Where:

Quang Tri Province, Vietnam

Who:

CHF and the Mines Advisory Group (UK)

Funded by:

The Mines Advisory Group

Purpose:

To provide food security and sustainable livelihoods to poor and marginalized, many of whom turn to the illegal, risky activity of collecting unexploded ordnances (UXO) for scrap metal as income.

Situation:

The District of Dakrong in the Western part of Quang Tri Province is among the poorest in Vietnam, and has a high percentage of ethnic minority people who live on some of the least arable land.

Food security is still a serious problem in the area and many turn to scrap collecting as a way of generating a non-agricultural based income.

Making little more than a dollar a day, scrap collectors nevertheless see this risky activity as a way of generating income in poverty-stricken areas. Whole communities are put at risk along with the individual collectors because lethal unexploded ordnances are being deliberately handled or stored near population centres.

To date, organisations have concentrated mine clearance, mine risk education and victim assistance, but few have looked into alternative income strategies that will tackle the risks of scrap collecting.

Results:

• Production of healthy rice, maize and/or groundnut crops on cleared land
• Livestock fodder crops grow on cleared land
• Healthy livestock, especially pigs
• Improved knowledge of agricultural production, animal husbandry and income generation by both men and women

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Building Capacity For Sustainable Livelihoods  In Vietnam (2006-2009) )

Where:

Vietnam

Who:

CHF and the local Vietnamese government

Funded by:

CHF and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)

Purpose:

To achieve sustainable livelihoods for isolated, rural and predominantly ethnic minority communities in the Quy Chau district of Nghe An province in north-central Vietnam.

Situation:

Approximately 90% of Vietnam’s poor live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. As much as 70% of this poverty is concentrated in northern regions of Vietnam, where the Nghe An province is located. Close to 75% of the population of Quy Chau district in Nghe An are ethnic minorities, marginalized both by their ethnicity and the remote areas in which they live.

Results:

• Building on the successes of CHF’s Community Development in Quy Chau District project (2003-2006), this second phase (2006-2009) has expanded the project’s reach in the district to assist 1,991 families (10,189 people) in 30 villages throughout Quy Chau.
• The project focuses on three main activities: livestock enterprise, food crop enhancement and clean water systems.
• Targeted at the poor and the ultra-poor in the region, the project has used a participatory method to assist the poorest households in communities in identifying their own priorities. Households have identified projects to increase rice, maize and groundnut yields; pig, cow and poultry raising; and clean water supply as their greatest priorities.
• · The project aims to achieve a 30% increase in real incomes for participating families in the Quy Chau villages.

On October 3, 2007, typhoon Lekima destroyed about 60% of farmers’ rice crop and cattle fodder crop. CHF responded by contributing 2 tons of paddy seed to help project beneficiaries start their crop over again.

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Livelihood Improvement Of Vulnerable Ethnic Minority Communities Affected By The Song Bung 4 Hydropower Project In Quang Nam Province (2009-2012)

Where:

Vietnam

Who:

CHF and the local Vietnamese government

Funded by:

The Asian Development Bank

Purpose:

The focus of this project is to develop sustainable livelihoods with over 1,000 households who are affected by the construction of the Song Bung 4 hydroelectric dam. Project activities include resettlement guidance, compensation and grievance management and the development of sustainable livelihoods options after resettlement.

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Community Based Natural Resources Management Project

Where:

Nghe An Province, Vietnam

Who:

CHF and Toward Ethnic Women (TEW)

Funded by:

CHF and Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)

Purpose:

Facilitated the advocacy of indigenous people's rights to sustainable resource use, and enhanced the capacity of an emerging Vietnamese NGO network.

Successes:

Empowerment through Knowledge

This project empowered communities in Vietnam to take the lead in their own development process through enhancing access to existing knowledge, facilitating the creation of new knowledge, and linking knowledge to practice to improve livelihoods and income. As a result, villagers have successfully developed their own framework for negotiating land claims.

Promoting Community-based Natural Resource Management

The capacity of local communities was strengthened in sustainable management of their natural resources. This was done through the introduction of sloping agricultural land technologies, forest protection through revised animal husbandry techniques, and improved water sanitation.

Strengthening the organizational capacity of TEW

TEW staff participated in several short-term academic training programs in development issues, the impact of which was reinforced through hands-on participation in project activitie

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Community Development In Quy Chau District

Where:

Vietnam

Who:

CHF, local Vietnamese governments and the University of Vinh

Funded by:

CHF and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)

Purpose:

To provide sustainable food security and incomes for the people in Quy Chau. To provide clean water systems, proper sanitation and access to health care for women.

Situation:

In the isolated, remote villages of Quy Chau in Vietnam, over half the population are unable to produce enough rice to feed themselves. As well, villagers lack the resources to properly feed, vaccinate and de-worm their cows and pigs. Women have to walk up to two hours to access water, which is often not clean and contributes to water-borne diseases. For many women, poor health is a crippling factor.

Results:

• Two villages now have clean water systems and the ability to maintain them. Five additional villages have begun installing clean water systems.
• Over 100 households now have access to clean water and over 100 women are now spending reduced time gathering water.
• CHF has trained 22 local animal health specialists to provide vaccinations and demonstrate proper livestock care. The stronger livestock are bringing in much higher income for the farmers.
• CHF has provided fertilizer and a choice of rice seeds to 61 families. Their crops have almost doubled, increasing from an average of 3 tonnes/hectare to 5 tonnes/hectare.
• The project’s GIS/MIS mapping system has been developed and almost completed for 10 villages.

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Community Livelihood Enhancement Through Agricultural Land Reclamation (Clear) (2008)

Where:

Quang Tri Province, Vietnam

Who:

CHF and the Mines Advisory Group (UK)

Funded by:

The Mines Advisory Group

Purpose:

To provide food security and sustainable livelihoods to poor and marginalized, many of whom turn to the illegal, risky activity of collecting unexploded ordnances (UXO) for scrap metal as income.

Situation:

The District of Dakrong in the Western part of Quang Tri Province is among the poorest in Vietnam, and has a high percentage of ethnic minority people who live on some of the least arable land.

Food security is still a serious problem in the area and many turn to scrap collecting as a way of generating a non-agricultural based income.

Making little more than a dollar a day, scrap collectors nevertheless see this risky activity as a way of generating income in poverty-stricken areas. Whole communities are put at risk along with the individual collectors because lethal unexploded ordnances are being deliberately handled or stored near population centres.

To date, organisations have concentrated mine clearance, mine risk education and victim assistance, but few have looked into alternative income strategies that will tackle the risks of scrap collecting.

Results:

• Production of healthy rice, maize and/or groundnut crops on cleared land
• Livestock fodder crops grow on cleared land
• Healthy livestock, especially pigs
• Improved knowledge of agricultural production, animal husbandry and income generation by both men and women

Back to top

Building Capacity For Sustainable Livelihoods  In Vietnam (2006-2009)

Where:

Vietnam

Who:

CHF and the local Vietnamese government

Funded by:

CHF and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)

Purpose:

To achieve sustainable livelihoods for isolated, rural and predominantly ethnic minority communities in the Quy Chau district of Nghe An province in north-central Vietnam.

Situation:

Approximately 90% of Vietnam’s poor live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. As much as 70% of this poverty is concentrated in northern regions of Vietnam, where the Nghe An province is located. Close to 75% of the population of Quy Chau district in Nghe An are ethnic minorities, marginalized both by their ethnicity and the remote areas in which they live.

Results:

• Building on the successes of CHF’s Community Development in Quy Chau District project (2003-2006), this second phase (2006-2009) has expanded the project’s reach in the district to assist 1,991 families (10,189 people) in 30 villages throughout Quy Chau.
• The project focuses on three main activities: livestock enterprise, food crop enhancement and clean water systems.
• Targeted at the poor and the ultra-poor in the region, the project has used a participatory method to assist the poorest households in communities in identifying their own priorities. Households have identified projects to increase rice, maize and groundnut yields; pig, cow and poultry raising; and clean water supply as their greatest priorities.
• · The project aims to achieve a 30% increase in real incomes for participating families in the Quy Chau villages.

On October 3, 2007, typhoon Lekima destroyed about 60% of farmers’ rice crop and cattle fodder crop. CHF responded by contributing 2 tons of paddy seed to help project beneficiaries start their crop over again.

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Where:

Matara and Galle, Sri Lanka

Who:

CHF and Sewa Lanka Foundation (SLF)

Funded by:

Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)

Purpose:

To assist, support and enable poor, rural households in Matara and Galle provinces to attain sustainable livelihoods and thereby reduce their economic and social vulnerability.

Situation:

The 2004 tsunami struck two-thirds of Sri Lanka’s coastline, profoundly affecting the lives and livelihoods of people living there, including those in the southern provinces of Matara and Galle. An estimated 94% of food crops and livestock assets were damaged. A range of small food and craft enterprises were also seriously affected. While relief and physical reconstruction continues in the area, the re-establishment of lost livelihoods is essential for long-term social and economic recovery.

Goals:

• Approximately 4,000 families assisted with direct project interventions; 4,000 additional families expected to benefit indirectly though the capacity building component of the project.
• Increased real income of communities, focusing on the most vulnerable groups such as women and single-parent families, through enhanced and sustainable livelihoods.
• Strengthened capacity of Sewa Lanka Foundation (SLF), community-based organizations (CBOs) and local  governments to support and sustain gender-sensitive sustainable livelihood development.
• Increased productivity and profitability of private-sector micro and small enterprises.
• Increased dialogue and cooperation among targeted communities to prevent and mitigate conflict.

Results:

• A total of 983 households now use improved methods to grow coconuts after the project provided seedlings andtraining in bed preparation and cultivation.
• Local field staff are now working more closely with farmers on a more regular basis than before the project.
• A total of 400 people (mostly men) are now growing cinnamon trees after the project provided seedlings and training.
• Close to 900 households (mostly the women) now plant and harvest vegetables in household gardens after being provided training and seeds.
• Mothers who attended nutrition education during the first stage of the project now feed their children red rice instead of bread for breakfast, improving their children’s nutrition
• More than 25 households run vegetable nurseries as a result of project support and training.
• The project has constructed or restored 59 public wells.
• Community facilitators are more confident in their abilities to coach households as a result of participation in training exercises.
• As a result of training, the CBOs have been strengthened and CBO leadership is more conscious of their duties and responsibilities.

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Where:

Mansehra, Pakistan

Who:

CHF and HAASHAR Association

Funded by:

Individual donors and CIDA

Purpose:

To assist 6,000 poor men and women living in earthquake-affected communities to restore their livelihoods sustainably

Situation:

Livestock is the backbone of the farming systems in the Konsh Valley. The earthquake of October 2005 left many buffaloes and cattle dead, and cattle houses destroyed. Tools for farming and kitchen gardening were also lost in the earthquake. The earthquake exacerbated an already precarious situation in vulnerable rural communities, and the Mansehra District valley was one of the hardest hit.

Women and children were among the worst affected. While livestock and livestock shelters have been restored through much of this area, work continues in this new project to improve the livelihoods options of men and women living in four Union Councils in Mansehra.

Results:

• Improvement of livelihoods for households involved in agriculture (winter wheat and fodder production) and animal husbandry.
• Formation of interest groups (made up of households involved in similar livelihoods activities) have been formed and have received initial training.
• HAASHAR has established strong links with government and technical experts to assist in project implementation.
• Local project staff engaged in training courses in the sustainable livelihoods approach, which focuses on the aspirations of individual households.

Sustainable Livelihoods Rehabilitation In  Four Earthquake-Affected Union Councils Of Abbottabad District

Where:

Abbottabad, Pakistan

Who:

CHF and Sungi Development Foundation

Funded by:

Individual donors and CIDA

Purpose:

To promote and improve local livelihoods through economically viable, socially acceptable and environmentally sensitive use of resources.

Situation:

A devastating earthquake hit Pakistan on Oct. 8, 2005, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale. This was the strongest earthquake in Pakistan's history. The earthquake resulted in devastating human fatalities and injuries, as well as heavy losses to infrastructure and to people’s livelihoods.

After two years, the project continues to rebuild livelihoods in an area where the land is still shifting. Individuals and families are now moving from restoring their basic needs to focusing on long-term livelihoods.

Results:

• Assets lost to the earthquake, such as livestock, shelters and farming tools, are restored.
• Local project staff have improved their knowledge and understanding required to ensure gender equality in all livelihoods activities.
• Sungi and CHF have strengthened 150 male and female field workers' communication and facilitation skills in a way that empowers beneficiaries during the planning process.
• The poorest of the poor have expressed their aspirations for livelihood support. Most aspirations fall into the areas of animal husbandry, food production and small business.
• Community facilitators from project villages are now ready to work with individual households to assist in the implementation of their livelihood plans.

Where:

Indonesia

Who:

CHF and BINA DESA

Funded by:

Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and CHF

Purpose:

To help rural farmers and villagers learn the skills they need to improve their incomes through better harvesting and marketing methods for their crops.

Results:

CHF is helping the organization Bina Desa, to learn new farming and market techniques to teach to local villagers. The villagers then learn to grow crops which they can sell. They also learn:

• basic environmental concerns and practices
• pickling, canning and drying techniques for their crops
• better farming techniques
• how to identify market and consumer demand
• how to vary the crops they grow
• how to use computers and upgrade their skills
• how to create business enterprises that benefit the entire community
• how to duplicate the programs they have learned to share with other parts of the country