Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

Programs

Community Empowerment for Improved Living Standards

last updated Dec 12, 2011

Overview

Implementing organization: 
CIDSE Viet Nam
Implementation Partner(s): 
Community Development Cooperation, Lac Son District People's Committee
Legal Status: 
Private (not-for-profit)
Year Launched: 
2000
Stage: 
No longer active
Income Level of Target Population: 
Bottom 20%

Funding

Primary Source of Funding: 
Donor
Additional Source(s) of Funding: 
In-kind contributions, Membership/subscription fees
Funders: 
CIDSE

Scale

Number of Clients Served: 
2,299 people in 482 households of 6 villages in Luong Son district, Hoa Binh province
Summary: 

This was one of the first projects in Viet Nam to apply a model in which a micro-credit and saving scheme integrated with a health program as a pilot medical and life micro-insurance program in the community.

Program goals/rationale: 

The overall project goal was to improve villagers' household economy, health status and spiritual life through promoting community resourcefulness, assets and social capital.

The project focused on three communes in the Lac Son district, one of the poorest districts of Hoa Binh province with over 90% of its population comprised of Muong,Thai,Tay, Hoa ethnic minority groups.

Key program components: 

The project's main activities in terms of health promotion included:

  • Training health workers to improve their quality of service, especially in delivering health education to villagers

  • Support with hygienic bathrooms, latrines and clean water supply

  • Pilot micro-insurance for the poor villagers' medical and life insurance

Important outcomes:

  • Compulsory savings for health and life insurance: taking advantage of credit funds in terms of income generation, micro-insurance was piloted in forms of health and life insurance to gradually ensure the health and life care of ethnic communities and prevented debt from funeral ceremonies forcing people into poverty. An amount of about VND 2,000 (equivalent to $0.10 USD) from their compulsory saving was collected per month for each insurance (health or life) depending on their willingness. The insurance premium was collected and kept by the assigned project staff in the project office. The value was VND 500,000 for health and VND 3,000,000 for life insurance. This activity gradually established a social safety net for the communities in far and remote areas, especially ethnic groups.

  • Participatory Irrigation Management system (Water Users Association) and Upgrading Irrigation systems: the program helped villagers to establish Water Users’ Associations, and to repair dams/upgrade irrigation systems (including water wheels, concrete canals) with labor and some material contributed by the villagers. Rules and regulations of water users associations were developed, technical training for water users management boards and irrigators, and financial management of the irrigation scheme was organized. The water users contributed their users’ fee to ensure that irrigation scheme was sustainable and sufficient to cover costs.

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