On 6 March 2024, representatives from the Soc Trang Union of Friendship Organisations, Women’s Union, Youth Union, Department of Education, and Department of Agriculture gathered to witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the People’s Committee of Cu Lao Dung District and the Norwegian Mission Alliance in Vietnam (NMA-V), led by Mr. Jan Schroder.
The five-year project, titled “Climate Change Resilience in Soc Trang Province (2023–2027)”, marks the very first time NMA-V has established its presence in Cu Lao Dung, Soc Trang. While new to the district, NMA-V’s mission remains consistent with its work across the Mekong Delta: empowering vulnerable communities to strengthen their resilience to climate change.
The project focuses on four key areas: (1) Strengthening sustainable livelihoods:
supporting families to diversify and increase income through SMART and sustainable agriculture, aquaculture, and livestock production. The project also promotes production groups, value chain development, and community-based ecotourism, while ensuring sustained access to revolving loans and Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs); (2) Enhancing community-based disaster risk management: raising awareness and improving practices related to climate change adaptation and climate change–disaster risk reduction (CC-DRR) across the communes, organising trainings on rescue operations, promoting community mobilisation and participation, and implementing the “four-on-the-spot” principle, and supporting early-warning equipment; (3) Promoting environmental protection and women’s leadership: encouraging collective actions for natural resource and environmental protection such as waste management and water reserve, strengthening CC-DRR practices within women’s networks, and building the capacity of women leaders to drive change in their communities; (4) Supporting inclusive, green and safer schools: working with teachers and students to increase awareness and practice on CC-DRR, gender equality, and inclusion. The project also supports improving school accessibility and facilities.
Through these integrated efforts, the project aims to foster stronger, safer, and more resilient communities in Cu Lao Dung— a community that are better equipped to face the accelerating climate crisis while securing sustainable futures for the next generation.
