Challenges to Rural Poverty Reduction in Viet Nam - Oxfam Blogs

eduction in the 61 poorest districts of the country (the number of districts has
subsequently been changed to 62 due to administrative re-division).
A core poverty monitoring assessment group of 15 to 25 people was established in
each province. The group comprised of:
17
• Representatives of provincial departments: Foreign Affairs, Planning and
Investment, Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Agriculture and Rural Development,
Committee for Ethnic Minorities, Statistics Office, Farmer’s Association, Women’s
Union, and Youth Union.
• Representatives of district divisions: Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs;
Agriculture and Rural Development; Finance and Planning; Statistics; Fatherland
Front; Farmer’s Association; Women’s Union; Youth Union; and field staff of
ActionAid and Oxfam programmes in the localities.
• Representatives from communes and villages selected for survey.
Core groups were responsible for monitoring in their own locality, and were involved in
organization as well as data collection and the drafting of field reports. They received
technical support from consultants of Truong Xuan (Ageless) Company and Programme
Officers from ActionAid and Oxfam.
The framework: themes and hypotheses
Data collection was organised around four themes and hypotheses.
THEME 1: The gap between the rich and the poor. Poverty, disadvantage, and
inequality are often the result of power imbalances. The gap between the rich and the
poor can be defined quantitatively as differences in income, expenditure, and assets,
or qualitatively as differences in people’s voice and representation and their access to
resources, services, and markets. Hypothesis: in the context of global economic
integration and government reform, people who are better educated and better
skilled, and who have access to social networks and supporting services, are
more likely to progress faster than those who do not enjoy such advantages.
THEME 2: Vulnerability. Poor people and communities often face serious and sustained
risks. Poverty is often linked to lack of food security and unstable livelihoods caused by
market changes, insecure employment opportunities, lack of social security support, and
natural disasters and disease. Hypothesis: with larger cash-commodity production
and better access to markets, some people can take better advantage of market
opportunities and cope with changes in prices and other risks and shocks. Those
who cannot adjust in this way are likely to encounter difficulties or fall back to,
or below, the poverty line.
THEME 3: Gender Relations. Poor women have roles and voices different from men’s.
They also face significant challenges: employment opportunities, equality in discussions
and negotiations with men when making key decisions, access to services, participation in
community activities, and children’s education. Hypothesis: a general improvement
in living conditions is associated with significantly improved roles for women
in decisions about their children’s education, in decision-making generally, in
community activities, and in the division of household labour.
THEME 4: Participation and Empowerment. Strengthening the role and voice of
poor people requires increasing access information, levels of participation, and even
taking the lead in monitoring and evaluation local poverty alleviation programmes
and projects. Hypothesis: in the new economic conditions, local authorities will
face challenges in bringing higher levels of decentralization, participation,