Conference on promotion of the cooperation between Cao Bang province and foreign NGOs

In the period 2015-2020, the number of organizations operating in the province remained stable from 18 to 21 with an annual aid budget of 2 to 3 million USD. During this period, particularly, the province signed cooperation agreements with donors including "Cooperation Agreement with ActionAid International Vietnam for 2016-2020 period", "Cooperation Agreement with Global Civic Sharing (GCS/Korea) to implement Cao Bang Hope Village project in the period of 2016-2019", "The 2017-2020 tripartite cooperation Agreement among Cao Bang People's Committee, ActionAid International Vietnam and Aid for social protection program Foundation Vietnam (AFV)", "Cooperation agreement with ChildFund Vietnam in the 2019-2029 period".

The agreements, programs/projects that have been implemented mainly focus on a number of specific fields as follows:

Regarding the areas of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development in association with poverty reduction to increase income for the locals: During the period, there were 35 programs and projects implemented and funded by foreign NGOs. As a result, 9,600 households in the project area applied advancement of technology in agriculture; 7,000 turns of people participated in training courses, seminars and livelihood improvement models from planting elephant grass, rice, corn, passion fruit, peanuts, ginger, turmeric, etc; the people in the project area were also supported to plant 90 hectares of forest; 840 poor households were supported to breed buffaloes, reproductive cows, goats, sows, backyard chickens, etc.

Regarding the areas of Health, Education and Vocational Training, Culture and Tourism: the focus is mainly on strengthening access to health services and raising awareness of prevention and control of infectious diseases as well as reproductive health care and public health for people. 52 doctors of the province attended the training course directly taught by American doctors; 4 doctors attended training in the US; the province was supported to build 06 national-standard health stations; Cao Bang General Hospital and 13 health stations in the province have been equipped with modern equipment which is worth tens of billion.

Childfun Vietnam in Cao Bang hands over the COVID-19 medical supplies to Quang Hoa district

Up to now, there have been 25 investment programs and projects for education implemented in the province, focusing mainly on improving skills for teachers and students, supporting facilities and materials for teaching and learning and granting scholarships to disadvantaged students. In addition, many vocational training projects for the locals have been implemented with the aims to maintain the development of traditional products and craft villages, helping the locals gain more skills and increase their income.

In the period, 04 programs and projects of Culture and Tourism were supported to deploy, contributing to preserving and promoting the traditional cultural identity as well as integrating these types of culture with community-based tourism activities. Every year, more than 200 volunteers and tourists introduced by non-governmental organizations come to both travel and support the locals in relocating their livestock breeding facilities, floor screeding, building water tanks and toilets, etc; supporting and promoting groups of women who make brocade products in Na Kieng (Bao Lam), Khuoi Khon (Bao Lac), Hoa Tham (Nguyen Binh), Phuc Sen (Quang Uyen). The groups have produced more than 1,500 products with a total income of about 70 million per year.

Regarding the areas of natural resources, environment and clean water: There were 21 implemented programs and projects that have contributed to raising the awareness of environmental protection and clean water use; more than 255 communication on clean water and environmental sanitation were held with more than 5,750 participants; 15 daily-life water supply works have been newly built and repaired to ensure the water supply for over 2,700 households; about 1330 households were supported to build water tanks.

Regarding the areas of solving social issues and emergency aid: foreign non-governmental organizations have implemented 28 programs and projects, including activities to support HIV/AIDS and domestic violence prevention, Child Participation and Child Protection, children and people with disabilities, promotion of women's rights, education to raise the awareness of parents' responsibility for equal treatment with their children, trafficking in women and children prevention, and the propaganda of publics not to commit crimes and social evils.

In addition to the above-mentioned areas, in the 2015-2020 period, there has been 08 programs and projects in other typical areas such as "Supporting civil society to empower rural communities in Thong Nong district", "Enhancing access to information for ethnic minority women in Cao Bang" in Nguyen Binh district; "Enhancing voices through the operation of effective networks" in Bao Lac district, etc.

Projects / programs implemented by foreign non-governmental organizations have had practical and positive impacts and motivated to contribute to sustainable socio-economic development, poverty reduction, improving the material and spiritual life of beneficiaries in the project area. Helping the public, especially the ones belonging to ethnic minorities, better understand the policies and guidelines of the Party and the State, raising people's trust in the government and more actively engaging in socio-economic development activities in the locality.