What we do

We are committed to building a people-centred development model that is feminist and values what truly matters to society. We aim to enable the voices and agency of citizens to strengthen accountable governance. And we work for inclusive, participatory decision-making in efforts to tackle climate change, end inequality, and bring long-term sustainable change. These broad aims are realised through three specific goals:

Goal 1: Gender Equality and Women’s Agency

Despite a strong legal framework on gender equality, women in Vietnam continue to experience discrimination and often lack economic and political opportunities. Gender-based violence remains widespread; about 58% of ever married women aged 18-60 experience some form of violence at the hands of their husbands or intimate partners at least once in their lifetime.

To tackle these issues, we aim to embrace diversity and influence policy to ensure women’s full participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. We work for inclusive growth and equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources. By challenging and changing social norms, we fight to end gender-based violence.

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Goal 2: Social Accountability and Empowered Citizens

Although Vietnam’s Constitution supports people’s rights to association and freedom of expression, in practice citizens have limited opportunities to participate in decision-making.  Our governance work aims to empower citizens, particularly those from disadvantaged groups, to raise their voices on the issues that affect their lives.

We support decision-making processes that are fair, transparent, and enable citizens to participate effectively. Supporting a vibrant and dynamic civil society is a key element of our governance work. We connect civil society actors and the private sector to create new networks and a shared civic space. We also work with the business community to ensure fair and inclusive financing for development activities, and towards improved corporate governance. 

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Goal 3: Secured Livelihoods and Resilient Communities

 Our aim is to protect and secure the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and vulnerable people. We achieve this by working with small-scale producers and the private sector to improve access to resources, such as land, water and finance. To ensure vulnerable groups are able to benefit from economic development, we engage with our government partners to ensure development policies are inclusive and sustainable.   

We also work to enhance the resilience of vulnerable communities in high-risk areas. This means they are better able to adapt to disasters and mitigate the effects of climate change, and are less impacted by extreme weather events. When natural disasters occur, resilient communities and are able to recover more quickly.

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