Within ethnic minority groups, the burden of poverty tends to fall more heavily on women. CARE’s programming experience shows that they are affected by multiple gender-based barriers to economic empowerment, including a lack of decision-making power and voice within the household, community and market; lack of access to economic assets (including land and capital); lack of recognition from value chain actors and service providers; lack of information about policies, programmes, market, climate and agriculture; gender-based violence; and high workloads. Research by CARE in Lai Chau province found that within ethnic minority households, women accept their imbalanced workload and the associated lack of recognition. While women and men report joint decision-making on household finances and farming practices, husbands most often have final decision-making power on livelihoods and important spending. Women often have limited mobility, low literacy rates and a lack of knowledge of the Vietnamese language.

As part of CARE’s long-term programme on Remote Ethnic Minority Women, the Enhancement of Food Security for Ethnic Minorities in Northern Vietnam (EFSEM) project will strengthen food security for ethnic minority small-holder farmers in Lai Chau province in the Northwest region of Vietnam.

This project is part of a multi-country program on gender and climate change funded by the L’Oréal Foundation, implemented in Vietnam, India, Equator and Madagascar. 

The project’s overall goal is: Ethnic minority women and their families have improved food security through agricultural livelihood diversification and climate resilience. This goal will be achieved through the development and adoption of climate resilient livelihoods, improvement in agricultural productivity, enhancement of women’s capacity to cope with climate shocks and their participation in climate change and disaster risk reduction planning. The proposed project will reach at least 1,000 ethnic minority women, benefiting 4,500 people.

The project mid-term review was undertaken with the objectives:

(1) To assess mid-point results and achievements of the project (to identify the external and project-related factors affecting successful implementation and result achievement);

(2) To analyze the effectiveness and relevance of project strategies and approaches to date and in the coming years in the local context and policy environment tendencies;

(3) To evaluate the likely sustainability of results, strategies, and approaches;

(4) To draw out lessons and recommendations to inform: the adjustment of project activities, strategies, and approaches to ensure the achievement of the intended outcomes by the project’s end.

Reference link:

https://www.care.org.vn/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TOR-EFSEM-Midterm-review-1.pdf