Viet Nam - Poverty Assessment Scoping Mission

This design mission involved the provision of a poverty expert who designed an 8 month participatory poverty assessment process for the Mekong Delta Region of Viet Nam to be lead by AusAID.

An Aus Health International Povery Adviser worked with AusAID in Hanoi and in Ho Chi Minh City to assess the feasibility and need for a Mekong Delta Poverty Assessment, which would guide AusAID's future projects in Viet Nam. The adviser consulted with key donors, NGOs, academic institutions and consultants active in the Mekong Delta Region in order to assess the poverty situation, existing sources and quality of data, donor activities, and the capacity of local partner organisations. In addition, extensive consultation with provincial government was held to assess their needs and also their willingness to participate in an assessment.

Following the above extensive consultation, the adviser prepared a participatory two-stage poverty assessment that would synthesise existing information, including working with the 12 Mekong Delta local governments to analyse their data, and would undertake focused studies into key areas. The poverty assessment is gauged to take up to 8 months to complete and would involve widespread discussion of the results and local involvement and ownership.