The overall project aim was to improve the health and livelihood of the poorest communities in Khanh Vinh district, Khanh Hoa province, through an integrated community-managed and cross-cultural approach.
People in poor ethnic communities were made aware that they could improve their own living conditions and given the skills to do so. They had the possibility and the capability to voice their needs and took advantage of their legal rights to mobilize existing resources. The administrative system and the local authorities gained experience with, and were trained to support, a bottom-up planning process, that is, to listen to the people who are expressing their needs. The programme encouraged the most disadvantaged groups (the poorest, women and people with disabilities) to participate in the planning and implementation of activities, granting them respect and a role that they had not had before.
Activities were multisectoral, with a focus on Production (agriculture, forestry), Micro-credit Systems, and Community Health Development. Activities were chosen, planned, monitored and evaluated by the target groups, with an explicit vision to ensure that the development benefited all, including the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.
180 poor and hungry families experienced the immediate effects of improved nutrition. Some trials and interest groups started with fish rearing, which contributed to improving the local availability of protein-rich-foods.
750 additional families (for a total of 1024) in three communes were provided with clean water, which is safe to drink even without boiling. This led to a significant reduction in cases of diarrhea, especially among children, and indirectly helped to reduce child malnutrition.
The most dilapidated Commune Health Station of the district, in remote Khanh Hiep commune (which serves 668-3400 people), was completely rebuilt and substantially expanded. It was ready for use in October 2007 and its examination, treatment, water and sanitation facilities are now the best in the district.
Information verified by CHMI-Vietnam:
