srd bao cao thuong nien 2009

5Annual Report 2008-20094 Annual Report 2008-2009

Building on our impressiverecord of achievement over thepast three years, I am pleasedto announce that SRD hasagain achieved remarkableresults providing long-termsustainable agriculture andlivelihood projects in ruralVietnam. Now in the secondterm of our five-year strategicplan we have made significantprogress by successfullyestablishing additional projectsand implementing more efficientand innovative approaches toour work.

While we continue to work onsustainable agriculturaldevelopment we haveincorporated new priorities inour strategic direction thatenhance our focus on climatechange by implementing pro-active projects that meet thegrowing demand for adaptationand mitigation projects at

grassroots level. It is our greathonor that SRD is selected asthe lead agency for a three-yearcapacity building project onclimate change. The project,which is funded by the Embassyof Finland, is designed toimprove the capacity ofVietnamese civil societyorganisations to develop andimplement climate changemitigation and adaptationactivities that meet the needs ofvulnerable communities inVietnam.

Over the past year we havebeen invited to participate inmore than thirty major nationaland international conferencesand workshops including theUnited Nations Framework onClimate Change's Conference ofParties (UNFCCC's COP 15) tobe held in Bonn (June 2009),Bangkok (October 2009) andCopenhagen (December 2009).

Finally, I would like to thank ouremployees, partners anddonors for their unwaveringsupport for our life changingwork and VUSTA for theirvaluable support since SRDbegan as a Vietnamese NGO inMarch 2006.

I hope you enjoy reading ourannual report.

Yours sincerely,

Vu Thi Bich Hop

Executive Director

The Vietnam Union of Scienceand Technology Association(VUSTA) is committed to a largerange of activities thateffectively contribute to thepromotion of socialdevelopment, environmentalprotection as well as activelycollaborating with thegovernment to identify andresolve specific issues insustainable socio-economicdevelopment in rural areas.

Rural Vietnam is home to thepoorest living conditions in thecountry. Roughly 90 percent ofVietnam's poor live in ruralregions and 45 percent of therural population live under thepoverty line. Having loweducation levels and endlesseconomic, social andenvironmental problems, supportfor rural development is importantto us and our members.

The Centre for SustainableRural Development (SRD) -formed under the PresidentialCommittee of VUSTA - hasactively engaged in poverty

alleviation, sustainableagricultural and ruraldevelopment. With enthusiastic,experienced and highly-committed leadership and staff,SRD projects consistentlyachieve outstanding resultscontributing to sustainableagricultural and livelihooddevelopment.

SRD's work creating sustainablefutures for marginalisedcommunities also activelyencourages local participationthrough the establishment ofstrong, supportive, genderbalanced community basedorganisations. SRD is alsosuccessfully administering newprojects designed to helpcommunities adapt to changingclimate conditions

Over the years we havewitnessed SRD's significantgrowth and increasedrecognition within the ruraldevelopment sector. Thisincrease is largely due to SRD'senthusiastic participation in theformation and operation of local

and international NGOnetworks. This networking hasbeen increasingly significant instrengthening the coordinationand improvement of thecapacity of NGOs in Vietnam.

SRD has a professionalorganisational structure withhighly effective operations.SRD's vision, values, principlesand objectives are thoroughlycompatible with our guidingprinciples and generalobjectives and diversify ouractivities to sustain effective,poverty alleviation and ruraldevelopment activities. Onbehalf of the PresidentialCommittee of VUSTA, I wishthat with the achievements inthe past years, SRD willcontinue to move forward andcontribute even more to ruralsustainable development.

Your sincerely,

Ho Uy Liem

Vice-President

Director’s note

Letter

from VUSTA

"We must work together to create positivechange and build a prosperous and sustainablefuture for rural communities."


Who we are

Sustainable Rural development (SRD) is aVietnamese non-profit non-governmentalorganisation. We are dedicated to delivering aidand development to disadvantaged ruralcommunities, assisting them to improve theirquality of life and manage their resourcessustainably.

Our work

Our programs focus on four key areas:sustainable agriculture, rural livelihoods, climatechange and local governance. All efforts investedby SRD aim to reduce poverty, protect theenvironment and respond to climate changethrough community based activities. This is thekey to opening the door to larger initiatives in thefuture, such as mainstreaming, promoting climatechange adaptation and mitigation, joining national,regional and global networks on rice and foodsecurity, climate change as well as participating inthose topics of government programs andagriculture, rural development.

About us MapThe provinces in which SRD works are highlighted in red on the map below:

Bac Kan

Yen Bai

Phu Tho

Thai Nguyen

Thua Thien-Hue

Our values

Ownership: People should have theownership of their own development.

Sustainability: A development effort issustainable if the community can maintain andextend the results of developmentinterventions.

Equity: All members of a community shouldbe assured of equal opportunities, access toresources and benefits, responsibilities, andprotections.

Accountability/Transparency: Theorganisation, its partners and beneficiariesprofessionally and openly operate intransparent ways.

Efficiency: Achieving the best results with theleast resources.

Where we work

Our mandate is to work with the poorest of thepoor in the most marginalised regions ofVietnam. We focus our programs in the Northernuplands of Vietnam and central Vietnam. Theseregions are home to some of the highestincidences of poverty and the deepest poverty inthe country. These regions face great challengesdue to their geographical constraints, limitingagricultural development as well as access tomarkets and other physical and socialinfrastructure.

9Annual Report 2008-2009

"We have the knowledge,resources and the technology toreduce the pace of climatechange. What is needed is thevision, the courage to act."

Kofi Annan - Former Secretary General of the United Nations

Climate change presents one of the greatestthreats the world has ever seen to global socialand economic development and to the hope ofending poverty. With the world's poor typicallyrelying on agriculture for their livelihoods, theimpacts of climate change such as prolongeddroughts, flooding, severe storms, erosion andshortening growing seasons, is having adisproportionate impact on the rural poor.

Vietnam is especially vulnerable to climatechange due to its exposure to numerous climaterisks including flooding and seawater intrusion,storms, landslides, drought, and extremetemperature shifts. Lying in one of the largesttyphoon centres in the world, Vietnam, with it'slong and exposed coastline, low lying river deltasand an economy that is centred on naturalresource based livelihoods, has been identifiedas one of the world's most vulnerable regions toclimate change.

With over 58 million people in Vietnam relying onagriculture for their livelihoods, Vietnam will facedevastating long-term affects if climate change isnot addressed.

Climate

change

Pho

to s

ourc

e: w

ww

.viti

nfo.

com

.vn


At SRD, we have made climatechange a central priority of ourwork. We are integrating climatechange adaptation andmitigation across all of ourprojects, conducting a climatechange needs assessment anddeveloping new climate changeinitiatives to assist vulnerablecommunities access adaptivemeasures to strengthen theirresilience to current andprojected climate changeimpacts.

Currently we are supportingpoor communities in a numberof sustainable agriculture andlivelihoods projects that include

climate change adaptation andmitigation activities. Forexample, the System of RiceIntensification project,established in 2007, isprotecting Vietnam's riceproduction by assisting farmerswith new rice cultivationtechniques, practicing eco-friendly farming proven toincrease crop productivity, whilealso creating high environmentalsustainability.

The project 'Strengthen FarmerRice Seed Systems', due forcompletion in 2011, is workingwith farmers to maintain adiverse range of rice varieties

that can proactively adapt to thenegative impact of climatechange. Vietnam is the secondlargest exporter of rice in theworld, and projects such asthese are vital to protect theVietnamese rice trade and rurallivelihoods.

We are also actively contributingto local and international climatechange by linking with ClimateChange networks aiming tobuild the capacity of NGOs andtheir partners to effectivelyrespond to and integrateclimate change adaptationand mitigation into relevantexisting and future programs.

The growing role of civil societyorganisations in Vietnam'sdevelopment is graduallybuilding recognition from thegovernment and society. Thereare hundreds of Vietnameseorganisations increasingly anddiversely involved in sustainablecommunity livelihoods andenvironmental protection,especially at the grassroot level.These organisations are also anessential part of receiving andtransferring the domestic andinternational funding resourcesfor Vietnam's development.

However, the separate activitiesof NGOs in Vietnam are fastbecoming the biggest obstacleto hundreds of Vietnamese civilsociety organisations involved insustainable communitylivelihood and environmentalprotection. As a result, a unifiednetwork of civil societyorganisations operating inVietnam has become extremelynecessary.

As one of Vietnam's greatestrisks to development, climatechange was also considered avital aspect of the civil societynetwork. With aspirations tojointly combat climate changerelated problems, a network ofVietnamese non-governmentalorganisations and ClimateChange (VNGO&CC) wasfounded on 11th September2008. Originally initiated by SRDand other leading VietnameseNGOs, the network has becomean open forum for its membersin exchanging information,cooperation, and helping eachother to connect to the NationalAssembly, governmentalorganisations and other socialorganisations and donoragencies.

VNGO&CC network engages inlegitimate policy advocacy,monitoring the implementationof policies on climate changeand supporting members incapacity building on climatechange through communications

and training activities, both atthe institutional and grassrootslevel. SRD, elected Chair of theSteering Committee of thenetwork, commits to activelycontribute to enhance theinfluence and efficiency ofmembers' activities, andtherefore, building the voice andthe position of the network.

The immediate priority of theVNGO&CC is to increase thecapacity of members of thenetwork. A three-year projectfunded by the Embassy ofFinland was developed byVNGO&CC network and theClimate Change Working Group(CCWG), which aims to raiseawareness and build thecapacity of civil societyorganisations, primarily NGOs inVietnam on climate change.SRD has been assigned as thelead agency to coordinate thisproject, attributable to oureffective and well establishedproject experience in capacitybuilding and climate change.

By building the knowledge and capacity of civil society organisations, wecan enhance their work at the grassroots level, helping affectedcommunities minimise their vulnerability to climate change.

VNGO&CC

Network


Gender

equality

"Achieving gender equality andempowering women is not onlya goal in itself, it is also acondition for building healthier,better educated, more peacefuland more prosperous societies."

Asha-Rose Migiro, UN Deputy Secretary-General, 2007

Women plant, plough and harvest more thanhalf the world's food, yet women make-up 70percent of the world's hungry.

Women do two-thirds of the world's work yetreceive only 10 percent of the world's incomeand own only one percent of the world's land.

Women worldwide experience social andeconomic injustices everyday, howevernowhere is gender inequality more prominentthan in the developing world.

The majority of women experiencingsignificant gender inequalities live in the ruralprovinces of developing nations such asVietnam, where people are dependant onnatural resources for their livelihoods. In ruralcommunities of Vietnam, women experiencethe double burden of performing habitualactivities such as cooking, cleaning andcaring for children and the elderly, in additionto playing a pivotal economic role in ruraldevelopment and labour.

Unfortunately, patriarchalsocieties deny women theeconomic output of their labour,as well as access to trainingand technology, policy influenceand economic resources suchas land and credit, that wouldenhance their livelihood andtheir monetary and tradecontribution to the community.These cultural constraints arepushing women into poverty at

a rate disproportionate to menand creating a 'feminisation ofpoverty'.

We recognise the importance ofempowering women as a crucialaspect of poverty reduction andhave integrated genderconcerns at both organisationaland program levels. Gendercontinues to be one of ourpriorities and the goal of genderequity cuts across all of ouractivities and programs.

"We work with both men andwomen to ensure all membersof a community have access toequal opportunities andadequate resources to improvetheir livelihoods," explainsDirector of SRD, Ms Vu Thi BichHop. "We recognise theimportance men play in gendermainstreaming and that for


"We must go beyond basic material needs andaddress discrimination and inequality. Thatmeans ensuring that all poor people have accessto the resources they need - land, capital,knowledge and skills - to escape poverty."

Ban Ki-Moon, October 2008UN Secretary General

Vu Thi Hai is a farmer in PhoYen district in NorthernVietnam. Ten years ago, Hai'shusband died leaving her tomanage their farm and supportand raise their two teenagechildren alone. Frequentlyexperiencing low crop yields,

Hai's income was unstable leaving her with limitedincome to support her family.

Three years ago Hai and her family suffereddevastating food shortages after poor weatherconditions destroyed her crops. For two months

Hai could barely provide enough food for herfamily.

Despite her hardships and limited income, Haiwas determined to give her children an education."I believe education leads to better jobopportunities. I didn't want my children to strugglethe way I did."

To send her children to school Hai and her familyhad to make many sacrifices. "To pay school feeswe had to cut back on food. I had to sell 90 percentof my crops leaving little food to feed my family.When the kids were at school, I would often have to

Case study rely on family and friends for food and medicine."

In May 2009, Hai's life began to change. Hai wasnominated by her village to participate in SRD'sSystem of Rice Intensification (SRI) project. Thismethod of seed cultivation includes a set of ideas,principles and practices based on effectivemanagement of rice cultivation in order tomaximise rice productivity.

On participating in the project Hai says "I amlooking forward to learning the technical side ofgrowing rice, and of course having more income tosupport my family."

"I've also enjoyed the social activitiesof the project. Meeting other rice farmers andsharing and learning from each other has been agreat opportunity for me."

With the extra money Hai will earn from SRIpractices, Hai wants to repair her home, supporther children to find a better job and maybe evenbuy a motorbike.

With a big smile on her face, Hai went on to say"it's time to have more fun in life."

equality to take place men andwomen need to work inpartnership."

With women making-up 53percent of Vietnam's farmingpopulation, gender equality isnot only a basic human right,it is a crucial platform forincome generation andimproving the livelihoods ofentire communities.

By providing adequatetraining in income-generating activities, aswell as access to creditand technology, SRD isempowering women andentire communities tocreate a prosperous andsustainable future.


Our

achievements

Our 2008 - 2012 Strategic Plan identifies twoprogram goals: improving maginalised communities'capacity to manage livelihood systems, and pro -poor advocacy. This year we have increased ourcommitment to these goals by implementing threenew initiatives targeting the most marginalisedcommunities in Vietnam. 2009 also saw thesuccessful completion of nine long-term projects thatwill be used as a catalyst to ensure the success ofour future projects. In addition, all of our current workcontinues to demonstrate encouraging progress.

Once again, climate change adaptation andmitigation has been a priority. We have continuedto implement climate change activities across all ofour projects and increased our participation in localand international climate change networks. Wehave formed a new Climate Change team of threeProgram Officers and a Communications Officer.We have also conducted a climate change needsassessment in Bac Kan province. The results fromthese reports are being used to develop long-termstrategies and plans to support community basedclimate change response activities.

The past year has also seen an exciting new shift inour work direction. SRD staff and advisors haveagreed that to achieve superior project results it ismost important to address the multi-dimensional

Based on the successes ofpreviously trialed projects andtailored to meet local conditions andresources, our innovative projectshave achieved outstanding resultstowards reaching our goals.


Supporting farmers

in medicinal plant

cultivation

Implemented across six villagesin Khang Ninh commune, Ba Bedistrict, Bac Kan province andcompleted in June 2009, thisproject supported poor farmergroups to grow medicinal plantsto increase the land-useefficiency and improve thecommunity's cropping structure.

Initially starting with just sixhouseholds, in three years thismodel had been adopted by 122households. Through trial andexperimentation the project hasidentified five medicinal plantsthat exceed the requiredtechnical standards forsuccessful cultivation. Inaddition, local residents havebeen supported to enhance theirskills in both farming andmarketing, resulting in theapplication of new techniquesfor successful herbal cultivation.

Community

livelihood club

contribution to

poverty education

and local governance

Initially, this project focused onstrengthening the capacity ofself-managed and participatoryCommunity Livelihood Clubs(CLCs) to identify, analyse andaddress the issues of resourcesmobilisation and communitygovernance. As a result of theincreased capacity andimproved awareness of the rolesof the CLCs, over 11,000 peopleacross 30 communes in sevendistricts of Phu Tho provincehave improved their capacity toaccess and use local resourcesto improve their livelihoods. Inaddition, surrounding non-projectareas have started to adopt thisnew approach to livelihoods andgovernance.

Participatory land

use management

(PLUM)

This one year trial project aims

to improve the economic outputof poor communities byincreasing their capacity toeffectively manage their land.

PLUM has supported farmers inPhong Xuan commune, PhongDien district, Thua Thien Hueprovince, to increase their riceyield by 10 - 20% through riceintensification andexperimentation in 10households; assisted householdsincrease their income bycombining nutshell and cassavaplantations and conducted threesuccessful experiments usingcompost fertilisers and adoptedby 20 households. The projectalso supported aquaculturemodels that ensure the mosteffective use of water space.

PLUM has also facilitated twoworkshops on land managementfor local governments andfarmers. The workshop enabledfarmers, especially women, tovoice their opinions and increasetheir awareness on their rightsand responsibilities in land useand management. As a result,the Community Land Use Planwas prepared and submitted torelevant higher ranking bodies.

Poor farmers and

women manage the

irrigation system

Implemented across three poorvillages of Hung Longcommune, Yen Lap district, PhuTho province in northernVietnam, this project has madesignificant improvements in thepractice of sustainable irrigationmanagement, contributingsignificantly to food security andincome generation.

The project promotes equalaccess to water and ensuresthat farmers effectively usewater for crop cultivation. Theproject established a WaterUser Association (WUA) that isefficiently managed by farmers.The project strengthenedownership, cooperation andsolidarity among farmers in thecommunity. The project'sbeneficiaries have improvedboth their technical and socialskills through training andimplementing IPM technologies,Grassroots DemocracyOrdinance and Gender Law.

System of Rice

Intensification (SRI)

System of Rice Intensification(SRI) is simple and effectivetechnology to increase theproductivity of rice by improvingfarming management practices.The current SRI program inVietnam has been implementedacross six provinces in northernand central Vietnam. SRD isresponsible for coordinating theSRI project in Phu Tho and ThaiNguyen provinces andimplementing CommunicationsStrategies of all six provincesSRI programs. The applicationof SRI techniques has increasedrice cultivation by more than 10percent, while substantiallyreducing seed, fertiliser,pesticides and irrigation water.

To strengthen and promote theapplication and the extension ofSRI, key farmer networks werecreated in each village.Exposure visits and workshopswere also organised forhundreds of farmers andrelevant stakeholders from othercommunes/districts of theprovince.

root causes of poverty-predominantly beinginequality and weakgovernance. Therefore, it hasbeen decided that researchand advocacy will become afundamental operation of ourwork. In the coming year wewill increase our involvementin advocacy and take firsthand experience fromcommunities where we workto support evidenced basedadvocacy. Through ourpartnership with Austraining,it is expected that in 2010 anadvocacy expert will workwith SRD for 18 months. TheResearch and AdvocacyOfficer will increase ourcapacity in advocacy with theultimate goal of drivingsupport and momentum forpro-poor policy change.

We would like to extend ourgratitude to all ProgramOfficers, project partners anddonors. 2009 has been anexciting year with manygreat developments.Without your support andcontribution much of ourachievements would not bepossible.


Strengthen and

develop farmer rice

seed system

This project aims to decreasefarmer dependency on outsideseed suppliers by increasingtheir capacity to produce seedsfor their own use. Throughestablished activities such asFarmer Field Schools, Farmer-to-Farmer Extension andCommunity Learning Centres(CoLCs), ethnic minorities inBac Kan province have alreadydemonstrated impressiveresults in rice seedconservation and production.

The CoLCs provide farmerswith the necessary facilities toexperiment with seedrehabilitation, selection andproduction. Based on projecttrials, six local rice varietieshave been selected and onetonne of rice seed wasproduced. It is expected thatthree suitable rice varieties willbe included in the provincialrice seed system for wider usein the region.

Livelihoods and

sanitation

This project aims to increasecommunity sanitation andalleviate the disadvantagescaused by the geographicalisolation of the Pac Nam - themost remote district of Bac KanProvince

Through the construction ofclean water supply systems andinter-village roads as well asimprovements to school andhousehold toilets, the projecthas made progress in improvingpersonal hygiene andenvironmental sanitation andprotection.

The project has alsosuccessfully used theparticipatory method to conducttechnical and social training inboth sanitation and incomegeneration for the poor farmersand women.

Creating a brighter

future for people with

disability

In partnership with theDepartment of Labour Invalidsand Social Affairs and theCentre for Vocational Trainingand Job Creating for Peoplewith a Disability of Thua ThienHue province, we havefacilitated two self-reliant groupswith 40 members per group;developed a network of 25medical personnel deliveringdoor-to-door medical servicesand organised training insuitable income generatingactivities.

Other local activities areremoving prejudices againstpeople with a disability.Authorities and communitymembers are now recognisingthe economic contributionpeople with a disability canmake to society.

SRD's Management

and Operational Structure

VUSTA

Advisory BoardExecutive Director

Centre CommitteeDeputy Director

Sustainable Agriculture Manager

Collaborators, Government,NGOs, Developmet Agencies,

Scientists

HANOI OFFICEProgram Officers

Program CommunicationsInterns and Volunteers

BAC KAN FIELD OFFICEProgram Officer

THUA THIEN HUE FIELD OFFICE

Program AdvisorProgram Officer

Project PartnersProject Management Boards

(Province, District, and Commune Level)

Village Development Committees, CBOs, and Farmers' Groups

AccountantsReceptionist/

Admin. AssistantInterns and Volunteers

Cook, Driver, and Guards

Climate Change Manager

Research/AdvocacyManager

Finance/Admin

Manager


SRD Project PROJECT NAME Total approved

reference budget

VM004 Support farmers in growing medicinal plants to stabilise community livelihood in Ba Be district, Bac Kan province (April 2006 - June 2009) 89,736

VM005 Community Livelihood Clubs to support poverty reduction and local governance in Phu Tho province (April 2006 - June 2009) 281,125

VM006 Development of participatory land use and management (PLUM) in Thua Thien - Hue province (May 2008 - April 2011 - end of pilot phase: December 2009) 65,783

VM007 Poor farmers and women manage irrigation in Hung Long commune, Yen Lap district, Phu Tho province (March 2007 - February 2010) 185,482

VM008 System of Rice Intensification: Advancing small farmers in the Mekong region in Thai Nguyen and Phu Tho provinces (September 2008 - September 2010) 214,558

VM014 Strengthen and develop farmer rice seed system in Bac Kan province (April 2008 - March 2011) 229,580

VM015 Improvement of marginalised community's livelihoods and sanitation in Pac Nam district, Bac Kan province (July 2008 - June 2011) 265,055

VM016 Support to People with Disability in Thua Thien - Hue province (January 2009 - December 2011) 153,633

VM019 Development & conservation of traditional remedies and indigenous medicinal plants in Yen Binh district, Yen Bai province (September 2009 - September 2012) 206,310

VM020 Capacity building on climate change for civil society organisations in Vietnam (April 2009 - April 2012) 317,143

VM021 Development of participatory land use and management (PLUM) Phu Tho province (October 2009 - September 2012) 248,956

MICRO PROJECT

VM017 Community based organisation research 13,600

VM018 Need assessment on climate change mitigation and adaptation in Bac Kan province (July 2009 - December 2009) 5,484

VM022 Impact assessment of economic crisis and the Vietnamese government's stimulus policy on rural households 48,797

VM023 Budget for institutional capacity building 10,000

Total budget 2,335,242

Program portfolio

Project implementing local partners

Partner Province

Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Bac Kan

People's Committee of Ba Be District Bac Kan

People's Committee of Khang Ninh Commune Bac Kan

People's Committee of Pac Nam District Bac Kan

People's Committee of An Thang and Co Linh communes Bac Kan

Plant Protection Sub-Department Bac Kan

People's Committee of Yen Lap district Phu Tho

People's Committee of Hung Long Commune Phu Tho

Plant Protection Sub-Department Phu Tho

Provincial Traditional Medicine Association Yen Bai

People's Committee of Yen Binh district Yen Bai

People's Committee of Cam An Commune Yen Bai

Plant Protection Sub-Department Thai Nguyen

Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Thua Thien Hue

Department of Natural Resource and Environment Thua Thien Hue

Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Thua Thien Hue

Provincial Agricultural Extension Centre Thua Thien Hue

People's Committee of Quang Dien District Thua Thien Hue

People's Committee of Phong Xuan Commune, Thua Thien Hue

People's Committee of Phong Hien and Phong Binh communes Thua Thien Hue

Financial

report


Over the past three years our funding hasescalated from $US 390,000 in 2006 to over $US500,000 in 2008, equivalent to a 30% increase. Inthe first six months of 2009, we secured more than$US 700,000 from donors - well above ourfundraising target for the year.

Our total program expenditure has also increasedby more than 30% over the past three years. Thisreflects the remarkable growth in the number ofprojects from five to seven to eleven in 2006, 2007and 2008 respectively.

We are aware that sustainable sources of financewill help us make long-term plans andcommitments to fulfill our mission of tacklingpoverty. Therefore, we promote accountability,effectiveness and transparent managing systemstoward the sustainable financial growth of SRD andlong-term economic viability.

We have developed comprehensive office policiesand manuals to maintain sound accounting andfinancial practices. Our regular reportingmechanism accompanied with annual internal andexternal audits, helps us to examine the health ofcurrent internal control systems to ensure thatappropriate procedures are in place to managefinancial risk and provide reasonable assuranceand security to our financial position.

Once again we have a substantialincrease in the financial support wereceive from our valued donors.


Financial overviewWhere the money comes from

Our income comes from seven main donors: Caritas Australia, Misereor, Cordaid,Manos Unidas, Oxfam America, CIDSE, and The Embassy of Finland.

Where the money goes

Our program expenditure accounts for 88 percent of total expenditure, including shortand long term programs, and varies from sustainable agriculture, Livelihood andGovernance to Advocacy and Climate Change. Program support makes up 12percent, including audits, office maintenance, assets and equipments, insurance andadministration..

Where the money is spent

Our program expenditure is focused in five rural areas in the northern highlands andcentral Vietnam (please see the map of our project areas - page 7).

Income and expenditureFor the year ended 31st December 2008

ITEMS 2008 2007

I. INCOME

Donor funding during the year 501,704 628,221 Interest income 13,543 9,584 Exchange gain 1,924 37,325 Sundry income 401 - Total Income 517,571 675,130

II. FIELD EXPENDITURE

Programme Expenditure 597,765 356,198 Indirect Overhead Costs 18,264 24,965 Total Field Expenditure 616,030 381,163

Funding balance transferred to 2009 (114,326) 247,058

III. SURPLUS FOR THE YEAR 15,867 46,909

These figures were audited by Vietnam Independent Auditing Limited Company- VNFC (2007) and Auditing and Accounting Financial Consulting Company - AFC (2008)

Balance sheetAs at 31st December, 2008

Unit USD

ITEMS Code 31/12/2008 31/12/2007

ASSETS

I. Cash 440,779 492,204

1 Cash on hand 111 3,161 2,895 Vietnam dong 3 1,314 Foreign currency 3,158 1,582

2 Cash in bank 112 437,617 489,308Vietnam dong 27,028 690 Foreign currency 410,590 488,618

II. Short-term investments 121 - 37,278

III. Receivables 603 76

1 Accounts receivable 311 603 76 2 Other receivables - -

- - IV. Inventories - -

1 Tools, Equipment - -- -

V. Other current assets 10,095 19,962

1 Short-term prepaid expenses - -2 Advance 312 10,095 19,962

- - VI. Fixed assets 20,502 27,494

1 Tagible fixed assets 20,502 27,494 - Original cost 211 51,290 43,460 - Accumulated depreciation (*) 214 (30,787) (15,966)

2 Intangible fixed assets - -- Original cost - -

- Accumulated depreciation (*) - -- -

VII. Long-term investments 221 - 7,571

- - TOTAL ASSETS 471,979 584,585

LIABILITIESI. Short term borrowings 23,061 9,232

1 Sundry payable 3318 5,526 1,660 2 Payable to employees 334 11,997 7,572 3 Liability for share - based payment with salary 332 - -4 Other payable taxes 3337 - -5 Other payable 331 5,539 - II. Budget sources 448,918 575,353

1 Advanced budget 336 - -2 Realisation of exchange rate 413 - -3 Reserves fund 4314 107,268 94,336 4 Administrative funds 461 34,697 6,769 5 Projects funds 462 286,451 446,753 6 Resources of fixed asset 466 20,502 27,494

TOTAL LIABILITIES 471,979 584,585

These figures were audited by Vietnam Independent Auditing Limited Company- VNFC (2007) and Auditing andAccounting Financial Consulting Company - AFC (2008)

Unit USD


At SRD, our employees areencouraged to work as a team,share skills and seek answers.Our human resource strategyensures all of our employeesresponsibilities are matchedharmoniously with their skill-setso all staff can perform to theirfull potential. We believe thatthese strategies have fosteredan agency of highly skilled,professional employeesdedicated to our organisationalgoals and objectives.

In 2006 we started with a teamof 12 people, since then wehave grown by nearly 100percent to a team of 23. In the

past year we have employedspecialists in the fields ofresearch and advocacy, climatechange, finance, public relationsand communications.

We continue to provide our staffwith opportunities to participatein professional developmentactivities, courses andworkshops both locally andinternationally. We believe thatinvesting in our employees notonly ensures our staff hold themost up-to-date information andskills available, but alsoharvests motivated anddedicated staff.

Management boardMs. Vu Thi Bich Hop Executive DirectorMs. Nguyen Thi Hoa Program Manager/Deputy DirectorMs. Nguyen Kim Ngan Finance & Administrative Manager/Chief Accountant

ProgramsMr. Nguyen Vinh Quang Program OfficerMr. Nguyen Van Phuc Program OfficerMr. Le Van Anh Project Advisor (Hue based)Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Nga Program OfficerMs. Pham Thi Bich Ngoc Program Officer Mr. Nguyen Duy Thinh Program OfficerMr. Vu The Thuong Program OfficerMr. Nguyen Viet Cuong Program Officer (leave for PhD study from Sept 09)Mr. Nguyen Dinh Phuoc Junior Program Officer (Hue based)Ms. Pham Thi Le Junior Program Officer

FinanceMs. Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc Accountant & Administrative OfficerMs. Nguyen Thuy Ha Accounting Assistant

CommunicationsMr. Robert Wynn Communications Officer (Feb - Sept 09)Ms. Nguyen Mai Hanh Communications Officer

AdministrationMs. Bui Thuy Duong Administration AssistantMr. Nguyen Viet Thu IT OfficerMr. Le Tuan Anh Driver (contract completed from Sept 09)Ms. Vo Thi Van Cook & CleanerMr. Nguyen Van Bi GuardMr. Tham Trong Sinh Guard

Board of advisorsMr. Vu Van Trieu, Ph.D. Former Country Representative - IUCN VietnamProf. Nguyen Thu Linh, Ph.D. Director, Interdisciplinary Gender Centre,

National Academy of Public AdministrationMr. Tran Ngoc Tue Finance Director, Save the Children in VietnamMr. Nguyen Dinh Anh Former-Chief of the NGO Division,

Department of International Finance Cooperation, Ministry of Finance Mr. Tran Phong, MA. Director, Centre for Environment Training and Communication,

Vietnam Environment Administration, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment

Our staff

Volunteers

Staff listOur employees are our greatest asset, we are committed to supportingindividual and organisational learning and maintaining a supportiveworkplace.

This year we formed apartnership with AustrainingInternational. Austraining, onbehalf of AusAID - theAustralian government agencyresponsible for managingAustralia's overseas aidprogram, manages two ofAustralia's most successfulvolunteer programs. AustralianYouth Ambassadors forDevelopment (AYAD), placesskilled young Australians intoregional countries for capacity-

building assignments of up to 12months in duration. TheVolunteering for InternationalDevelopment from Australia(VIDA) program places highlyskilled volunteers forassignments of up to 36 monthsin duration.

The past year saw the arrival ofan experiencedCommunications Officernominated for the position byour donor Caritas Australia. We

are currently in the process ofdeveloping a five-year strategicpartnership with AustrainingInternational. In 2010 threemore Australian professionals inthe fields of communications,climate change and advocacywill volunteer with us.

For more information visit:

www.ayad.com.au www.vidavolunteers.com.au


Written by: Robert Wynn

and SRD staff

Edited by: Vu Thi Bich Hop

Photographs by: SRD staff

CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT

No. 56, Lane 19/9, Kim Dong, Hoang Mai District, Hanoi, VietnamTel: (84-4) 3943-6678/76 Fax: (84-4) 3943-6449

Email: [email protected] Website: www.srd.org.vn

Annual Report 2008-2009

srd bao cao thuong nien 2009

Documents