PANO – A working delegation led by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organization on November 15 visited the northern province of Ha Giang to study changes in lives of the local people after four years implementing a project, funded by ActionAid and the European Union.

In Quan Ba district, Le Trung Thanh, Deputy Manager of the project “Enhancing the role of social organizations in rural development”, said that Quan Ba is one of the poorest districts in Ha Giang province, and mainly home to the H’mong ethnic minority group. The district is also among 62 poorest districts in Vietnam, which are benefiting from the Government’s Master Plan 30A to eradicate hunger and reduce poverty.

Mr. Sen Thang Long, Deputy Chairman of the Quan Ba District People’s Committee (l) during the talks

However, Thanh said that Quan Ba has great potential to develop agriculture and tourism.

Thanks to the project implemented in its four communes from January 2013 to January 2017, the image of the localities and quality of life have now been improved. With the budget of about VND 2 billion, Quan Ba has initiated 18 community projects under management of 14 clubs, to build concrete bridges and communal houses or install electric facilities.

The initiatives brought about changes to the ethnic groups, helping them master their lives though community cohesion.

Mr. Sen Thang Long, Deputy Chairman of the Quan Ba District People’s Committee stressed that the project is seen as a success story because it helped improve people’s awareness and mobilize community strength.

Long expected that the locality would receive more domestic and international assistance to implement additional projects in the time to come.

Translated by Thuy Duong