Livelihood

The primary focus of Plan’s livelihood program is increasing household income, we do this in may ways - the examples below highlight particular projects.

'Microfinance' opens doors for rural women
A microfinance project in two villages in the Quang Ngai area, is providing women with opportunities to start up businesses and improve their income.

Women borrowers are organised into solidarity groups of five or six, and they guarantee to payback one another’s loans. If one woman is unable to repay, then the others assist her. In this way, no collateral is necessary to gain access to credit. Their solidarity is enough.

Dan Zook

Womens Group in Quang Ngai - Microfinance Project

The procedures are very simple, and the program is organised in the village, so there is no need to travel to a large bank which could be costly, intimidating, and take time away from other activities. Loans are combined with training on agricultural and animal raising techniques, so women can make more productive use of their loans.

In a region where over 80% of the population depends on agriculture, the local population is often subject to unsteady income and huge seasonal and market fluctuations. Harvest incomes do not always coincide with a need for cash for school fees, medical assistance or investment opportunities.

The microfinance program helps families to generate more steady and regular sources of cash, especially useful when they need it most. And beyond the financial benefits of the program, it also brings women together to work with others in their community; it builds confidence, leadership, and strength.

The project is locally managed by community leaders, so all of the skill training in accounting, monitoring, management, and evaluation remains within the community.

As the loan fund continues to grow through the collected interest, the program can reach other nearby villages and have a continuing impact long after Plan moves on to other areas that need more focused attention.

Fertilizer and pesticide training increases family incomes

Many farmers in Vietnam rely on rice cultivation for their incomes. Unfortunately, inadequate training means that many do not exploit the newly available farming methods, notably making improper use of fertilizers and insecticides. While traditional methods of rice cultivation still play an important role in Vietnamese agriculture, modern scientific knowledge undoubtedly has a lot to offer the farmers.

As such, Plan provided support through technical assistance and helped farmers buy training materials, learn experimental methods and hire technical trainers. During the training, farmers receive detailed technical guidelines and pest prevention methods.

Families can now raise their incomes by applying the knowledge and experience they have learned during training. And as a result, parents will be better able to meet the basic needs of their children.