Vietnam Plus - non-profit organization for community development

Community development

Community development is a broad term applied to the practices and academic disciplines of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens and professionals to improve various aspects of local communities....

 in rural areas of Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

 and Cambodia. Vietnam Plus (France) and Mekong Plus

Mekong plus

Mekong Plus is a non-profit, community development organization, providing sustainable employment for women in Southern Vietnam and Cambodia. Together with the sister enterprise Mekong Creations and Mekong Quilts, they sell products handmade by women in rural areas of Cambodia and Vietnam...

 (Belgium) work as one organization in Vietnam, while Mekong Plus

Mekong plus

Mekong Plus is a non-profit, community development organization, providing sustainable employment for women in Southern Vietnam and Cambodia. Together with the sister enterprise Mekong Creations and Mekong Quilts, they sell products handmade by women in rural areas of Cambodia and Vietnam...

 also implements projects in Cambodia. Vietnam Plus was established in France in 1901 as association and registered in 1994. Mekong Plus was established in Belgium in 2003, although the group has been active since 2000.

By its declaration, the organization has three main principles in its work:

• Target the poorest, whose income is approximately 100 € (about 1 €/day/household).
• The participation of all in the design of the programs, in the strategies and methods, and in choosing the priority activities.
• Sustainability: all actions are designed to have a long term impact without continuing external support.

The actual assistance include English language training, savings-credit program, agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 programs and training, employment, school programs and health

Health

Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...

education. One of the programs is called Vietnam Quilts and dedicated to offer income and employment for rural women.

The annual budget of Vietnam Plus and Mekong Plus constitutes about 300,000 euro (2006).