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The CDF contributes to reduce poverty in Vietnam’s cities through community-centered small projects. |
The Association of Cities of Vietnam held a national workshop on strengthening and expanding the community development fund (CDF) in Quy Nhon city. It is mainly aimed at helping reduce the poverty in urban areas.
Credit saving for infrastructure construction
Representatives of the Party Commission for External Affairs, Association of Cities of Vietnam, the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR), Environmental Development Action in Vietnam (ENDA Vietnam), other agencies, and 128 delegates of 28 cities attended the workshop.
The report showed that CDF’s member cities have contributed to the development of the CDF network last year basing on the sponsorship pumped through ENDA Vietnam.
Accordingly, Da Nang city has maintained the operation of 2,000 credit saving groups; Quy Nhon city saw many events aiming to build houses and key works in residential areas.
Also, the CDF Steering Committee extended its international relationship to help the fund become more effective, let alone ACHR’s financial assistance of US$200000 for Association of Cities of Vietnam to implement two housing projects and 15 small-scaled ones.
Poor communities were mobilized to carry out the credit saving to develop infrastructure, said deputy secretary of Association of Cities of Vietnam, Dr Vu Thi Vinh. The ACHR’s support for building roads and houses in poor residential areas attracted the participation of the community.
According to the target of the CDF Steering Committee, there will be 100 cities joining the CDF by 2011. It is also necessary to extend the cooperation with international organizations and ask for more financial support from the State budget, aiming to effectively implement small projects.
Mobilizing community for small projects
Vinh said that all cities wanted to mobilize the community to carry out small projects. This is considered as a sustainable development measure.
Cities need to receive the financial assistance to carry out small projects basing on the community mobilization. Also, the association of cities of Vietnam hoped to receive the sponsorship from international organizations to extend the CDF, helping eliminate poverty in Vietnam’s cities.
ENDA Vietnam has carried out the CDF in some cities, such as Ha Noi, Da Nang, Can Tho, and Quy Nhon since 1997, said ENDA Vietnam director, Le Dieu Anh. It has begun to coordinate with the Association of Cities of Vietnam to expand the CDF network since 2007.
The coordination between two sides helped to connect CDFs in cities and build more funds in newly-established ones. About 100 cities are expected to join the CDF by 2012, she added.
ENDA Vietnam plays an important role in helping cities build the CDF network and basing on that communities and cities will be linked to each other to resolve poverty-related issues in urban areas.
At the workshop, ACHR’s General Secretary Soomsock Bonyabancha briefed participants on the results of the ACCA program, which brought changes in alternative development to poor people at 150 cities in 15 Asian countries.
Participants also spent time talking about other issues, such as “giving rights” to the community, community participation in planning and housing construction, and experiences in the CDF management.
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