Working beyond the grassroots: An evaluation of the CHIA poverty alleviation programme 2003 to 2008

Description:
Sida Review 2010:04 / By working at village level (i.e. beyond the lowest tier of the administrative system), the Chia Se programme has demonstrated that with the right support, investments can be decentralised and used to empower local people. While there have been shortcomings in the design and management of the programme, many stakeholders and beneficiaries see clear benefits from the approach. Chia Se could be said to be at the forefront of rural development in Vietnam with its pro-poor orientation and decentralisation to the village level, but less innovative in terms of management and its aid modality – a mixture of experimental and conventional. The approach of Chia Se is considered to be well suited to address persistent poverty in Vietnam. The design process of Chia Se is seen as innovative within the Vietnamese context; using workshops at the provincial level to design the programme from the bottom-up, based on local demands.