As a key part of our work, COHED has focused on improving the livelihoods of vulnerable population groups throughout Vietnam by contributing to the broader economic and social well being of local communities, especially focus on poor rural women and ethnic populations in mountainous areas.
reduction program in Vietnam, COHED has implemented a wide spectrum of
interventions including: support for local agricultural farming with
application of new techniques; expansion and diversification of livelihood
opportunities based on local resources; community-based tourism programs; climate
change resilient livelihood development;a micro-finance service operated and
managed by local communities.
COHED has also focused on activities designed to build the
capacity of local residents in developing and nurturing livelihood
opportunities and new initiatives focused on market-oriented products and
services, including: business and organisational coaching and mentoring;
training courses; workshops; study tours; technical information dissemination;
and marketing support.
Over the period (2003 -2013) COHED delivered 213 training
courses on agricultural farming, livestock raising for 5,839 farmers, 3,628
poor rural and
ethnic households received support from COHED for improving their agricultural
farming, livestock raising, and non-agricultural income generation activities.
SPOTLIGHT: Community-based
tourism for poverty reduction
From 2011 – 2013, COHED ran a community-based tourism program as
part of the projectIntegrated HIV/AIDS
prevention program for rural sustainability in Mai Hich commune. The program
is a sustainable livelihood component of an integrated community development
programme, implemented by COHED and funded by Misereor and Brotfür die
Welt (Bread for the World).
Mai Hich commune is located in Mai Chau valley (Hoa Binh
province, Vietnam). Mai Chau valley is 130 km from Hanoi city and is a popular
destination for hundreds of thousands of local and foreign tourists each year.
Mai Hich commune and Mai Chau valley are enriched with the fascinating
indigenous cultures of the Thai and Muong ethnic populations, and features
beautiful mountainous landscapes and local food.
COHED’s involvement
COHED provided technical and financial support to the local
authority and villagers to build up the community tourism service system, which
provided a high quality tourism service for 428 domestic and international
tourists over the first year since the inception (2013)
There is a wide range of tourism products in Mai Hich commune,
including:
·
High-quality
homestay services with the capacity to accommodate 46 people per night at three
traditional stilt houses with an interesting mix between dormitory style and
private rooms
·
Traditional
dance performances, lasting over one hour, presenting different ethnic dances
that are professionally composed and performed
·
Bicycle
tours with a picturesque route through villages and paddy fields
·
Access
to souvenir and specialty shops.
Why community-based tourism?
COHED
identified community-based tourism as one way to help poor, rural Thai ethnic
households in Mai Hich commune to improve their standard of living – by sustainably
utilizing the available resources of the area. This project creates income
generation activities for households in Mai Hich commune, empowering the
community and providing a platform for sustainable economic development.
As the result of our efforts, COHED has been highly appreciated
by local people and authorities with Certificates of Merit granted by
provincial people’s committee where it conducts its community development
service.
