RDSC activities as seen by a Field Mission / Labour Market Project

From the Mission report:

Rural Development Service Centre (RDSC)

The RDSC is a local Vietnamese NGO based in Hanoi. It has activities in Phu Tho and its office is based in Thanh Son district consisting of 5 staff members, one staff member a woman and a university graduate from the Agriculture University (number one in Hanoi) is responsible for all RDSC activities in Yen Luong Commune. RDSC staff at the field level are oriented and trained prior to taking on their field responsibilities.

Activities

§ RDSC is supporting a women’s rotating savings and credit fund in collaboration with the Women’s Union which manages the programme through women heads of hamlets. Women participants are selected on the basis of criteria, and each member in this scheme contributes to a savings fund which is then on lent first to the poorer members. The women heads in each hamlet have been trained by RDSC to manage the credit system and they in turn train other women participants. There are a total of 329 members in the savings and credit programme who have contributed VND 35 million, and RDSC has capitalized the fund with VND 54 million (89 million). To date 152 members have received loans. The maximum loan amount is VND 300-400, 000.

§ Capacity building training is being implemented through short one day workshops for 25 participants on animal husbandry, planting, and other farming techniques, and financiall management of credit.

§ Built a laboratory station for providing breeding animals (e.g. rabbit, pig)

§ The RDSC staff has provided technical advice on rice planting and other agricultural activities

The capacity building training is being piloted by RDSC in 2 hamlets out of the total 11. It was pointed out that a reason for setting up the Savings and Credit Fund was that VSBP in 2008 could only provide credit to 35 household out of 493 households. It is also aimed at improving the status of women in the commune many of whom are single heads of households.

Group discussion with women heads of the hamlets in the Savings and Credit Scheme

§ The women heads are Muong women with educational levels ranging from grade 5-9. RDSC has trained them in the savings and credit system and formats for keeping records.

§ Some of the general problems cited by them are the lack of finances, lack of food and other amenities, and that their crops are easily lost because of floods.

§ While the credit has been very useful in financing their activities in planting sugar cane, poultry raising and pig breeding, the loans provided are very small e.g. to buy buffaloes or cows and expand their economic activities

§ The savings and credit programme has benefited the women, as they can now buy feed for the chicken, ducks and pigs. Their husbands are sharing in household responsibilities and in supporting the economic activities as compared to those household which have not received any loans

§ Women heads were quite active and articulate in expressing their ideas

Visit to the house of the women head of the savings and credit group

The mission visited the home of one of the women heads, a member of the savings and credit group who is engaged in pig breeding. She has utilized her loan well and as a result has benefited and improved her livelihood. She was continuing to invest in it.

The visit to this commune was very encouraging as the authorities were interested AND activities of RDSC are responding to peoples’ needs. The mission was impressed by the RDSC staff, her work plus the fact that she is also able to provided agricultural technical advice, and was working in collaboration with the commune authorities and community and had established good rapport and relationships with them.

  Return    Print    Tell friends    Go Top