Community Development provides extra work
Since 2019, MCNV has been supporting the multi-year forestry project Prosper for farmers and foresters in Quang Tri. With sustainably produced wood they can improve their income and together they ensure the preservation and protection of the forest.
Villagers who live close to the forests are no longer allowed to cut trees haphazardly, but can harvest bamboo, herbs and seeds. If they then process the plants and seeds in a good way, they can get a better price for them in the market.
Progress in the villages
With the next step in the Prosper program we want more people to share in the profits from the forest. We organize activities in which the villagers work together to make and sell non-wood forest products. In addition to being able to improve their income and structurally create more work, they learn skills and develop themselves. The latter is important for everyone, but especially for the (young) women in the villages, where life can sometimes be pretty hopeless.
The forest provides everything
From dried bamboo shoots to natural herbal shampoo, the forest provides the villagers with all the raw materials for these natural products. We expect the demand for sustainably produced forest products to increase in the near future. The previously started small ecotourism project in Chenh Venh also contributes to the sustainable conservation and management of the forest. Tourists from the city can stay overnight at a waterfall. We are happy to continue with it, so that even more women can get started in the ecotourism project.
All activities of MCNV in the remote forests of Quang Tri are aimed at improving the living conditions of the people. We call it Livelihood and it is one of the spearheads of the MCNV strategy. MCNV receives a subsidy from the European Union for the sustainable forestry program Prosper, on the condition that we bear part of the costs ourselves. This spring we will ask for your (extra) contribution. Thank you very much for that!
With warm regards,
Karin Vlug, MCNV Amsterdam
*On page 4/5 of the MCNV Magazine you can read more about the activities in the Prosper program.
