As an official report released at the workshop by the Provincial Department of Foreign Affairs, NGO affairs have made trides and significant achievements so far since early 2000s in many ways, particularly in terms of aid value and number of NGOs operating in the province.

With few NGOs providing some small-scale aid projects and programs in the province in 2001 and 2002, Quang Ngai has today set up sustainable partnerships with over 20 NGOs via scores of multi-disciplinary programs and projects, making the overall aid amount of around USD 4 million a year.

Statistics shows aid funded by NGOs has been increasing year by year, namely less than USD 1 million in 2003, over 2 million in 2004, 3 million in 2005, and approximately 4 million in 2007.

NGO programs and projects have also been diversified and extended to cover a wide range of sectors such as education, health, agriculture, rural development, micro finance, livelihood improvement, small-sized infrastructure and others with a focus on poverty reduction and hunger eradication, capacity building and gender equity.

Project activities are usually chosen and implemented by community people in a bottom-up and participatory approach, thus feasible and practical, meeting the real needs of the people at the grassroots level.

Operation of NGOs through their practical programs and projects has made recognizable contribution to not only poverty reduction, but also raising the awareness among the communities of gender, environment sanitation, and primary health care.

Of such significant contribution, Plan International, World Vision International, and East Meets West Foundation are most recognized and appreciated by the provincial authorities. These NGOs have introduced into the province a new approach of community development via their community-based, long-term and holistic programs known as Area Development Programs (ADP) which take a geographical district as a base for an ADP.

                                                A workshop with INGOs held in Quang Ngai

Most noteworthy is that operation of NGOs has run in line with the local socio-economic development strategies, some well interated with the provincial targets and priorities, making better effects.

NGO affairs have been seen by the local authorities as part of the province’s foreign policy, known as informal diplomacy or “people’s diplomacy”, especially since Vietnam stepped up its integration into regional and global communities marked by its household motto “Vietnam wants to be a friend and reliable partner of all countries over the world”.

M.T