Back Into the Light: The Inclusion 1 Project Helps a Young Man Rebuild His Life After Disability
At the age of 20, Ho Van Doai, a young ethnic Bru Van Kieu man from Xa Lang hamlet in Quang Tri province, stood on the threshold of a bright future, full of dreams and possibility.
Then, in 2022, fate intervened: a sudden disability left Doai paralyzed. Overnight, his world shrank, confined to a small, cramped wooden room lit only by a dim overhead bulb. Imprisoned in his bed, fully reliant on his mother’s unwavering care, Doai watched his life drift by, day after day, without any prospect of change.
Before support arrived, Doai lay on his bed in a small room, unable to move or take part in daily life outside (Credit: Dam Mai/MCNV)
His mother’s love was boundless, but she lacked the essential tools, the know-how, and, crucially, the hope. Feeding, cleaning, and supporting Doai were all done flat on the bed—no rehabilitation, no expectation of a different life. The crushing silence of abandonment seemed to settle over their home.
Then, the intervention arrived. Since July 7, 2025, the Inclusion 1 project—implemented by Medisch Comité Nederland -Vietnam (MCNV) with support from the US government—reached out.
Every weekend, a dedicated team of technicians and rehabilitation specialists braved steep hills and rough roads to reach Doai’s small house. They began with a thorough assessment. They initiated a rehabilitation plan, provided essential assistive devices, and, perhaps most pivotally, they taught Doai to believe again.
A custom-made rope was fixed, allowing him to pull himself into a sitting position for the first time in years. His mother was enrolled in a comprehensive caregiver training course, reinforced by visits from a nurse at the district health center. She learned to help Doai sit up, to transfer him safely into a project-provided wheelchair, and to push him to the bathroom for a proper shower. For the first time in three years, Doai felt the cool, cleansing rush of water instead of being merely wiped down.
With new skills and assistive support, Doai now enjoys sitting outside in his wheelchair, greeting the world with a bright smile (Credit: Ho Huu Nhan/MCNV)
Today, every morning, Doai is wheeled to the threshold of his house, his wheelchair positioned in the sunlight. He breathes the open air. The dim bulb of his former confinement is now eclipsed by the brightness of the front yard and the possibilities that remain. Challenges related to mobility, accessibility, and livelihoods still lie ahead, but the journey has begun, and the shadow has definitively lifted.
During Quarter 3/2025, thanks to the Inclusion 1 Project, more than 300 people with disabilities in Quang Tri province, Hue, and Da Nang cities received crucial home-based rehabilitation services. Meanwhile, over 250 people received assistive, orthotic, and prosthetic devices to significantly improve their activities of daily living and overall quality of life.
The Inclusion 1 Project is funded by the U.S. Government and owned by the National Action Center for Toxic Chemicals and Environmental Treatment (NACCET). The Center for Creative Initiatives in Health and Population (CCIHP) serves as the managing partner. MCNV is one of the implementing partners responsible for delivering rehabilitation services and providing professional capacity building for health workers./.
Improving Livelihoods for Poor Women in Phu Yen
On June 17, 2025, in La Hai Township, Dong Xuan District, Phu Yen Province, MCNV, in collaboration with the District People’s Committee and the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dong Xuan District, organized a closing workshop for the project “Boost Income and Jobs for Poor Women in Ethnic Minority Areas of Dong Xuan District” (referred to as the BIJPO project).
The BIJPO project has been being implemented over a three-year period, from November 2022 to November 2025, across 15 ethnic minority villages of six communes of Dong Xuan District, including Da Loc, Phu Mo, Xuan Lanh, Xuan Phuoc, Xuan Quang 1, and Xuan Quang 2. The objectives of the project are to create jobs, improve working conditions, and enhance agricultural production and business capacity for poor women through the operation of women’s cooperative groups and household-scale production groups, thereby providing local food sources and increasing income through agricultural products.
The project’s key interventions include:
(1) Supporting women-led production and business cooperative groups such as plastic chair weaving, red rice production, brocade weaving, community-based tourism, acacia seedling nursery, agricultural product processing, and cattle breeding;
(2) Enhancing household production capacity and conditions through diversified production models, such as fish farming, fruit tree planting, scattered forestry planting, organic vegetable gardening, mushroom growing, black snail raising, and provision of grass-cutting machines;
(3) Supporting micro-entrepreneurs in expanding production and trade activities to supply food and agricultural input materials to the community.
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Some products of the women’s cooperative group were displayed at the workshop
After nearly 3 years of implementation, the project has brought about many positive results. In total, 419 women participated in 19 women’s cooperative groups implementing eight production and business models. Additionally, 661 households benefited from eight household-level agricultural production models, and 15 micro-entrepreneurs engaged in small-scale food and agricultural supply businesses. It is estimated that approximately 11,000 residents across the six communes indirectly benefited from the project’s activities.
Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Pham Dung – MCNV Vietnam Country Director – highly appreciated the contributions of the Dong Xuan District People’s Committee and the Department of Agriculture and Environment throughout the implementation of the BIJPO project.
Mr. Pham Dung – MCNV Vietnam Country Director spoke at the closing workshop
The project has a total investment of VND 11.5 billion, of which the local government has contributed VND 5.8 billion as counterpart funding sourced from national target programs – 190% higher than the initial commitment. The local government also established a district-level Project Management Unit (comprising the People’s Committee, Department of Agriculture and Environment, Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Department of Ethnic Affairs, and Women’s Union) to monitor and provide technical support for the project activities.
From July to November 2025, MCNV will continue to implement several remaining activities in the project area, with a particular focus on strengthening several women’s cooperative groups to ensure sustainability and scalability of the models in the future.
MCNV empowers 1,100 ethnic minority women in Phu Yen mountainous district
On January 3rd 2025, in La Hai township of Dong Xuan district, Phu Yen province, MCNV in collaboration with the People’s Committee of Dong Xuan District and the District’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) organized a year-end workshop to review activities of the project “Boosting Income and Jobs for Poor Women” (referred to as the BIJPO project).
The workshop was attended by the project management unit (including the People’s Committee, DARD, Department of Ethnic Affairs, Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, and the Women’s Union), leaders of people’s committees of the project communes, and representatives of women’s cooperative groups.
Mr. Pham Dung (left), Country Director of MCNV Vietnam, learns about the black snail farming model in Hamlet 1, Da Loc Commune, Dong Xuan District, Phu Yen Province.
The BIJPO project, implemented in the period of 2022 – 2025, covers 15 villages in 6 mountainous communes of Dong Xuan district. The project aims to improve income, create jobs, enhance agricultural production capacity, and reduce food insecurity for poor women in ethnic minority communities.
The project is funded by GSRD, Hulza, Wincloves and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands) and has financial contributions from the local authority. Key activities include: establishing and operating women’s cooperative groups specialized in agricultural and non-agricultural production and business; promoting household-level agricultural production activities; and supporting micro-entrepreneurs for food and agricultural supplies.
MCNV and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) of Dong Xuan district visit the Cooperative Group for Production and Processing of Coconut Products in Da Loc commune.
After more than two years of implementation, the BIJPO project has achieved many encouraging results. Nearly 1,100 women (exceeding the initial target of 600 women) from poor, near-poor, and disadvantaged households have improved their income and jobs, agricultural production conditions, and local food sources through the aforementioned activities.
The BIJPO project introduces diversity in the application of various production models tailored to natural conditions, local cultural practices, and the utilization of available resources. It also enhances capacity-building and empowers beneficiaries to take ownership of their progress.
The models implemented under the project are highly diverse, including community-based tourism, brocade weaving, plastic furniture knitting, livestock farming (pigs, cows, chickens, fish, black snails, etc.), cultivation (organic vegetable farming, fruit tree and forestry tree planting, bamboo planting, mushroom growing), acacia seedling nurseries, agricultural product processing, and more.
A greenhouse model in Xi Thoai hamlet, Xuan Lanh commune
In 2025, MCNV and the PMU of Dong Xuan district will focus on strengthening the management and operational capacity of women’s cooperative groups. The project partners will also work on scaling up best practices in agricultural and non-agricultural production, contributing to Dong Xuan District’s implementation of the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021–2030 period.
![[Eng Sub] The Gift of Change](https://mcnv.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/thumbmail_co-chien.png "[Eng Sub] The Gift of Change")
Living in the embrace of forests
Writen by: FSC International
Photo by: Phan Tan Lam
Forests are an essential part of people’s lives in Chenh Venh village and Ho village, located near the rainforest-covered Viet Nam–Laos border in Quang Tri Province, central Viet Nam. Their inhabitants belong to an ethnic minority group called Van Kieu, and they have been living in and around these forests for decades. The residents of Chenh Venh village belong to the Huong Phung commune, while those in Ho village are a part of the Huong Son commune.
In November 2021, 1,561 hectares of these forests received FSC® certification, becoming Viet Nam’s first smallholder group to become FSC certified for community natural forests. In addition, three species of bamboo are certified for sustainable harvesting and product manufacturing. Harvesting any other species of timber from these forests is strictly forbidden.
Both villages belong to a group dedicated to sustainable forest management: the Association of Smallholder Forest Certification Groups of Quang Tri Province (SFCG Association). Most households are members of the village-level forest protection committees, thereby giving every member of the village a sense of belonging and involvement in matters related to the forests.
Ensuring the well-being of the forests was an integral part of their lives long before they even heard about FSC; the communities protect the forests and all life living in it from poachers, illegal loggers, and anyone who threatens the peaceful balance of nature. Why do the inhabitants of Chenh Venh and Ho villages invest time and effort in protecting and caring for the forests?
The value of forests
The culture and traditions of the Van Kieu people hold forests in high regard; they believe that once a person dies, their final resting place is in the forest. They have demarcated specific areas in the forests where they put their dead to rest. These areas are highly sacred, and no one is allowed to enter and disturb this resting place. Another cultural practice involving the forests is seen during the autumn festival. The people make offerings of food and incense to the deities residing in the forests, and ask for their blessings and protection from natural calamities.
These forests act as a watershed area for this region and sustain the stream that runs through the forest. For the inhabitants of Chenh Venh village, this source of water is very important. Paddy cultivation is their primary source of income and the water required for their crops flows through the forest. The forests also ensure that the region receives high volumes of rain to keep the river from drying up.
The communities share a symbiotic relationship with the forests – while they protect and care for the flora and fauna, the forests provide them with a rich variety of non-timber forest products. Sustainably harvested bamboo is slowly becoming a lucrative source of income in Chenh Venh. The communities have set up entire processing units to produce eco-friendly and biodegradable drinking straws made from a species of bamboo called Le Xanh. The stem of this type of bamboo is hollow and narrow. The stems are cut, boiled, dried, and then shaped into straws. Most bamboo products such as these drinking straws along with glasses, bowls, and small boxes are channelled through a cooperative called Nhien Thao, a Vietnamese handicraft organization that sells these items through stores such as Hoi An Roastery, its own store in Dong Ha, and online.
The region has been growing tung trees, and the oil extracted from their seeds is popular for using as a wood varnish that protects wood from insect infestation, and strengthens it. The villagers collect tung seeds and sell them to a company in Ho Chi Minh City that processes them into varnish. They also collect lime, lemongrass, and other leaves and seeds that are used in unexpected ways. For instance, the black locust seeds are used as a natural shampoo, and betel leaf extract is used for treating tooth and skin problems. Soap nuts, which are also collected from these forests, are a naturally occurring soap for bathing and hand washing. The forests are also a rich source of spices such as cinnamon, and various herbal and medicinal plants.
“We have discovered valuable resources that are abundantly available in the forests. We get food, medicines, and materials for making our houses. We don’t need to go to a pharmacy for stomach aches and soap – we get natural products directly from the forests,” said Ho Thi Xang, giggling, a young mother of two children and member of a patrol team.
Partnering to protect natural forests
Throughout our visit, we saw time and time again that protecting the forests is taken very seriously by the Van Kieu people. Both villages have established their own well-planned schedules for patrol teams, which visit the forests three to four times a month to check on the well-being of the forests. These teams usually comprise five members, all of whom voluntarily sign up for this job even though it does not bring any immediate income. Both men and women sign up for the patrol teams.
“Forest patrols don’t seem like work to us. We feel very connected to these forests,” said Ho Xa Lang during an informal chat over tea. He is a member of a patrol team from Ho village.
Medical Committee Netherlands – Viet Nam (MCNV), an NGO working in these regions for many years, helped the villagers undergo the process of becoming certified. It started with obtaining membership of SFCG and progressed to understanding the value and benefits of FSC certification. MCNV has been working with Chenh Venh and Ho villagers to develop better and more sustainable forest management practices. These include an innovative mobile application for forest management that enables the patrol teams to upload important data about flora and fauna, in real time.
Since receiving FSC certification, the patrols have been intensified to meet the certification requirements. They have also improved data collection methods, so that audit requirements are met. The mobile application for forest management is helping them in many ways to better protect the forests. In addition, MCNV has been instrumental in providing capacity-building training to the villagers, exposing the villagers to global best practices in sustainable harvesting and forest management. Using this information, the villagers are adapting their management and harvesting practices to improve the health of their forests. MCNV has also helped the villagers to identify the economic benefits of non-timber forest products that have been procured and used for generations. With the help of internationally funded projects, MCNV is creating market links for these products.
It’s evident that the local communities cared deeply about taking care of their forests long before becoming certified. But with certification, they can access new resources to improve the practices they have already employed for generations.
“Forests give us food, medicines, and material for building our houses. They also protect the stream that provides us with water for our paddy fields and for the people in the villages. They maintain the balance in the weather and protect against landslides. And now, with FSC certification, we can make bamboo products using sustainably harvested bamboo; there is a lot of demand for such products,” said Ho Van Chien, the head of the Chenh Venh Commune Forest Protection Committee.
Future aspirations
The inhabitants of Chenh Venh and Ho villages, with the help of MCNV and funding from the European Union, are beginning to realize the tremendous value in the work they are doing and the resources they are protecting. The forests hold great significance not only for them, but for the entire world.
They are now seeking to obtain Chain of Custody Certification from FSC for all the non-timber-based products that they are learning to make – bamboo straws and other products such as penholders and glasses. FSC certification will enable them to access better markets and prices for their products. They are also hoping to achieve FSC’s ecosystem services certification, which will enable them to benefit from carbon capture and biodiversity.
The certification of these forests has thrown a spotlight on the forest management practices of the Huong Phung and Huong Son communes. Several communities from other parts of Vietnam and the region are interested in learning from them. This will potentially lead to more forest areas becoming FSC certified, thereby ensuring their sustainable management.
These forests are a great example of the power of local communities joining forces with FSC to ensure their beloved forests remain healthy and resilient, for generations to come./.
(Source: https://fsc.org/en/newscentre/stories/living-in-the-embrace-of-forests)
Occupational Therapy Conference 2023: A new milestone
The Occupational Therapy Conference 2023 was organized by the University of Medicine and Pharmacy (UMP) at HCM City in collaboration with MCNV on July 17th, 2023.
The conference brought together 500 participants, including 200 in-person and 300 virtual participants. The participants were representatives of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Training, National Action Center for Toxic Chemical and Environmental Treatment (NACCET), USAID; representatives of Vietnam Rehabilitation Association, rehabilitation health facilities, medical universities.
Samantha Shann, MSc., WFOT President, member of the Steering Committee of the World Rehabilitation Alliance (WRA), World Health Organization, delivers her speech on “WFOT; Promoting the value of OT“
With the participation of the President of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) and accredited OT experts from Australia, India and Vietnam, the conference aims to provide a platform for Occupational Therapists and interested health professionals to exchange knowledge and experience, improve their expertise and expand their network.
Induction of the OT Network in Vietnam
At the conference, the OT Network in Vietnam was officially introduced to the public for the first time.
This Conference is organized as part of the “Development of Occupational Therapy Education in Vietnam” project implemented by MCNV under the ADMIRE project sponsored by USAID via Humanity and Inclusion (HI)./.
Photos of the event:
OT Conference keynote speakers, MCNV Country Director and members of the OT Network in Vietnam
Assoc.Prof.Ngo Quoc Dat, Vice President of UMP, speaks at the conference.
‘Indian stories of indigenous splints and adaptive device‘ presented by Assoc.Prof.Shovan Saha (President of Indian Hand Therapy Society, lecturer at Manipal Academy of Higher Education) Assoc.Prof.Shovan Saha was the recipient of several awards by the All India Occupational Therapists’ Association (AIOTA) and also the inventor of four patents.
“OT Neuro rehabilitation for stroke survivors” presented by Prof.Anne Cusick (Chair in OT, University of Sydney). Prof.Anne Cusick has 40 years of experience in holding academic teaching/research appointments and higher education academic governance leadership roles.
“OT – one of the great ideas for the 21st century“ presented by Prof.Lynette Mackenzie, Vice President, Asia-Pacific, WFOT. Prof. Lynette Mackenzie is the author of the well-known HOMEFAST toolkit, which is used to assess the risk factors for falls at home for the elderly.
Coming soon! Speech and Language Therapy special event
Following the first ever Masters in Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) graduation ceremony held in April this year at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in HCMC, we are going to celebrate the graduation of the first ever Bachelors in SALT at the Da Nang University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy on September 27th, 2022.
On this special ocassion, MCNV in coordination with fellow partners jointly organize a series of event, including a hybrid Thematic Workshop on SALT.
Time: 13.30 – 17.30 Vietnam time, 26th September, 2022.
Venue: Webinar on Zoom.
Language: Vietnamese and English
Link for registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/…/reg…/WN_bp-hce-gQju_H8iVG40lFg
Kindly register before September 22nd, 2022.
We look forward to seeing you at the event!
*The project ‘Speech and Language Therapy Development’ funded by the USAID through VietHealth is implemented by MCNV with the technical support of Trinh Foundation Australia.
Education tour: Nurture the love for nature
Planting trees in an area of landslide due to the 2020 historic floods
MCNV in cooperation with the Deutsche Forstservice GmbH (DFS), Forest Science Center for North of Central Vietnam (FSCV), and Dong Ha High School organized an “Eduction on Nature and Environment” tour to MCNV’s project site in Huong Hoa district of Quang Tri province, Vietnam on the 30th of July 2022.
Thirty nine students of Dong Ha High School, accommpanied with their teachers and parents in Dong Ha city were the targets of the education tour. The program’s aim was to provide deep understanding of the value of nature including ecosystems and forests, evoking awareness of climate change, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development, and enable the students opportunities to take actions.
“Things in here were quite totally new and strange to me”, Tran Nguyen Phi Uyen – a 17-year-old school girl confessed. “At the time I entered into the forest, I felt anxious and a bit scared of leeches and so [coyly smiling], just like many friends of mine joining in the tour. However, beside the learnt lessons of the nature and environment, I think those were good moments for us to learn to face fears and overcome obstacles.”
“I am really impressive of this education tour,” said Hoang Van Minh – Vice Principal of Dong Ha High School. “All the students live in Dong Ha city and hadn’t known about forests and life and culture of indigenous communities. Now they’ve got great experiences. As far as I know, this kind of education tour has first been organized in Quang Tri province, and we expect many more tours of this would serve a greater number of students in the coming time.”
Organisations lend hand for sustainable forestry in Vietnam
Article on the Vietnam Investment Review. Author: Nguyen Dinh Dai, MCNV Chief of Central Vietnam Office
The government has recently approved a project worth $3.55 billion to develop the forestry sector in a sustainable manner in the 2021-2025 period. This legal framework aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the implementation of Vietnam’s net-zero commitments.
To achieve the targets, the forestry sector and local government require strategic implementation and good practices in the field. This will be carried out through partnerships with donors such as the EU, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), WWF Vietnam, and MCNV.
The province of Quang Tri has created strategic results in sustainable forestry development thanks to the support from international organisations, and there are already many interesting stories regarding this.
One regards promoting market links on non-timber forest products (NTFPs) between smallholders and enterprises. Nhien Thao is a local enterprise in Quang Tri province that produces natural-based products such as shampoo, floor cleaning liquids, and dishwashing liquid. NTFPs including soap, black locust seeds, and essential oils are key raw materials for the production of the enterprise.
Currently, Nhien Thao is collaborating with about 150 smallholder forest owners in supplying NTFPs with a value of about $75,000 annually. These smallholders are managing hundreds of hectares of natural forest where they can harvest different kinds of NTFP such as soap nuts, black locust seeds, pomelo, and limes. The enterprise is planning to expand its business and network with smallholders.
In April 2022, the enterprise was awarded the prize of best natural business solutions by the New Generation Plantation and WWF Vietnam. This is a win-win business model for the smallholders and enterprises in contributing to sustainable forest management.
Another example is the long-rotation plantation for tung oil production. It is estimated about 1,500 tonnes of dry tung oil seeds are harvested annually with a value of $650,000 in Quang Tri province. Since 2020, the PROSPER project (on promoting sustainable partnerships between civil organisations and enterprises for sustainable forest management in the context of climate change), co-funded by the EU and MCNV, has supported smallholders in planting about 300ha of tung oil plantation mixed with indigenous species in Quang Tri province.
Tung oil plantation has contributed to forest protection and annual income for smallholder forest owners from harvesting tung oil seed.
With the support of the USAID, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is planning a 5-year strategy for tung oil plantations. This model will contribute directly to annual income for smallholders, increasing forestry cover ratio and carbon capture from the long-rotation of tung oil plantations.
Within the PROSPER project, for the first time in Vietnam, two natural forests of smallholders in Huong Hoa district have earned FSC certification on sustainable forest management, in which three bamboo species are certified FSC. In 2022, the project targets to achieve certification for carbon capture, bio-diversity, and rattan.
By December 2020, about 20,000ha of natural forest had been allocated to smallholders in Quang Tri province, in which around one-third received the Payment of Forest Environment Service for forest protection. The rest of the forests are protected voluntarily by smallholder forest owners. The piloted model on FSC-certified ecosystem services offers potential for smallholder forest owners in accessing payment mechanisms for forest ecosystem services and the high-value market of NTFPs of FSC-certified rattan and bamboo.
This association of smallholder forest certification was established in 2014, supported by WWF Vietnam. The association is a representative for smallholder forest owners in FSC certification for acacia plantations and has been a link between IKEA suppliers and smallholder forest owners in supplying FSC-certified wood.
In 2020, under the support of PROSPER, for the first time, the association recruited new natural forest owners as members. This achievement brought a new direction in promoting sustainable forest management of smallholders in both plantations but also the natural forest.
Quang Tri province is considered one of the pioneers in sustainable forestry development strategies. The concrete practices in the field are significant to show scaling up in the aspect of implementing the programme on sustainable forestry development until 2025./.
Source: https://vir.com.vn/organisations-lend-hand-for-sustainable-forestry-in-vietnam-95585.html?fbclid=IwAR00os4tgFue4aBlLtiOmVln0BV8nHRFJBNlgkkiB9Mp3j7HFpK0Rfk_t9I
