Program background

Cam Thuy South is located in Cam Thuy District. This is a semi-mountainous district, 73 km from Thanh Hoa City (the capital city of Thanh Hoa Province), and 240 km far from Hanoi. Within the district, there are two main roads, which go along the Ma River. The district roads are in poor condition and transportation from village to village is limited.

Cam Thuy is divided into 19 communes, one district town and has 201 villages. It occupies a land area of 42,410.85 hectares, including 10,382.83 ha of agriculture land, 6,625.18 ha of forestry purposes and 22,340 ha of uncultivated, of which 14,489 ha is bare-land, great for introducing the SALT (Sloping Agriculture Land Technology) and VAC models (gardening, fish rearing and animal husbandry).

Cam Thuy’s population is estimated at 110,185, with 22,796 households. Three ethnic groups live in the district, including the Muong (50%), Kinh (49%) and Dzao (1.0%). Almost 90% of Cam Thuy’s population is involved in agricultural activities (rice planting in rice paddies and wet fields, cassava, sugar-cane and maize plant on sloping land).

Program description

Cam Thuy South ADP is an integrated, long-term program working closely with local partners to directly support more than 22,700 people combat the effects of poverty and improve their standard of living. Interventions focusing on agriculture, micro-enterprise development, education, health-care, childcare and protection, and capacity building are tailored specifically to the communities needs. This holistic approach encourages community participation and ownership, builds a firm foundation for the program’s sustainability and addresses the root causes of poverty.

Program development

Human trafficking prevention

• As part of the Mekong Delta Regional Trafficking Strategy Project (MDRTS), awareness-raising activities on trafficking prevention are implemented at the community level. Activities focus on building capacity of local organizations and community members in combating trafficking of women and children.

Health

• Hamlet health workers are trained on pre-natal and post-natal care and common disease prevention and treatment.
• Mothers and caregivers receive training on breastfeeding and complimentary feeding practices, improving nutrition practices at the grass-roots level.
• Children receive annual health check-ups to monitor their growth and development. Additional treatment is provided when necessary.
• Twice a year de-worming tablets are provided to school children.
• Basic equipment is provided to ward health stations, improving the quality of health care they can provide.
• Construction of household latrines assists in improving community sanitation practices.

Agriculture

• Farmers receive training on improved agricultural techniques, including VAC (a model which combines gardening, fish rearing and animal husbandry). This training helps farmers improve the quality and quantity of crops they can produce. They are also trained on duck raising and tree planting, enabling them to diversify their incomes.
• Farmers receive training on integrated pest management (IPM) and rodent control, learning valuable skills to prevent their crops from being damaged/destroyed.
• Fruit seedlings are provided to households, improving many families capacity to earn an income.
• Small irrigation systems have been constructed and farmers are being trained on participatory irrigation management (PIM).

Education

• Children in difficult circumstances receive scholarships to attend school and are provided with school uniforms, alleviating the financial burden from their families.
• Construction of a new primary school, primary and kindergarten classrooms, and the provision of essential equipment such as desks and chairs provide safe and effective learning environments for children.
• Teachers receive training on new teaching methods, increasing their professional skills and improving the quality of education taught at kindergartens, and primary and secondary schools.
• Schools are financially supported to organize outdoor activities, giving primary, secondary and high school children the chance to further develop their skills. Activities include: football games, music performances, literature workshops and handwriting contests.

Micro-enterprise development

• Loans are provided to poor women, giving them the opportunity to start a small business and earn an income.
• There are plans to develop a disaster mitigation plan and reserve fund for disaster relief response.
• Capacity building
• Training on gender awareness is provided to women, encouraging them to learn about their rights.
• Hamlet facilitators receive business development and marketing training, and share their experiences and lessons learnt with the rest of the community.
• Program partners receive training on effective program planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, enabling them to effectively implement program activities.
• Child rights awareness activities are conducted at the community level, promoting child safety and protection.