Supporting community-led development in central Vietnam
Once land is safe, PeaceTrees supports community-led development projects that help address generational poverty rooted in the aftermath of war. To ensure that these projects provide tangible and sustainable benefits, PeaceTrees works in close collaboration with local communities and Vietnamese leadership and prioritizes their participation in project selection, design, and evaluation.
These projects have included micro-credit funding and support for families to begin black pepper farms, and healthy garden programs to improve nutrition and enable participating women to sell vegetables at the market. Built in 2002, the PeaceTrees Friendship Village includes the Friendship Village Kindergarten, a community hall, sports fields, and 100 homes with running water for economically disadvantaged families who have been impacted by explosive ordnance.
PeaceTrees also aims to support communities as they begin tackling challenges brought about by extreme weather events and climate change related hazards. Increasingly, community development projects aim to address flood risk, support the diversification of livelihoods, and provide access to clean water in communities that experience the dual impact of environmental hazards and war legacy.
PeaceTrees’ approach ensures meaningful collaboration with community members, so that programs remain adaptive and responsive to local priorities and needs.
