The priority is naturally for the poorest and more remote regions where there are no other programs. Average income is there usually less than half the national average. But the key is a good collaboration with the local authorities and the full time presence of our team.
The Vietnamese authorities allocates enourmous resources for developing the country, and an NGO must look for the actions which are the most appropriate in this context. Build a school? The costs incurred by an NGO (overheads included) will be higher than those of the government!
Mekong Plus has chosen to focus on the district of Rumdoul, province of Svay Riêng, which borders Vietnam, at only 3 hours by public bus from Hochiminh City. It is a relatively poor and remote region, on the other side of the river of the Mekong (to go to Phnom Penh one must cross the Mekong by a ferry).
There are many local NGOs, often created from scratch by employees of a departying international organization who fired all its staff. Very often they are used and abused, however, as sub-contractors by international development organizations.
