attention to their rights in engaging in law making and policy development as well as monitoring the process.

In the meantime, Vietnamese non-governmental organisations and policy-makers were offered chances to meet and develop a mutual understanding, and learn from each other via policy dialogues.
These are the results of a three-year programme called the Public Participation and Accountability Facilitation Fund (PARAFF), which wrapped up yesterday, backed by the Government of Denmark in accordance with the Viet Nam National Assembly's Office.

The programme was kicked off in 2012 while policy dialogue was still not so common for Vietnamese NGOs and policy makers, and people were not aware of their rights to participate and voice their opinion in the compilation of laws and policies.

It was estimated that 48 NGOs and people living in 30 provinces and cites contributed ideas in the compilation of 25 laws and policies for three years.

The laws can be named as law on civil code, law on population, law on environment protection, law on housing, and law on the organisation of local Government.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the programme, Nguyen Si Dung, Vice-Chairman of the Office of the National Assembly acknowledged the contribution PARAFF made in enabling Vietnamese non-governmental organisations and the public at large to constructively engage in law – and policy development.

And the NGOs played an important role in bringing the voice of the people to law – and policy-makers at all levels, he said.

Therefore, elected bodies had more arguments and information before deciding on the policies and oversight of the Government and People's Committees, he said.

Danish Ambassador Charlotte Laursen expressed her satisfaction with PARAFF achievements in enhancing the capacity and confidence of Vietnamese NGOs and citizens to actively contribute in the processes.

She hoped that the organisations benefited from the PARAFF support would share their experiences with other organisations and continue pursuing the process of "making voices heard".

Source: VNS

Civil Society in Vietnam

 Introduction

1. This paper presents an overview of civil society in Vietnam. It begins by defining civil society and what it means in the context of this country. It then presents an overview of the current state of play of the different elements of civil society organisations and the overarching legal framework in which they operate. It examines the engagement of donors with civil society. In conclusion, it sets out the need to develop a common shared approach and strategy for engagement with civil society in Vietnam.

Changing Context

2. The broad based political organisation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) combined with the tradition of a one party state until recently allowed for little space for growth of an independent civil society. The political discourse of the CPV was not supportive of organisational expression of collective identity and interest outside the framework of the Party. Though Vietnam in the past had a rich associational life civil society as understood in mainstream development practice has remained underdeveloped. Mass organisations have been the largest and most dominant of social groupings. They occupied the space that civil society organisations tend to occupy across other countries and political contexts.

3. However, since doi moi the political and economic context is rapidly changing characterised by opening up of the economy and a move towards global integration. This has led to the emergence of social groupings outside the party. Some have argued that since mid 1990s the institutional environment appears to be shifting from a total state domination of development activity to an acceptance of the contribution of other development actors. In other words, Vietnam can be described as characterised by a low but increasing tolerance of autonomous civil activity though civil society remains a politically sensitive issue.

4. There are two broad trends that one notices over the past decade. Firstly there has been the growth of development NGOs essentially different from the organisations that emerged as a product of the retrenchment process during the late 1980s. Secondly, there has been a mushrooming of associations – voluntary, non-profit, non-Governmental, community based, grassroots and cooperative. These associations fulfil a variety of roles ranging from organising activities, to income generation to disseminating knowledge. These new associational forms together with the mass organisations provide material assistance to the poor but do not engage in public debates about policy.

5. The current interplay between government and civil society groupings in terms of Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and NGOs, or "institutional environment", appears to be shifting from a total state domination of development activity, to an acceptance of the contribution that other players may bring. The Socio-Economic Development Strategy (2000-2010) and the draft Socio-Economic Development Plan (2006-2010) reflect this changing context and set out a challenging role for CSOs in Vietnam. Broadly, this covers three areas of action:

    1. Strengthening the decentralisations process through the Grassroots Democracy Decree i.e. enhancing accountability of governments at the provincial, district and commune level;
    2. Enhancing the participation of poor in the development planning, implementation and monitoring i.e. strengthening voice of the poor in policy making and implementation; and
    3. Supporting service delivery for poverty elimination with particular focus on HIV/AIDS and social safety nets i.e. improving access to the hard to reach.

6. It is worth noting that this shift has taken place gradually, with CSOs now emerging at the margins of development context. This has been helped by building of relationship of trust between government departments and specific INGOs. As evident from the SEDP there is now recognition from the highest levels that civil society organisations may have a more mainstream role to play in the development of the country and taking action against poverty. However, this role or range of roles has yet to be fully defined by government or by civil society itself. There is much potential for facilitating CSOs movement from the margins to the mainstream of development action and increasing their impact on the policy-making process.

Civil Society Spectrum in Vietnam

7. The term "civil society" is defined as "the broad range of organised groupings which occupy the public space between the state and the individual citizen" . The term civil society is used in development circles in Vietnam. However, its use is recent, and as a conceptual base for understanding interconnections between various civil society actors, there is much work to be done in developing a common, meaningful and locally relevant definition.

8. Civil society in Vietnam can be described as consisting of a range of organisations, which when organised along a spectrum consist of CBOs at one end of the spectrum and research based organisations and INGOs at the other end. There are several other elements that fall between these two ends such as mass organisations, cooperatives, social and charity funds and Local NGOs etc. Its important to note that in the context of Vietnam, the media and the private sector are not being considered as part of civil society at this point in time.

9. At the lower end of the civil society spectrum are the CBOs or organisations of the poor such as water user groups, savings and credit groups, farmers collective etc. Most activities undertaken by the CBOs are financially sustainable and their emergence is closely associated with donor/INGO development interventions.

10. Occupying the middle band of the civil society spectrum are cooperatives, mass organisations, social and charity funds and Local NGOs. It's worth examining each separately, as they play different roles and have potential to develop further. The new Cooperatives are largely emerging through endogenous processes. They provide the opportunity for a new generation of local leaders to seize economic opportunities by organising farmers to produce and market their goods collectively.

11. Mass organisations are redefining their role and position in the rapidly changing development context of Vietnam. Over the past decade they have proved to be effective in reaching services down to the communes. They are an important vehicle for improving access of services specifically across the poorest provinces but are not effective in promoting accountability of local government's. Mass organisations are largely funded by the Party though increasingly they are collaborating with INGOs to implement development programmes.

12. Charities are engaged in reaching services mainly to the urban poor. They are largely supported by domestic donations. In the future charities will continue to play a role in enhancing access to the hard to reach urban poor.

13. NGOs are the latest entrant and are developing their identity while progressively widening their remit, function and outreach. Financial resources, capacity and the legal framework remain a key constraint. In the long run they have an important role to play in enhancing accountability, voice and access.

14. At the higher end of the civil society spectrum INGOs occupy the space that NGOs tend to occupy in other developing countries in South Asia. They are largely engaged in implementing development programmes at the level of the commune/district and piloting innovative development interventions for poverty reduction. More recently there has been a trend amongst some of the more progressive INGOs to operate through LNGOs. This has allowed them to strengthen the LNGO capacity in implementing development programmes while increasing their outreach. Some have successfully engaged in the policy making process of the state while others have been engaging in issue based advocacy. In the long run, as capacities of local NGOs develop they will need to redefine their role vis a vis the emerging development context of Vietnam.

15. Research institutions operate within the framework of the government and ministries. They are not always an "independent voice" that tables' alternative analysis and contributes to evidence based policy making. In the future, they have a critical role to play.

16. The local CSOs in Vietnam tend to be densely concentrated along the Red River and Mekong delta of Vietnam. The few development oriented NGOs have now begun to spread their operations into some of the poorer provinces of the country. Most well off provinces have small savings and credit groups, water user associations, NGOs and INGOs. But their spread begins to thin pretty fast as one moves to the highlands.

17. Data suggests that there are roughly 140,000 CBOs, 3,000 cooperatives under the new law with most of them operating in the areas of agriculture, fisheries, construction, sanitation and health care. There are about 200 charities and 1000 Local NGOs that are registered. However, we need to bear in mind that over the past decade the number of CSOs is rapidly growing and these figures are rough indication of the density of CSOs in Vietnam.

Legal Framework for Civil Society: Fixing the Parts & Missing the Whole
18. The legal framework is constantly evolving to keep pace with the challenging role that the government has set for civil society. Individual decrees relating to different elements of civil society have been issued in the recent past. These decrees/laws provide the basis for the establishment of civil organisations that operate relatively independent of the state. However, these ad hoc regulations do not add up to a comprehensive and clear legal framework for the formation and operation of NGOs/CSOs. This is also an indication that the issue of "independent" civil society organisations remains political sensitive.

19. Broadly, there are five important decree/laws currently in existence, which govern different elements of civil society organisations in Vietnam. The laws and decrees show clarity of purpose for cooperatives, CBOs and charities. The Grassroots Democracy Decree 79 (2003) institutionalises the participation of local communities/CBOs/organisations of the poor in development activities at the level of the commune. This is seen as an important step in the development of civil society in Vietnam. The law on Cooperatives recognises cooperatives as voluntary organisations functioning as independent economic entities. The law on Science and Technology recognises professional associations as independent service organisations with the only option available to most development NGOs. The decree 177 recognises charity and social funds. Lastly, the law on Associations is currently under revision by the NGO Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is hoped that the law, which is in its 10th draft, will define the concept of NGOs along with their role, function and management arrangements. The only option currently available to development NGOs is to be registered under the law on science and technology. This requires them to justify and link their existence and operation to science and technology.

20. The analysis of these decrees confirms that the Government is keen to set out roles and responsibilities for the new forms of associational life that emerge.

Donors Engagement with Civil Society

21. Donors in Vietnam do not have an explicit approach or strategy for engaging with civil society organisations. For most bilateral organisations the small grant scheme provides the organising framework for engagement with civil society organisations. Some multilaterals particularly the UNDP and ADB also have similar schemes. Support under these schemes is not positioned to be strategic in nature. They generally support small ad hoc projects ranging from income generation to training, service delivery, awareness generation programmes to human rights and democracy promotion.

22. There are many donor-funded initiatives to support research capacity in a wide range of policy-related fields. Analysis suggests that support is limited to three or four research organisations, some of the regional universities and ministry based research bodies. Most of this support is for Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences and its different institutes such as Institute of Economics, Institute of Sociology and Centre for Analysis and Forecast. Central Institute of Economic Management and the Vietnam National University along with Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Association are some of the other research bodies that are currently being supported.

23. Support to research organisations is largely focussed on building capacity of Vietnamese researchers. The link between research and policy related analysis is not always explicit across these projects. Donors also support new areas of research such as WTO with specific thematic focus such as gender. Most of this support remains ad hoc with little attempt at rationalising engagement and offering comprehensive funding for capacity building.

Conclusions

24. The embryonic stage of civil society in Vietnam and the continued political concerns and sensitivities around its development makes the task of strengthening this sector a challenge. Engagement in this sector will require the donor community and the government to develop a common shared approach and strategy to support civil society to move from the margins into the mainstream of development practice and debate. With Vietnam currently engaged in developing its five-year plan and with its rapid integration into the world economy, the time may just be right for the donor community to start this process in close consultation with the government.

Source: Global Policy Forum

Community change leaders in Vietnam listen, inspire and nurture

When people who migrate from poor, rural Vietnamese villages to large cities require public services such as education or health care, few know they must first secure a local residency card. Until they obtain this document, they will need cash and/or a lot of patience to stand in long lines to obtain services, says Dana Doan, founder and strategic advisor at LIN Center for Community Development in Ho Chi Minh City. She says LIN strives to exemplify the words that compose its acronym: Listen, Inspire and Nurture.



Knowing how to maneuver Vietnam's multi-layered system to access basic public services is frustrating even for those who have means. For those who are poor and without the required residency status, it can seem impossible, she said.

"There is a housekeeper who moved to the city when she was just 7, encouraged by her family to find work and to send her earnings back home. She is now nearly 50 years old and missed an opportunity to attend school because she had to work. She also didn't know much about the system for accessing public services and never applied for the paperwork that would make her eligible to receive those services," Doan said. "People like this woman work hard but still struggle to get out of the poverty trap.”

Instead of simply shaking her head in disbelief at situations like these, Doan was motivated in 2007 to establish LIN, which was legally registered in 2009 to operate in the country's largest city and its surrounding areas. Doan reasoned that LIN could support nonprofits and philanthropists to better address local needs, such as providing vital information to migrants in need of basic public services. To achieve its goal, LIN set out to build the capacity of local nonprofits through small grants, technical assistance, peer exchanges and networking events.

Among other things, LIN:

• administers Narrow the Gap Community Fund, which collects and distributes local resources to address the most pressing needs in the greater Ho Chi Minh City region,
• provides sponsorship of Vietnam Causes, a website that offers nonprofits a no-cost central electronic site to post their website addresses, focus areas, current needs, events calendars, etc.,
• runs a program that matches volunteers with nonprofits in need of specific skills, which is now supported by BlueBees, a website connecting skilled professionals to volunteer opportunities that can be completed online;
• offers support services, including one-on-one pro bono consultations for individuals and businesses interested in strategic philanthropy.

"Vietnam has many people who are smart, generous and desiring to do something good. We can help them do good by giving well, by teaching them how to give strategically," Doan said. However, she said, those associated with LIN — staff, board members, volunteers, interns, and pro bono professionals serving the organizations in specialty fields such as accounting and law — value the collective knowledge that already exists within the community. Consequently, she says, LIN works alongside many local partners.

LIN’s ability to engage thoughtfully and productively with local groups inspired staff at the South Africa-based Global Fund for Community Foundations (GFCF). A Mott grantee, GFCF has given three grants totaling $44,900 to strengthen LIN internally, help develop local philanthropy, and create LIN’s own grantmaking program. To date, LIN has made grants to many of its nearly 150 nonprofit partners for projects ranging from micro-credit training for poor women, to social interaction for sick children living at home or in the hospital, to environmental activities at a university campus.

The GFCF has partnered with LIN since the latter’s earliest days, making LIN one of GFCF’s first grants in Asia and its only partner in Vietnam to date. Both the GFCF and LIN have learned from each other, said Jenny Hodgson, GFCF’s executive director. In addition to being a grantee, LIN is a key member of the GFCF’s network, she said, and serves as a network leader in its creative use of social media to engage with residents and funders.

For example, in August 2014 LIN created a Facebook page campaign to secure 500 photographs of local residents raising their hands for education. In an effort to support LIN’s work, Kinh Do Corporation, Vietnam’s largest confectionary company, pledged the equivalent of $2.50 for each of the first 500 pictures posted to further LIN’s work. The money was raised quickly after more than 800 people posted photos online within 10 days — a testament to LIN, its network members, and the power of social media to raise awareness and funds.

“LIN innovates, tests, documents and adapts its programs — always learning,” Hodgson said. “Through its efforts both to strengthen local civil society groups and to encourage ordinary Vietnamese to learn about, get involved with, and support often complex issues on their doorstep, LIN plays an essential role in building trust and social capital in Ho Chi Minh City.”

While LIN welcomed GFCF's initial funding in 2008, especially because it was the organization's first grant from an international funder and provided a confidence boost, it also valued the opportunities to connect with GFCF's other grassroots funders worldwide, Doan said. Those international connections helped LIN realize it wasn't the only philanthropic organization working within a difficult legal context, she said. So, in addition to gaining financial support early on from the Vietnam-based Horizon Capital Group, LIN pressed on and secured additional funders. These included individuals and other corporations operating in Vietnam, plus non-Vietnam based nonprofit foundations such as Give2Asia, Global Giving and Irish Aid.

According to Doan, with more money coming in the door, funds can be directed to projects that do more than just provide short-term fixes to improve health, education and economic conditions for local residents.

"We want to tackle the root causes of problems facing our community by being thoughtful and more strategic, not simply charitable," Doan said. "We've helped a lot of organizations get stronger and more sustainable, but many, many others are not sure where the money is coming from to keep them going. So our work is not done."

Source: http://www.mott.org/news/news/2015/20150513-LIN-Community-Foundation

http://www.mott.org/news/news/2015/20150513-LIN-Community-FoundationWhen people who migrate from poor, rural Vietnamese villages to large cities require public services such as education or health care, few know they must first secure a local residency card. Until they obtain this document, they will need cash and/or a lot of patience to stand in long lines to obtain services, says Dana Doan, founder and strategic advisor at LIN Center for Community Development in Ho Chi Minh City. She says LIN strives to exemplify the words that compose its acronym: Listen, Inspire and Nurture.

Dana Doan (right), executive director of the LIN Center for Community Development. Photo courtesy of the LIN Center for Community Development

Knowing how to maneuver Vietnam's multi-layered system to access basic public services is frustrating even for those who have means. For those who are poor and without the required residency status, it can seem impossible, she said.
"There is a housekeeper who moved to the city when she was just 7, encouraged by her family to find work and to send her earnings back home. She is now nearly 50 years old and missed an opportunity to attend school because she had to work. She also didn't know much about the system for accessing public services and never applied for the paperwork that would make her eligible to receive those services," Doan said. "People like this woman work hard but still struggle to get out of the poverty trap.”
Instead of simply shaking her head in disbelief at situations like these, Doan was motivated in 2007 to establish LIN, which was legally registered in 2009 to operate in the country's largest city and its surrounding areas. Doan reasoned that LIN could support nonprofits and philanthropists to better address local needs, such as providing vital information to migrants in need of basic public services. To achieve its goal, LIN set out to build the capacity of local nonprofits through small grants, technical assistance, peer exchanges and networking events.
Among other things, LIN: 

• administers Narrow the Gap Community Fund, which collects and distributes local resources to address the most pressing needs in the greater Ho Chi Minh City region,
• provides sponsorship of Vietnam Causes, a website that offers nonprofits a no-cost central electronic site to post their website addresses, focus areas, current needs, events calendars, etc.,
• runs a program that matches volunteers with nonprofits in need of specific skills, which is now supported by BlueBees, a website connecting skilled professionals to volunteer opportunities that can be completed online;
• offers support services, including one-on-one pro bono consultations for individuals and businesses interested in strategic philanthropy.

"Vietnam has many people who are smart, generous and desiring to do something good. We can help them do good by giving well, by teaching them how to give strategically," Doan said. However, she said, those associated with LIN — staff, board members, volunteers, interns, and pro bono professionals serving the organizations in specialty fields such as accounting and law — value the collective knowledge that already exists within the community. Consequently, she says, LIN works alongside many local partners.

The “Raise Your Hand For Education” social media campaign raised awareness and funds for LIN. Photo courtesy of the LIN Center for Community Development

LIN’s ability to engage thoughtfully and productively with local groups inspired staff at the South Africa-based Global Fund for Community Foundations (GFCF). A Mott grantee, GFCF has given three grants totaling $44,900 to strengthen LIN internally, help develop local philanthropy, and create LIN’s own grantmaking program. To date, LIN has made grants to many of its nearly 150 nonprofit partners for projects ranging from micro-credit training for poor women, to social interaction for sick children living at home or in the hospital, to environmental activities at a university campus.
The GFCF has partnered with LIN since the latter’s earliest days, making LIN one of GFCF’s first grants in Asia and its only partner in Vietnam to date. Both the GFCF and LIN have learned from each other, said Jenny Hodgson, GFCF’s executive director. In addition to being a grantee, LIN is a key member of the GFCF’s network, she said, and serves as a network leader in its creative use of social media to engage with residents and funders.
For example, in August 2014 LIN created a Facebook page campaign to secure 500 photographs of local residents raising their hands for education. In an effort to support LIN’s work, Kinh Do Corporation, Vietnam’s largest confectionary company, pledged the equivalent of $2.50 for each of the first 500 pictures posted to further LIN’s work. The money was raised quickly after more than 800 people posted photos online within 10 days — a testament to LIN, its network members, and the power of social media to raise awareness and funds.
“LIN innovates, tests, documents and adapts its programs — always learning,” Hodgson said. “Through its efforts both to strengthen local civil society groups and to encourage ordinary Vietnamese to learn about, get involved with, and support often complex issues on their doorstep, LIN plays an essential role in building trust and social capital in Ho Chi Minh City.”
While LIN welcomed GFCF's initial funding in 2008, especially because it was the organization's first grant from an international funder and provided a confidence boost, it also valued the opportunities to connect with GFCF's other grassroots funders worldwide, Doan said. Those international connections helped LIN realize it wasn't the only philanthropic organization working within a difficult legal context, she said. So, in addition to gaining financial support early on from the Vietnam-based Horizon Capital Group, LIN pressed on and secured additional funders. These included individuals and other corporations operating in Vietnam, plus non-Vietnam based nonprofit foundations such as Give2Asia, Global Giving and Irish Aid.
According to Doan, with more money coming in the door, funds can be directed to projects that do more than just provide short-term fixes to improve health, education and economic conditions for local residents.
"We want to tackle the root causes of problems facing our community by being thoughtful and more strategic, not simply charitable," Doan said. "We've helped a lot of organizations get stronger and more sustainable, but many, many others are not sure where the money is coming from to keep them going. So our work is not done."

- See more at: http://www.mott.org/news/news/2015/20150513-LIN-Community-Foundation#sthash.Ap0azAXM.dpuf

When people who migrate from poor, rural Vietnamese villages to large cities require public services such as education or health care, few know they must first secure a local residency card. Until they obtain this document, they will need cash and/or a lot of patience to stand in long lines to obtain services, says Dana Doan, founder and strategic advisor at LIN Center for Community Development in Ho Chi Minh City. She says LIN strives to exemplify the words that compose its acronym: Listen, Inspire and Nurture.

Dana Doan (right), executive director of the LIN Center for Community Development. Photo courtesy of the LIN Center for Community Development

Knowing how to maneuver Vietnam's multi-layered system to access basic public services is frustrating even for those who have means. For those who are poor and without the required residency status, it can seem impossible, she said.
"There is a housekeeper who moved to the city when she was just 7, encouraged by her family to find work and to send her earnings back home. She is now nearly 50 years old and missed an opportunity to attend school because she had to work. She also didn't know much about the system for accessing public services and never applied for the paperwork that would make her eligible to receive those services," Doan said. "People like this woman work hard but still struggle to get out of the poverty trap.”
Instead of simply shaking her head in disbelief at situations like these, Doan was motivated in 2007 to establish LIN, which was legally registered in 2009 to operate in the country's largest city and its surrounding areas. Doan reasoned that LIN could support nonprofits and philanthropists to better address local needs, such as providing vital information to migrants in need of basic public services. To achieve its goal, LIN set out to build the capacity of local nonprofits through small grants, technical assistance, peer exchanges and networking events.
Among other things, LIN: 

• administers Narrow the Gap Community Fund, which collects and distributes local resources to address the most pressing needs in the greater Ho Chi Minh City region,
• provides sponsorship of Vietnam Causes, a website that offers nonprofits a no-cost central electronic site to post their website addresses, focus areas, current needs, events calendars, etc.,
• runs a program that matches volunteers with nonprofits in need of specific skills, which is now supported by BlueBees, a website connecting skilled professionals to volunteer opportunities that can be completed online;
• offers support services, including one-on-one pro bono consultations for individuals and businesses interested in strategic philanthropy.

"Vietnam has many people who are smart, generous and desiring to do something good. We can help them do good by giving well, by teaching them how to give strategically," Doan said. However, she said, those associated with LIN — staff, board members, volunteers, interns, and pro bono professionals serving the organizations in specialty fields such as accounting and law — value the collective knowledge that already exists within the community. Consequently, she says, LIN works alongside many local partners.

The “Raise Your Hand For Education” social media campaign raised awareness and funds for LIN. Photo courtesy of the LIN Center for Community Development

LIN’s ability to engage thoughtfully and productively with local groups inspired staff at the South Africa-based Global Fund for Community Foundations (GFCF). A Mott grantee, GFCF has given three grants totaling $44,900 to strengthen LIN internally, help develop local philanthropy, and create LIN’s own grantmaking program. To date, LIN has made grants to many of its nearly 150 nonprofit partners for projects ranging from micro-credit training for poor women, to social interaction for sick children living at home or in the hospital, to environmental activities at a university campus.
The GFCF has partnered with LIN since the latter’s earliest days, making LIN one of GFCF’s first grants in Asia and its only partner in Vietnam to date. Both the GFCF and LIN have learned from each other, said Jenny Hodgson, GFCF’s executive director. In addition to being a grantee, LIN is a key member of the GFCF’s network, she said, and serves as a network leader in its creative use of social media to engage with residents and funders.
For example, in August 2014 LIN created a Facebook page campaign to secure 500 photographs of local residents raising their hands for education. In an effort to support LIN’s work, Kinh Do Corporation, Vietnam’s largest confectionary company, pledged the equivalent of $2.50 for each of the first 500 pictures posted to further LIN’s work. The money was raised quickly after more than 800 people posted photos online within 10 days — a testament to LIN, its network members, and the power of social media to raise awareness and funds.
“LIN innovates, tests, documents and adapts its programs — always learning,” Hodgson said. “Through its efforts both to strengthen local civil society groups and to encourage ordinary Vietnamese to learn about, get involved with, and support often complex issues on their doorstep, LIN plays an essential role in building trust and social capital in Ho Chi Minh City.”
While LIN welcomed GFCF's initial funding in 2008, especially because it was the organization's first grant from an international funder and provided a confidence boost, it also valued the opportunities to connect with GFCF's other grassroots funders worldwide, Doan said. Those international connections helped LIN realize it wasn't the only philanthropic organization working within a difficult legal context, she said. So, in addition to gaining financial support early on from the Vietnam-based Horizon Capital Group, LIN pressed on and secured additional funders. These included individuals and other corporations operating in Vietnam, plus non-Vietnam based nonprofit foundations such as Give2Asia, Global Giving and Irish Aid.
According to Doan, with more money coming in the door, funds can be directed to projects that do more than just provide short-term fixes to improve health, education and economic conditions for local residents.
"We want to tackle the root causes of problems facing our community by being thoughtful and more strategic, not simply charitable," Doan said. "We've helped a lot of organizations get stronger and more sustainable, but many, many others are not sure where the money is coming from to keep them going. So our work is not done."

- See more at: http://www.mott.org/news/news/2015/20150513-LIN-Community-Foundation#sthash.Ap0azAXM.dpuf

NGO role in climate change fight strengthened

Nearly 100 civil organisations and 20 poor communities in 23 cities and provinces will benefit from a project strengthening the role of Vietnamese non-governmental organisations in climate change communications and policy advocacy.

Vu Thi Bich Hop, director of the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD) and head of the Network of Vietnamese Non-Governmental Organisations and Climate Change (VNGO & CC), announced the project at a workshop in Ha Noi on Tuesday.

Conducted by the SRD, the Centres for Marine Life Conservation and Community Development, Community Health Research and Development, Rural Development in Central Viet Nam and the Research Institute for Climate Change, the initiative will focus on the Mekong Delta, the Red River Delta and provinces vulnerable to climate change.

Viet Nam is one of five countries projected to suffer the most severe effects of climate change, according to the United Nations.

"With a total budget of more than AUD224,000 (US$200,000), including over AUD200,000 funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), the project aims to improve the efficiency of response to the impacts of climate change by improving the ability of the Chief Security Officer (CSO) and strengthening NGOs' participation in policymaking on climate change," said head of the Climate Change Department under the SRD Pham Thi Bich Ngoc.

It will also help the VNGO & CC work more effectively by improving the organisational and coordination structure of operations, Ngoc said.

Also in Ha Noi, the SRD held a workshop on Wednesday on behalf of the management board of the Network of Vietnamese Non-Governmental Organisations and Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (VNGO-FLEGT). The meeting focused on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreements.

"Approved in 2003, FLEGT was one of the European Union's responses to international concerns about illegal logging and trading; the document sets out supply-and-demand measures to combat the problem. Meanwhile, Viet Nam is currently one of the 15 largest timber-exporting countries in the world, with two major markets in North America and European," Hop said.

The FLEGT VPA develops control and licensing procedures in countries that produce and process timber in order to ensure that only products made from legally-harvested timber can enter the EU.

Participation will help the country maintain the two large markets, while reducing illegal logging and trading and encouraging afforestation, according to Hop.

The EU has so far concluded a FLEGT VPA with five African countries and one Asian country, Indonesia. It is currently negotiating with other countries including Malaysia, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Source: VNS

How Vietnam’s Burgeoning Civil Society Is Changing The Nation’s Political Landscape

Since 1976, Vietnam has been controlled by the Communist Party. Till recently, its rule and legitimacy had never been challenged. Recent civil movements however suggest that Vietnamese are gradually rising up against the party, hoping to transform the nation from a one-party state into a democracy.

Vietnam’s political culture is gradually transforming from totalitarianism to pluralism. Why? Because an emerging and independent civil society is openly challenging communist party rule.
The most high-profile example is a petition signed by Group 72, a movement of nationally well-known personalities, intellectuals, party members and retired high-ranking officials of the communist government. In early 2013, Group 72 submitted its own draft Western-style constitution to the Vietnamese legislature, requested a multi-party and inclusive election, and called for Vietnam to transform from a one-party state into a democracy. After Group 72’s motion, other petitions and movements prompted the authorities to increase control and repression.

Other recent movements included, for example, the Declaration of Free Citizens;Declaration 258, by a group of bloggers; and more recently an open letter written and circulated on the internet by a veteran communist party member calling for the founding of a new political party to compete with the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).

There is now a clear choice of media in Vietnam, between the CPV’s theorists and opinion writers, whose articles are published in the state-controlled media, and members of civil society, who write on social media networks.

And civil society members are having some success. In May 2013, a group of 20 organisations managed to convince the Vietnamese parliament — which operates under the direction of the CPV — to postpone the passage of a draft revised land law by presenting independent recommendations based on community consultations.

Many dissenting members of civil society are CPV members and once held senior offices in the government. These people are speaking out because they are frustrated with Vietnam’s decline. It is nearly 70 years since the CPV took power in the north of Vietnam and approximately 38 years since it took over the rest of the country, never in that time has its rule and legitimacy been challenged as now.

The reason, simply put, is that the party is failing its people.

Why Vietnam’s Civil Society Is Challenging The Government

First, even though the Vietnamese Constitution prescribes a referendum, a referendum has never been held. Instead, the party controls the Constitution. Group 72 and other civil society organisations recently waged a lengthy, high-profile and costly campaign to collect public comments on the draft revised constitution. The CPV ignored them.

Second, corruption is rampant, but it is not addressed effectively for various reasons, including a subservient judiciary. The government is built on patron–client relationships.
Third, the authorities arbitrarily evict people from their land for construction projects even though farmers account for nearly 80 per cent of the population and are loyal believers in the CPV. This problem results from vague and inappropriate legal provisions. Land is owned by the people, but managed by the state.

In addition, human rights and freedoms are violated, including the right of demonstrators to protest China’s aggressive moves in the South China Sea.
Fifth, the economy is at risk of sliding into deep stagnation.

 

All of these problems are institutional, as civil society activists point out. The productivity of the labour force is repressed because human creativity and freedom cannot flourish. Only when the party-state transforms to a pluralist democracy will the country escape its social and economic crises.

Can Vietnam’s Civil Society Succeed?

Comparative studies of regime change from communism to democracy in Central and Eastern European countries show that civil society can be a driving force for change. Civil society in Central Europe underwent four stages of development: defensive, emergent, mobilisational and institutional.
In the first two stages (defensive and emergent), individuals, independent groups and movements asserted their autonomy and pursued limited goals in a public space that widened as the reforming party-state gave certain concessions.

In the third stage (mobilisation), groups and individuals sought to undermine the legitimacy of the party-state and offer alternative forms of governance.

The fourth stage (institutional) sees a cooperative relationship between the state and society, in which laws are enacted to ensure free elections. Recent developments in Vietnam suggest that civil society activists are following the same pattern.

The establishment of a ‘Civil Society Forum’ in Vietnam on 23 September shows that Vietnamese civil society is beginning to ‘mobilise’ — it is in the third stage of development. This forum is the product of a manifesto called the ‘Declaration on the Implementation of Civil and Political Rights’, which was prepared by a group of 130 Vietnamese citizens.

The forum is set to be ‘a venue where organizations, groups, individuals can express their views … exchange and garner opinions that contribute to transforming the political regime in our country from totalitarianism to democracy in a non-violent manner’. The CPV’s response to this initiative will be a sign of its attitude to Vietnam’s changing political culture.

 

The establishment of the forum might be the first step toward regime transformation. It might also create an empty mouthpiece that brings no significant change. But if this organisation is not the catalyst, something else will be. Vietnam’s civil society is changing the country’s politics.

By Hai Hong Nguyen
Source: http://www.economywatch.com/features/vietnam-civil-society-political-change.16-10.html

Civil society and democratisation in Vietnam

The existence of civil society and its vibrant activism have been shown to contribute to a nation’s development and democratisation.

Is there a civil society in Vietnam? Is Vietnam democratising? These questions need to be addressed amidst scepticism of — or even a rejection of the existence of — both a functioning civil society and democratisation Vietnam.

Civil society is broadly defined as a network of non-state actors that differ from organisations such as self-governed sport clubs, research institutes and think tanks. The non-state actors in this context are commonly referred to as social organisations or associations. The key tenet of civil society is that it is independent of the state by all means — it is not subjected to state control and influence in any way or form. Only when this tenet is strictly upheld can civil society scrutinise public policies effectively without state restrictions.

The state control of, and restriction on, social organisations in Vietnam make many believe that there is no civil society. In Vietnam, it is very complicated. Social organisations in Vietnam can be split into two categories: governmental and pseudo non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The former includes those that are either financially sponsored and guided, or not financially sponsored but guided by the Communist Party of Vietnam. There are six governmental organisations that operate closely with the Communist Party: the Fatherland Front, the Farmers Union, the Women’s Union, the General Confederation of Labour, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Veterans Association. There are also two other national unions: the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations and the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA), whose membership is in the thousands nationwide. Also within this category are professional associations such as the Vietnam Journalists Association and economic federations like the Vietnam Economic Association.

The second category, pseudo NGOs, is represented by organisations that must register with the government under the auspice of VUSTA. These organisations proclaim themselves as NGOs, operating on their own initiatives and funds without state intervention and influence.

However, activities of these NGOs are under strict surveillance of government watchdogs. Thus, they are very careful about their criticisms, if any, against the government. A legislative project to develop a law allowing social organisations to exist free from government control in Vietnam is currently on the backburner, as the government fears that the law might put it in a political dilemma if it does not allow independent organisations to operate.

In recent years, with the support of social media networks like Twitter, Facebook and blogs, citizens in Vietnam are more updated and engaged in public affairs, and are more likely to challenge the legitimacy of the government and, above all, the communist party’s monopoly rule. Netizen (internet citizen) communities are increasingly engaging in activities such as calling for demonstrations or exposing corruption cases, making many believe that a civil society already exists and democratisation is coming in the two countries. However, liberal democracy theorists would not be so optimistic. Some conditions are necessary, though may not be enough, for both civil society to operate and democratisation to occur, like freedom of association, freedom of speech and independent press. Unfortunately, most western civil society and democratisation theorists would agree that these conditions are still absent in Vietnam. In fact, the existence of social organisations networks and the activism of netizen communities should be considered as social capital, which really matters for democratization only when the above necessary conditions become available.

One cannot be too optimistic about the existence of civil society and ongoing democratisation in Vietnam. But there is no doubt a solid foundation for change. It is now just a matter of time.

Source: East Asia Forum

From the Field: Vietnamese Anti-Poverty Model May Work Elsewhere

I recently spent a week in Vietnam visiting two successful Vietnamese nonprofits: Thien Chi (TC) and Anh Duong’s (AD). I wanted to explore whether their organizational models were location-specific, or if they—or some aspects of them—could be replicated in other places where we partner with local nonprofits, including Indonesia and Cambodia.

The mission of both of these nonprofits is to raise the most economically deprived families out of poverty within three years, preferably through environmentally sustainable means.

The approach is to provide families with interest-free loans that they repay within five months. Each loan comes with an important support package: a mix of education, advice, and problem-solving tools. Taken together, these efforts produce positive results, and in most cases, go a long way toward ensuring that loans are paid back. Once a loan is repaid, the family is eligible for another. The beauty of this system is that because the loans are short-term, families can start to see the benefits of the program very early on. This is inspiring and keeps the momentum going.

The main strategy is to create alternate sources of income. For example, if the first loan was given to raise chickens, the TC or AD staff might next suggest the family start growing vegetables using a “net house” that reduces the need for expensive chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

A loan recipient in front of her environmentally friendly net greenhouse.

The staff also encourages farmers to adopt environmentally friendly practices, such as using biogas digester systems (fueled by animal waste) for cooking instead of chopping down trees for wood. Both TC and AD use a cash reward system as an incentive for this.

A recently installed biogas system has saved this loan recipient money on buying conventional gas and wood for fuel.

To track impact, a notebook is created for each family. It contains their financial information and is used to record loans and repayments. Each year, the family’s income is noted to see whether the support system is helping. If it isn’t, the staff meets to figure out how best to proceed.

A family with their TC financial-tracking notebook.

These organizations also work very closely with local authorities (they have little choice, given the nature of the political regime). The staff contacts local authorities to determine which families are below the poverty line.

Since TC and AD’s priority is education, they will first approach families with children who are not attending school. The authorities also provide enforcement when people are slow or delinquent in their loan repayments.

All financial activity is recorded in a notebook, and signed off on by the organization, participants, and local authorities.

So, could this sort of model be replicated in other countries? Although tailored to the Vietnamese political and social reality, I feel TC and AD’s model of helping people rise out of poverty has some elements that could work elsewhere.

For example, in Nicaragua, where I spent some time in February, there didn’t seem to be any authority aware of the number of people living in poverty; there was no one keeping track of which families were falling through the cracks. It might be possible to go through various records (medical, school) and piece together that information, but because most rural communities in Nicaragua lack access to health services, such records might not exist. How would one systematically determine which families to help first, and who would enforce authority if necessary? Clearly, there is a cultural difference that might prohibit the same model being used here. However, once a culturally appropriate program was in place, it’s certainly possible to track progress in a notebook.

In Indonesia, which I visited as part of my trip to Asia, it seemed like the practice of tracking progress was seldom exercised. Measuring the impact of programs over time was supported more by anecdotal evidence than hard evidence. The same was true in Cambodia, which I also visited during this trip.

However, the notebook method used by TC and AD could be ideal in both of these countries and in others, as it is cheap, easy to use, and keeps all the records in one location. The loan system with extra support could work too.

These days, more donors and granting institutions want to know the impact of their donations. They often ask those they fund to measure and report results. There are many organizations in the developing world that don’t have the know-how to track their impact so that they can evaluate whether their goals are worth pursuing or if their method is successful. I believe the model used by Thien Chi and Anh Duong is simple enough to adapt to various situations and to other regions.

Source: Standford Social Innovation Review

Vietnam Need $481 Million for Classroom Consolidation by 2010

Vietnam is in need of an additional VND7.7 trillion ($481 million) to replace all temporary classrooms nationwide between now and 2010, the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) estimated.

The country launched a national plan to replace makeshift classrooms with permanent buildings with the total cost of more than VND9.3 trillion ($581million) sourced from the central and local budgets as well as donations from businesses and individuals. More than 74,000 classrooms have been built through the plan, benefiting three million children, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thien Nhan at a conference in Hanoi August 23

Nhan, who is also Head of the school building plan's Steering Board, affirmed that the policy has helped promote equal access to education and reduce the gap among regions. However, he noted the cost has not been utilized efficiently by localities. Many provinces even wrongly used the allocated capital, pushing lots of school construction projects into sluggishness.

"Localities should pay more attention to the significance of the plan rather profits making from it," an official from the ministry said, revealing that tens of hundreds of children are still sitting in three-shifted and dilapidated classrooms.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung decided to allocate the remainder of the proceeds from bond issuance in 2005, worth VND112.71 billion ($7.04 million), to refurbish schools in three provinces, where schools have been hit hard by a host of natural disasters namely the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau, the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong and the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang.

Up to the 2005-2006 academic year, Vietnam had 2,300 secondary senior schools, 10,900 pre-schools, 14,700 primary schools, and 10,300 secondary junior schools. The country earmarks VND67 trillion ($4.2 billion) for education sector this year, a rise of more than 20% in comparison to 2006.

Project gives disadvantaged children the opportunity to take the stage

Source: VietnamNews

Through the Children’s Voice project, underprivileged children in Ha Noi and HCMCity are seeing theatrical performances for the first time and even taking part in them. Vu Thu Huong gives them the spotlight.

When the Youth Theatre’s magician stepped into the classroom, a sea of wide-eyed children stared at him, mesmerised by the strange appearance of this figure in the long black cape.

The 156 street children living at the May 19 Orphanage had never seen a magician or any kind of theatrical performance before, and, if not for the Children’s Voice project, they probably never would have had the chance.

Aiming to call attention to the rights, wishes and needs of disadvantaged children throughout the country, the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (SIDA) has joined forces with theatre troupes in Viet Nam, China and Laos to offer theatrical performances for disadvantaged children, starting in February.

In its first three months of operation, the programme has already given many underprivileged children nationwide a welcomed respite from the anxieties of their daily lives, according to Dang Thi Phuong Thuy, director of the May 19 Orphanage and chairwoman of Ba Dinh District’s Committee for Population, Family and Children.

"Almost all of the children living in my centre have been orphans since birth or since they were very young," she said. "Worse, some of them still live with their families but have fathers who are addicted to drugs or alcohol. They are forced to go home at the end of each day and give their earnings to their drunk fathers. So going to the theatre is beyond their wildest dreams."

The performance at the orphanage was courtesy of Ha Noi’s Youth Theatre, which already has carried out nine performances at schools for disadvantaged children in the capital. In HCM City, the Small-Stage Theatre 5B Vo Van Tan and the Drama Theatre have also been entertaining schoolchildren.

"The performances have all gone off with flying colours," said Truong Nhuan, vice director of the Youth Theatre.

Sixth-grader Nguyen Thi Nga agrees. After class, she usually sells goods like chewing gum to support herself, so the chance to spend the afternoon seeing beautiful actresses with her own eyes was "like a dream".

"Normally, the only place I can see them is on TV," Nga said.

The children aren’t the only ones benefiting from the shows: the performers say they have been deeply moved by the love and gratitude they have received from their young audience members.

"It’s so natural to love and sympathise with these poor kids," said Nguyen Thu Nga, an actress of the Youth Theatre. "Although performing in the theatre for normal schoolchildren and their parents is a lot of fun, I often find I’m more inspired when performing for disadvantaged kids. I hope to do more to provide unlucky kids with the opportunity to laugh like any other children."

According to Ngo Thi Phuong Dung, the programme officer of the Embassy of Sweden and supervisor of the project in Viet Nam, the theatres’ enthusiasm is especially impressive because they have yet to receive their funding from the Children’s Voice project, amounting to about VND2 billion (US$125,000) for each.

The Youth Theatre has been preparing a variety of dramatic performances, including singing, dancing and even pantomiming.

"The young audiences are very different; therefore, we divided our performers into teams so that we can tailor performances to the audience’s needs," Thu Nga said. "For instance, when we performed at the Xa Dan School for the Deaf, we had to change our show from singing to miming."

By doing so, the troupe can cater to a diversity of audiences, thus far including SOS Children’s Village, Xa Dan Secondary School, Hoa Sua Vocational School, Bo De Primary School and the May 19 Orphanage.

In the first year of the project, the Youth Theatre plans to stage about 100 free performances for disabled and street children. It will extend its targets to school-aged children living in rural and remote areas outside of Ha Noi in the second phase of the project.

According to Nguyen Van Ky, headmaster of Bo De Primary School in Long Bien District of Ha Noi, these children may be the ones who have the least opportunity to take part in theatre activities. In a thank-you letter to the Youth Theatre, he wrote that his students’ parents rarely paid any attention to providing their children with artistic education or extracurricular activities because they were all low-income farmers. He stated that it would take the school almost three years to save the money to take their students all the way to the Youth Theatre for a performance.

As the project develops, the groups plan to shift the focus of the performances to encourage children’s participation in theatre activities. In addition, new shows will emphasise educating children on issues like human rights, gender equality and environmental responsibilities.

Rather than just bringing an hour or two of entertainment to children, the project has loftier aims, like giving children the opportunity to learn life lessons and explore their own abilities.

Culture & Society Rich-Poor Gap Widening in Vietnam

Disparity between the poor and the rich in Vietnam is expanding, said a workshop entitled "Updates on Poverty Rates 2006", recently held by the Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences and World Bank (WB).

The report said the ratio of per capita expenditures of the richest in Vietnam compared with the poorest rose to 6.3 in 2004, from 5.0 in 1993. The average purchasing rate of the richest increased to 44.7% from 41.8% of the total during the same period, while the rate in poorest group fell from 8.4% to 7.1%.

According to UNDP, income disparity between the rich and the poor, or Gino ratio, of Vietnam stays at 36.2, ranking the third after China (40.3) and Russia (45.6). Currently, as Vietnam sees economic growth; the poor only take 76.6% of the gains, while the rich enjoy 115%. Per capita income in rural areas was 2.15 times less than in urban areas, or $23.6 a month compared with $60. The disparity of the richest area in the South was 3.13 times higher than the poorest in the North, according to the General Statistic Department source. Also in the report, the national poverty rate in 2004 was 19.5% with more than 16 million people living below the level of $0.3 a day; 10-20 times lower than state employees. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) experts compare Vietnam's current situation with Thailand and the Philippines two decades ago.

These two countries invested about 30-40% of GDP to reach growth of 12% while Vietnam poured up to 60% GDP but annual growth speed remains at a modest 6-7%. State-owned enterprises are blamed for this issue and the widening gap between the poor and the rich, due to corruption under government subsidies. To narrow the gap, the workshop points out four solutions focusing on rapid change of investment direction in private-owned firms; managing adjustments in hunger elimination and poverty reduction programs; anti-corruption campaign; and job creation in rural areas. Truong Gia Binh, general director of FPT Corp, is named the richest man in Vietnam with VND2.4 trillion or $150 million, a recent Vnexpress survey showed.

2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner’s heart for Vietnam

Source: VietNamNet Bridge

As news agencies reported that the Norwegian Nobel Committee had decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize 2006 to Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank, though it was midnight, many people who are working for hunger eradication and poverty alleviation organisations in Vietnam informed each other about this good news. That’s because Muhammad Yunus has had a strong attachment to Vietnam for more than a decade.

It was a very hard period of time for Dr Muhammad Yunus: trying to establish the Grameen Bank with only $27.

“If all leaves in all forests on all continents could be turned into paper, if sea water in all oceans could become ink, these volumes of paper and ink couldn't record the difficulties that Grameen Bank experienced.”

That’s what he told us - the first delegation from Vietnam to come to Bangladesh to learn how to loan to the poor.

The word "microcredit" did not exist before the seventies. Now it has become a buzz-word among development practitioners. In the process, the word has been imputed to mean everything to everybody. No one now gets shocked if somebody uses the term "microcredit" to mean agricultural credit, or rural credit, or cooperative credit, or consumer credit, credit from the savings and loan associations, or from credit unions, or from money lenders.

We visited many branches of Grameen Bank in various regions in Bangladesh as well as had meetings with many families. At that time, Grameen gave us surprise after surprise. Clients of this bank are poor and very poor women. We didn’t believe our eyes when we visited their houses, which were huts enclosed by the core of one kind of tree that is similar to jute and roofed by the leaves of a tree like sugarcane in Vietnam. Those houses were totally empty, without beds, clothes, and even bowls and plates.

One special thing that we learnt from Prof. Mahammad, the leader of the Grameen Bank, the father of the “micro-credit”, is the theory on hunger and poverty and the solution to this problem. Lasting peace can not be achieved unless large population groups find ways to break out of poverty. Micro-credit is one such means. Development from below also serves to advance democracy and human rights.

Returning to Vietnam with knowledge and skills in micro-credit management under the Grameen method and the images of the bank’s talented and honest leader, we contributed to the establishment of the Fund of Affection for poor women.

The fund was founded in 1992 by the Vietnam Women’s Union Central Committee under the assistance of the Japan Community Development Fund, the Asia Pacific Development Centre (APDC – 1993). The Secretary General of APDC at that time, Dr. Getubic, encouraged us to apply the model of Grameen Bank in Vietnam.

The Grameen Trust also loaned this project $21,000 at a soft interest rate, including a commitment: “if this model is successful in Vietnam, the Grameen Trust will give the loan and interest money to the project in Vietnam”.

Dr Muhammad not only successfully demonstrated his theories through the Grameen programme in his country, but also helped many other countries in the world to use this method. He always follows the development of the credit programme for the poor in Vietnam and is always ready to help Vietnam train staff, share experiences and advertise the image of Vietnam.

At the invitation of the Vietnam Women’s Union, he paid his first visit to Vietnam in 1995. Immediately after arriving at the Noi Bai International Airport, he proposed a visit to a branch of the Fund of Affection in suburban Soc Son District of Hanoi.

During this visit, he met with Vietnamese leaders like former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and President of the National Committee for the Advancement of Women Truong My Hoa, officials from the State Bank of Vietnam and the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs.

At those meetings, he highly praised Vietnam’s resistance wars for independence and unity and expressed the belief that Vietnam could successfully deal with hunger and poverty. He was also ready to share his experiences in hunger eradication and poverty reduction with Vietnam.

Talking about the role of micro-finance in the market and its prospects when the operation of commercial banks developed, he said: “if we consider the official financial system and commercial banks as big rivers bringing capital to localities, micro-credit is like canals bringing capital to each family”. So naturally, at any time, any place, micro-credit is still necessary.

After this visit, Vietnamese leaders like Phan Van Khai, Truong My Hoa and Vo Thi Thang paid a visit to Bangladesh and the Grameen Bank. Officials of the SBV also studied the model and experiences of the Grameen Bank.

Two big organisations in Vietnam that apply the Grameen method, the CEP Fund in HCM City and the Fund for Affection of the Vietnam Women’s Union Central Committee, have become members of the global Grameen system. Former Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet visited the branch of the Fund for Affection in Soc Son District and encouraged the development of this model in Vietnam. After that, US First Lady Hillary Clinton also paid a visit to this branch.

Prof, Dr. Muhammad Yunus came to HCM City in May 2005 and June 2005 after his first visit to Vietnam in 1995.

At a seminar in HCM City in June 2005, he gave a speech that contained important suggestions about the roles of the government and the law in micro-credit activities.

His Vietnamese students have applied and developed the Grameen method in Vietnam effectively. The three organisations that officially use the Grameen Bank model in Vietnam, the Fund of Affection, CEP Fund, and the M7 Micro-credit network, cover 16 provinces and 130,000 poor and very poor families. Those organisations can become micro-credit institutions under the Decree 28/2005/ND-CP of the government.

The impacts of the Grameen method on the operations of the Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank) and the Policy Bank in Vietnam are also clear as those banks have used the method of lending in groups.

Hundreds of thousands of poor people in Vietnam who benefit from the Grameen method know him, the founder and developer of the method of lending to the poor effectively. Thanks to his method their lives have changed.

Million USD charity fundraiser

VietNamNet Bridge - In 16 years of doing charity in Vietnam, the Vietnam Assistance for the Handicapped (VNAH), founded by a Vietnamese American, Mr Tran Van Ca, has given over 100,000 artificial limbs and wheelchairs to disabled Vietnamese.

In 2003 alone, Mr Ca raised US$1.7 million to buy artificial limbs and wheelchairs for the disabled, but he always refused to talk about himself, reasoning, “What I have done is just a grain of sand in the ocean.”

Do much, talk little is the character of Mr Tran Van Ca. Though operating for quite a long period of time in Vietnam, not many people know about the quiet job of Mr Ca and his non-governmental charity organisation, VNAH.

Mr Ca travels very often between Vietnam and the US and each time he returns to Vietnam he bring ‘gifts’ to Vietnamese disabled: artificial limbs, wheelchairs or doctors who come to provide free health check-ups for the poor and the disabled.

Most recently, in March 2007, Mr Ca brought a group of volunteer Vietnamese American doctors to Vietnam to examine poor patients and disabled people in some southern provinces of Vietnam. In April 2007 he returned to Vietnam again and came to Thai Binh to present artificial limbs to the disabled there.

So far, the operations of VNAH have reached remote and mountainous areas of Vietnam, from the northern mountainous provinces of Thai Nguyen and Cao Bang to Mekong Delta provinces.

“Our programme is small in scale but it is practical and highly appreciated by the Vietnamese government,” Mr Ca said.

The return
In 2003, the Washington Post had an article praising Tran Van Ca as a benefactor.

Some 30 years after coming to the US, Tran Van Ca is now the owner of a luxurious restaurant on 5ha of land in Great Falls.

After a return trip to Vietnam and a meeting with a war invalid who had lost two legs, he was awakened to the belief that it is too selfish to only help one’s family.

Giving up a business that was developing, he founded the Vietnam Assistance for the Handicapped in Virginia in 1991 with $10,000, which was used to by wheelchairs for the disabled in Vietnam. So far, Mr Ca’s organisation has built two artificial limb producing enterprises in Vietnam.

Reader’s Digest reported that Tran Van Ca left five fast food restaurants named Taco Amigo and a villa with 8 bedrooms worth millions of US dollars to return to Vietnam to do charity.

So far, VNAH has received $5.6 million in funds from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement projects supporting the disabled in Vietnam.

In November 2006, the US Congress approved $400,000 for VNAH to build a health rehabilitation centre in the central city of Da Nang.

“Output” for the disabled
Mr Ca says that it is a big waste to only provide vocational training for the disabled without creating ‘output’ for them. Thus, VNAH is carrying out a vocational training - job creation model on a trial basis in Dong Anh District, Hanoi and Da Lat city in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

Under this programme, VNAH staff has to approach companies to ask their assistance in training and recruiting the disabled. In Da Lat, the pilot programme of VNAH has received warm support from a private company named Gia Hung. This company has helped train the disabled and promised to recruit those people after vocational training.

“Over 90% of the participants in this project have gotten stable jobs,” Mr Ca said.

In the past 16 years, VNAH has performed free orthopedic surgeries on thousands of disabled children, helped over 2,000 poor and disabled people to learn vocations and get jobs, helped over 6,000 poor children, street children and orphans to return home, study and get jobs, built 35 schools in rural and mountainous areas, and organised many free health check-up trips and many HIV/AIDS education and prevention projects.

VNAH was the first overseas Vietnamese non-governmental organisation licenced to open a representative office in Hanoi.