r be m ce De 08 20 Oxfam + Vietnam – 20 Year Anniversary
Van Thi Minh Chau – Oxfam’s longest-serving staff member People’s Committee: “Let People Understand” Ethnic Minority Women Doing Business Preparing for Disasters: Village Radio & Mezzanine Floors Together for Change
Stop Poverty, Stop Climate Change
Van Thi Minh Chau
Gansu, Hong Kong, Poland: Collecting Colours Global petition: www.oxfam.org/en/campaigns/climatechange
By Phuong Chi
unfiltered water from distant springs
loans for women to raise pigs, provided
responsible for the maintenance and
in the mountains, the same water that
seeds and technical assistance for
sustainability.”
animals used. Disease was rampant.
fruit orchards, and organised teacher
When Chau went to Khe Nap,
There was a sub-standard school,
training. As coordinator, Chau involved
another village in the same district and
with inadequately trained teachers and
people all along the way: it is Oxfam’s
also with a new school and water system,
very basic facilities, so many parents
practice that people participate in the
it was clear how much she is cherished
did not think it was worth it to spend
entire process of planning, construction,
and respected. The villagers, this time
the little money they had to send their
implementation, maintaining and
of the Khmu minority, extended a warm
children there. Instead, many boys and
monitoring.
welcome, giving her warm hugs. “Chau
girls helped out in the fields. Either
“At first, people asked why they did
is very considerate in her job,” a Khmu
way, the young generation was losing
not receive payment for the work they
woman said. “She inspired us to get
out on a good education.
did in Oxfam’s project, because they are
involved from the beginning.”
“It was the first time people in Xop
normally paid in similar government-
Nhi had the chance to work with a
funded projects. I reminded them that
development organisation,” Chau said.
they are the ones who benefit from
“We talked a lot with the residents,
and own the construction, and are also
Van Thi Minh Chau is a Coordinator of Oxfam Hong Kong’s livelihood projects across Vietnam. She is based in Hanoi. Phuong Chi is a reporter with the Vietnam News Agency.
collecting their opinions, and making a
Chau (left) and villager in Nghe An
project plan together to ensure that it was effective and efficient. Oxfam had
When I met Van Thi Minh Chau,
her home province. She is Oxfam Hong
to be very flexible. No single model of
I was struck by her athletic physique,
Kong’s very first project officer in
good practice can work everywhere,
gentle smile, and the decisive look in
Hanoi and the longest-serving staff
especially in different ethnic minority
her eyes. Community development is
member there.
communities, and the most important
hard work, and even harder in some of
Chau remembers the first time she
thing in any community-based project
the country’s poorest areas: the remote
went to Xop Nhi, a Thai minority village
is for the residents to come to decisions
mountainous communities, which she
in Nghe An. It was 2002, and the living
suitable for themselves.” To Chau,
visits at least once a month, for up
conditions were extremely basic. Even
working with minority communities
to two weeks at a time. It seems that
getting there was difficult: she had to
requires good listening, patience, an
Chau’s sensibility and personality
walk up and down the slopes, a walking
open mind, and an understanding of
suits the job: she has been managing
stick in one hand, a knife in the other in
traditions.
li velih o o d s p roje c t s wi th e thni c
order to clear the paths. Most villagers
The Xop Nhi community built a
minority people for 15 years now in
kept animals under their wooden
fresh water system with a filter, plus a
several provinces, including Nghe An,
homes built on stilts, and they drank
new primary school. Oxfam gave small
Chau (first row, second from left), Phuong Chi (third from left), Oxfam Hong Kong colleagues and media personnel on a field trip in Nghe An.