Some examples of how donations may be used:
- Savings-credit: 40 to 80 € for new loans.
- Agriculture: 60 € to follow-up and train a group of 20 farmers for 1 year.
- Livestock: 178 € to train one para-veterinary.
- Theatre: 30 € for one show about preventive health.
- Latrine or well: 2,5 to 50 € to assist the poorest in building one
- School health program: 0,5 €/child/year or 15 € for one class
- Help an extremely poor household out of poverty within 3-4 years: 100 €/household
- Scholarship for the poorest children: 2 times 8 €/year
- Community library: 51 € for the 1st year.
| 1.The
savings-credit program reaches several hundreds
of women organized in savings-credit groups, plus over 500 extremely
poor households (individual loans). The first
loans usually start at 40 € and later increases progressively
till 100 €. The impact on income if usually very quick and
substantial: 20 to 50% within 1 year! |
 women's group meeting |
2.The
agriculture program functions through farmers’
groups. Better than an agronomist who can teach but whom the farmers
do not trust enough, the groups are excellent to widen the use of
the best techniques. The best farmers explain, they are listened
to, as everyone in the village knows they are good. The Viêt
Nam Plus agronomist is present and answers questions, provides seeds
at cost if wanted. Booklets or brochures on better techniques are
provided. A group is usually made of 20-30 people, and about half
members are women. The follow-up and assistance to one such group
costs approximately 60 €/year. > more information about this program |
 f armers exchange ideas |
| 3.Livestock:
Viêt Nam Plus has trained over 100 para-veterinary doctors,
in collaboration with the professional schools, which deliver an official
certificate. Most trainees are now operational, and earn a living,
paid by the farmers for their work. They are cheaper than the far-away
vets, who are too often keen to push the expensive medicines. To train
one para-veterinary doctor costs 178 €. On the basis of the close
monitoring of their work by the 2 Viêt Nam Plus doctors, it
is estimated they provide adequate treatment in 95% cases, thus avoiding
a loss of 200 €/month for the community. They are paid by the farmers and may earn 100-150 €/month. > more information about this program |
 f ollow-up of the para-vets |
| 4. Viêt Nam
Plus has set up 3 theatre groups, by training local
farmers. They produce shows on preventive health, hygiene, gender
etc. 6-7 times a week, each time attended by 300 people on the average.
The cost of one show is about 30 €. The topics covered are many:
waste management, clean water, family planning, alcoholism, AIDS…
The public is very much involved in or after the shows, the goal is
to change attitudes. > more information about this program |
 education theatre |
| 5.Better
hygiene. People want practical solutions. Most do not have
a latrine nor a clean well. Viêt Nam Plus offers 2,5 to 50 €,
to assist the poorest in building one. Wells are shared. More than
4000 households have already benefited. An evaluation of the program
has shown more than 90% latrines and wells are perfectly clean. > more information about this program |
 18 € for a latrine |
| 6. The school
health program covers 127 primary schools and close to 52.000
children. It will soon expand to new communes and thus increase the
number of children. The cost of the program is 0,5 €/child/year.
The other costs (about 2/3) are covered half by the schools, half
by the parents. The teachers are trained in active pedagogy: the children
work in groups, do games on preventive health, and have practical
activities, like weekly teeth brushing etc. A close monitoring has
shown the impact on the health of the children is tremendous. They
now know more and better than their parents. > more information about this program |
 toothbrushing at school |
7. The
poorest sometimes cannot afford the school fees and drop out. Viêt
Nam Plus provides scholarships of 2 times 8 €/year
to 1250 children. The villagers, teachers, parents etc. run a small
marathon in solidarity (42.000 people participated in 2005). Comprehensive approach to help the extremely poor out of poverty within 3-4 years: scholarship for the children, agriculture or petty business, micro credit, health and housing... |
 running in solidarity |
| 8.Community
libraries. Poor people have little to read, and although
they almost all have gone to school, many tend to forget due to a
lack of practice. There is at the same time an acute shortage of technical
information in the villages. Viêt Nam Plus promotes “community
libraries”: a group of about 30 people set up a library and
each pay 0,5 € as entry fee. Viêt Nam Plus adds the same
amount plus lends a small cupboard (11 €) and a small incentive
to the book keeper (1,5 €/month). Experience shows that on the
average one book is lent per member/month. The cost for the first
year is 51 €, and about 20 € the following years. > more on this programme |
 discussion at the library |
