International organizations have developed many meaningful assistance programs, especially on life and livelihood; clean water supply and education in ethnic minority communities...
International organizations have developed many meaningful assistance programs, especially on life and livelihood development; clean water supply and education in ethnic minority communities in Khanh Hoa Province over the past 7 years.
Variety of practical programs
In 2013, the Prime Mister issued Project No. 2214 on enhancing international cooperation to support socio-economic development in ethnic minority areas. In the 2013 – 2020 period, Khanh Hoa has received 18 project and non-project assistance from non-governmental foreign organizations to support socio-economic development in ethnic minority areas with the total funding of more than VND25.5 billion.
The assistance has included 8 grants worth VND12 billion focusing on poverty reduction and social security. The most remarkable is the project “community managed health & livelihoods development” sponsored by Netherlands-Vietnam Medical Committee, directly and indirectly benefiting 5,300 poor families and ethnic minority people in 11 communes and villages in Khanh Vinh District through funding, diversification of livelihoods and farming. Besides, other projects have provided aid for poor households and children in severe need; clean water supply, livelihood and income improvement such as Susann’s Help For Children, Switzerland; Australian Water Association funding water treatment systems at 2 schools in Khanh Vinh District.
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In addition, more than VND4.4 billion aid from non-governmental foreign organizations has focused on education assistance in disadvantaged areas in Khanh Vinh and Cam Lam. Such projects included the construction of houses for teachers and semi-boarding kitchens for children at Khanh Thuong Primary School, Khanh Vinh District (Build Aid Norway); all-round school development program for Vietnamese children at Khanh Hoa - Jeju School (We Start Movement Headquarters, South Korea); teaching music and art to poor children and offering bikes to poor school girls (Rock-Paper-Scissors Children's Fund, USA), etc. The projects have improved teaching and learning conditions, helping to increase education quality in mountains and ethnic minority communities.
Apart from livelihood and education assistance, non-governmental foreign projects in Khanh Hoa have also supported the construction of houses for the poor and revolutionary contributors; well digging for water supply, purchase of teaching facilities, etc in Khanh Vinh District with the total assistance of more than VND1.25 billion. Besides, after the Typhoon Damrey in 2017, the United Nations Development Program and the representative of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations sponsored nearly VND8 billion relief aid to help repair houses and meet basic needs to help locals soon recover from the natural disaster, stabilize their lives and restore production.
International cooperation boost
Over 8 years of implementation, assistance projects and programs run by non-governmental foreign organizations have contributed to boosting the socio-economic situation in mountainous and ethnic minority areas in Khanh Hoa Province. The living standards have been improved; the annual poverty rate has decreased by 5% - 6% on average; traffic, irrigation, electricity infrastructures, schools, medical stations have been gradually invested with 100% of commune centers accessible by car, 100% of mountainous communes having medical stations; Communes meeting national health care standards have accounted for 98%, households using hygienic water is about 94%, contributing to fast and sustainable poverty reduction, narrowing the development gap among ethnic groups, according to Khanh Hoa People’s Committee.
In order to further promote socio-economic development in ethnic minority communities in the coming time, the Provincial People's Committee has determined that both domestic and foreign resources should be used as a combination to give strong support in socio-economic improvement in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.
Therefore, in the 2021 – 2025 period, the province will focus on supplementing preferential policies to attract diversified capital sources from businesses, individuals and communities to invest in the ethnic minority communities, mountainous, coastal and island areas; especially, strengthening international cooperation to attract aid and support from other countries, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations in investment in socio-economic development in ethnic minority communities and mountainous areas; proactively seeking aid programs and projects of foreign organizations and individuals; simultaneously promoting aid resources from international organizations and non-governmental organizations to help ethnic minority and mountainous regions. The Committee for Ethnic Minorities, ministries, sectors and organizations are required to continue paying concern and providing support for the province to access, seek and call for international organizations to provide assistance for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the province.
There are 51 communes and towns in ethnic minority and mountainous areas with 72,782 people, accounting for 5.9% of the population, mostly living in the 2 districts of Khanh Son and Khanh Vinh.
Hong Dang
Translated by N.T
