The Centre for Social Work and Community Development Research & Consultancy is carrying out a project to protect the rights of private garbage collectors in HCM City, and Oxfam Novib has now decided to fund it. Source http://www.sdrc.org.vn Viet Nam News HCM CITY— The HCM City People’s Committee has approved aid from Dutch NGO Oxfam Novib Foundation for an ongoing project to safeguard and strengthen the rights of private garbage collectors, Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (Liberated Sài Gòn) newspaper has reported. The 4.6 trillion ($US197 million) project is being carried out in districts 2, 6, 9, Bình Thạnh, and Gò Vấp by the Centre for Social Work and Community Development Research & Consultancy since August. According to the centre, the project’s objective is to improve the capacity of garbage collectors to benefit from social security policies related to health insurance, accident insurance and labour … [Read more...] about Oxfam Novib provides $197m to protect rights of HCM City private garbage collectors
Oxfam projects
Project helps Quang Binh residents assess local healthcare quality
The project in Quang Binh aims to provide people and businesses with a tool to assess the quality of services at local hospitals (Photo: VNA) Quang Binh (VNA) – The central province of Quang Binh launched a project on August 30 allowing people to evaluate the quality of their local medical services via a scorecard tool called M-score. The project will be carried out at the northern Quang Binh region general hospital and others in Dong Hoi city and Le Thuy district. It is being implemented by the provincial People’s Council, Oxfam, and the Real-Time Analytics Co. Ltd. It aims to provide people and businesses with a tool to assess the quality of services at local hospitals, thus helping healthcare facilities and agencies realise and remedy their shortcomings and improve patient satisfaction. Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Health Phan Thanh Hai said the project also looks to increase transparency and accountability in medical establishments as well as … [Read more...] about Project helps Quang Binh residents assess local healthcare quality
EU-funded project to sustainably develop clam, bamboo value chains
Production of bamboo and rattan products for exports at a company in Chuong My district, Hanoi (Photo: VNA) Nghe An (VNA) – Some 4.3 million EUR (5 million USD) will be funded by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (EuropeAid) for the project “Inclusive and sustainable clam and bamboo value chains development in Vietnam.” The project aims to contribute to reducing poverty and inequality in rural areas of Vietnam through inclusive and sustainable value chain development. It will support small-scale producers and micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) processors of clam value chain in the Mekong Delta provinces of Ben Tre, Tra Vinh and Tien Giang, and bamboo chain in central Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces to increase income from sustainable production and business practices from 2018 – 2022. It looks to provide technical support for leading clam and bamboo producers to have sustainably … [Read more...] about EU-funded project to sustainably develop clam, bamboo value chains
LGBT community in Vietnam’s path to recognition
Nguyen Huong Giang, a Vietnamese transgender woman, on March 9 won Miss International Queen 2018 - the world’s largest transgender pageant. Nguyen Huong Giang, with her beauty and intelligence, shines at Miss International Queen 2018 (Photo: Dep magazine/VNA) Giang was happy with the victory, as was the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community as it marked a remarkable step in their endeavors to earn social acceptance in Vietnam. “My triumph comes at a time when the government is considering legally recognising sex reassignment. I hope the Government will soon do this to ensure the rights of the LGBT community,” she told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA). Invisible, alone struggle Just a decade ago, homosexuality was still something many Vietnamese people didn’t understand. They thought homosexuality was a “disease” or associated with social vices such as murder, robbery and theft, as the media then demonised the LGBT community. … [Read more...] about LGBT community in Vietnam’s path to recognition
People need tools to supervise land use
Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — A Government decision with detailed mechanisms is needed for people to better practise their rights on monitoring land use and management, experts have recommended. Former deputy minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Đặng Hùng Võ, said that in Việt Nam, citizens have the right to supervise and report wrongdoings and violations in land management and use by themselves or through representative organisations including the National Assembly, People’s Councils at all levels – commune, district and city/province, as well as the Việt Nam Fatherland Front at all levels. Speaking at a conference on the issue last week, Võ said that Việt Nam’s amended Land Law dated 2013 and taking effect in July, 2014, confirmed citizens’ rights on supervision over land use and management. “However, there is no legal document that firmly establishes the rules on citizen supervision. … [Read more...] about People need tools to supervise land use
Quang Binh reviews feedback collection on public services
Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Quang Binh (VNA) – The M-Score project, a pilot model to gather public opinions on the quality of public services at one-stop-shop offices via mobile phones, was reviewed at a recent seminar in the central province of Quang Binh. The event was held by the provincial People’s Committee, in conjunction with the non-governmental organisation Oxfam in Vietnam and the Real Time Analysis (RTA) company. The M-Score project began in Quang Binh in January 2016, aiming to create a channel between local authorities and residents to improve the quality of public services at the grassroots level, as well as strengthen transparency and accountability in State-run agencies. The project has helped improve the locality’s administrative reform ability, increasing local residents’ confidence in staff working in State agencies and the State in general. Reports at the conference said under surveys conducted by the RTA, more than … [Read more...] about Quang Binh reviews feedback collection on public services
Workshop promotes State budget management improvement
At the event (Photo: VNA) Vinh Phuc (VNA) – Over the last there years, Oxfam and the Budget Transparency, Accountability and Participation (BTAP) Alliance in Vietnam, through the EU-funded project, have supported their partners in the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh and Quang Tri to perform initiatives for improving the efficiency of State budget management. At a workshop jointly organised by the European Union office in Vietnam and Oxfam in the northern province of Vinh Phuc on March 30, Vice Chairman of the Quang Tri province’s People’s Council Nguyen Duc Dung said the application of the criteria set for defining Provincial Open Budget Index (POBI) has helped the provincial People’s Council have a scientific basis when making decisions to select public investment projects, thus ensuring ensure objectivity, publicity and transparency. The project has also helped promote the participation of local people in evaluating … [Read more...] about Workshop promotes State budget management improvement
Public participation in state budget management promoted
Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Quang Tri (VNA) – Representatives from Hoa Binh and Quang Tri provinces shared experience in implementing the project on enhancing transparency and public participation in state budget management at a workshop in Quang Tri on January 17. The event was jointly held by Oxfam and the Budget Transparency, Accountability and Participation (BTAP) Alliance. The project is being carried out in Hai Lang and Gio Linh districts of the central province of Quang Tri and Luong Son and Mai Chau districts of the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh. It aims to promote new initiatives in supervising state budget and public investment, increase connectivity among groups and members of the BTAP Alliance, and encourage citizens’ participation in state budget supervision. The participants looked into methods to implement activities of the project and how to encourage people to join the project. Nguyen Dang Anh, deputy head of the committee for … [Read more...] about Public participation in state budget management promoted
Terms of Reference for the final evaluation of Oxfam’s project “Non-state Actors Promoting Budget Transparency”
Terms of Reference for the final evaluation of project “Non-state Actors Promoting Budget Transparency” December 2017 Terms of reference Programme title Non-state Actors Promoting Budget Transparency (BTAP project) Partner organisation/s Multiple Geographical coverage Vietnam (national level): Hoa Binh and Quang Tri provinces Program/project lifespan March 2015 – March 2018 Program/project budget €800,000 Evaluation budget €6,000 – €7,000 Evaluation commissioning manager Nguyễn Thu Hương (Oxfam) Evaluation manager Trần Thị Thanh Thủy (Oxfam) and Nguyễn Thùy Linh (CECEM) Background, rationale and purpose of the evaluation BTAP is a three-year project funded by the European Committee that runs from March 2015 to March … [Read more...] about Terms of Reference for the final evaluation of Oxfam’s project “Non-state Actors Promoting Budget Transparency”
Photo exhibition depicts lives of ethnic children
A photo exhibition named ‘I Tell You My Stories’ featuring 120 photographs by ethnic children is being held at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology from May 30–June 3. The photographs, selected from thousands taken by ethnic children from Ninh Thuan, the northern province of Lao Cai and the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong, reflect the children’s awareness of urgent issues such as hygiene and environment. These ethnic students were provided with a camera to capture what they saw in their communities. Through their eyes, visitors can get a glimpse into childhood games, school and family activities, and traditional festivals. The activity is part of a project funded by Oxfam, an international organisation working to end injustice and poverty, and the Institute for Social Research, Economics and Environment (iSEE). The selected students were trained in character photographing and story building by experts in the Photovoice method. Addressing the opening … [Read more...] about Photo exhibition depicts lives of ethnic children