The BPLIP program focused on improving the economic stability of local people and communities through increased incomes and reduced vulnerability by creating resilience in targeted communities across Binh Phuoc province. The activities involved with this program include:
- Cow Loan Program
- Capacity and life skill building and activities, especially in community and household sanitation.
Duration: 05 years (July 2008 – June 2013)
Donor(s): ADRA New Zealand, HELP Int’l, and private donors through ADRA International
Location: Binh Phuoc Province (Dong Phu and Binh Long districts)
Sector: Livelihood
Beneficiaries: 280 poor people who are members of 55 Farmer Groups in the poor communities of the project areas
Main partners: Provincial/ district/ commune People's Committee, Women’s Union, Farmers' Association, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Health Station, Veterinary Center, Agriculture Extension Center.
Stories from the Project:
Hoang Thi Ngoc Xuan was a young woman of the Tay ethnic minority group, who migrated to Binh Phuoc from the North in 1996. Both she and her husband were farmers but they had no land. Their only source of income came from working as casual labourers for small jobs, which were often physical and hard, all year round. Her family was officially categorized as "poor" in the government system.
However, she was a very active community member and was serving as the head of the village Women's Union. When she joined BPLIP project she was nominated to become head of the Farmers Group (FG) too. Under her leadership, her FG was thriving. The Commune Project Coordinating Committee (CPCC) members of Thuan Phu commune and project staff always found it much easier to implement activities and conduct regular Monitoring and Evaluation in her group's location.
When the project provided cow loans to her FG, she decided to let other members in her group receive the loans first. She did not want other FG members to think that she took advantage of her position for personal gain. She was willing to wait for the next phase.
When members for the new FG's were being selected, the CPCC had to consult her because she was familiar with the status of each household and was willing to share with the CPCC and the project. In her own group, she encouraged the members to attend monthly meetings, participate in the discussions, and even to set up their own fund.
When the project provided construction materials for the construction of water and sanitation facilities, she was instrumental in the reception and distribution of the materials according to plans. She also worked alongside the Clean Water Management Board when the CPCC decided to build a well for the primary school in her area.
When asked what motivated her to participate in the project so actively, she simply said she was touched by what the project was doing in her community. She also expressed her happiness when her family received support to build a small brick water tank to replace the old one (made of water-proof canvas encasing a wooden frame).
She wished the project could continue to help more poor members of her community. For her part, she expressed her commitment to helping the CPCC maintain the cow loan activity in her commune after the project.