History of Union Aid Abroad's programs in Vietnam

Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA has worked in some of the poorest and most remote areas of Vietnam, as well as the burgeoning urban areas of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City since 1985.

Agro-Forestry training in Northern Vietnam in the 1980's

Our projects were initially targeted in training health workers in the North of Vietnam. The program has expanded at the request of our partners and the Vietnamese Government, to mountainous areas like Hoa Binh and Bac Kan Provinces, the Red River Delta area nearby Hanoi, to the south in provinces surrounding Ho Chi Minh City and the North-Central provinces where rapid urbanisation and industrialisation have created challenges for the labour and health rights of workers and their families

Although millions of Vietnamese workers have found employment through work in export oriented factories, there remains a lot of work to be done to ensure their labour rights are respected. APHEDA has worked for many years in Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) to assist unions and employers protect workers from injury, disease and death in the workplace.

We also have a longstanding policy of capacity building with institutions of national importance for workers, such as the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour and its national OH&S body, the National Institute for Labour Protection.

Since starting work in Vietnam, Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA has worked with partners in over fifty projects. Project areas have historically included education and training in health, teacher training, agriculture and forestry, vocational and technical skills, gender issues, HIV prevention and stigma reduction, labour issues, occupational health & safety (OH&S), microfinance and capacity building of partners. The focus of our work has always been driven by the development and capacity needs of our partners.

In 1998, Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA was the first international NGO to receive the Vietnam President's Medal for its development contribution to Vietnam. In 2004 Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA was also the first international NGO to receive the Vietnam Women's Union President's Medal for services to women's emancipation in Vietnam.

Historical Projects

Vocational and rural skills development
2001-2005: Vocational training for young people in mountainous areas of Bac Kan Province in the fields of mechanic, electronics, motorbike repair, carpentry and agro-forestry. Training for 1630 rural people in 7 districts and town of Bac Kan Province (DOLISA)

Gender training
2004: Capacity building for female candidates standing for the People Council at 3 levels for the term of 2004 - 2009 in Hai Duong Province (Women's Union) Training for 100 female candidates.

Occupational health & Safety and environmental protection for specific industries
2004: Training for 120 members of Trade Union at Provincial and District level from the North, central regions and Hanoi. National research on OH&S situation in Small & Medium enterprises (VGCL)

HIV/AIDS training for workers
2003: The project on Improving Knowledge on Hospitality and HIV/AIDS Prevention in Hai Duong Province in preparation for the SEA Games (Women's Union)

© Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA 2003.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 05-Jan-2010 13:33:00 EST
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