CIFPEN ACTIVITIES IN 2005-2006

Apart monthly, quarterly, bi-annual and annual meetings of the Management Board, CIFPEN has been conducting the following activities:

Training and strengthening capacity for member organizations 

Improving and consolidating strategic objectives, organizational structure as well as partnership structure 

Designing projects and looking for future donors

Supporting for member organizations in project design partnership building  where necessary

Producing website, logo, leaflets, directories and other materials

Organizing seminars for information exchange, sharing experience in community development, food security and sustainable poverty reduction

Implementing activities contributing to policy and law making processes 

Working to protect natural resources, the environment, forests, agriculture and fisheries 

Conducting research on poverty reduction and food security

Group operations:

One of the fundamental issues driving newly-established organizations to join CIFPEN is the demand for information sharing. Yet the sharing of information is one of the major difficulties facing CIFPEN due to a tradition among member groups of operating separately rather than in cooperation towards a common civil society. Group activities conducted in a systematic manner are still new to many domestic organizations. To address the issue, CIFPEN is working to build capacity for better management in a group setting for member organizations. This document is intended to demonstrate a commitment by CIFPEN to realize goals set forth by the group and its members.

Development capacity of member organizations:

Most CIFPEN members have been established for three to five years and many key staff members previously worked for government agencies. Many CIFPEN member organizations have thus taken on the organizational structure of a government agency. Few have defined objectives or strategies for development of their organizations. Many staffs are also inexperienced, recent university graduates. Organizations also work often with outdated office equipment, which compounds the problem of inefficiency. 

Reflecting the voice of the poor and community-based organizations:

Reflecting the voice of the poor and of community-based organizations is an objective of CIFPEN and a common commitment of every member. But this is also a challenge for newly established CIFPEN members, who must focus on fundraising. And although there have been many trainings for community-based organizations, as well as policymaking and advocacy in support of CIFPEN goals, progress was limited to long-established organizations with stable funding from development programs. CIFPEN members are, in general, weak in advocacy, feedback, and analysis as well as in operations.

Well-educated and experienced experts

Despite these shortcomings, most CIFPEN member organizations possess a number of highly qualified staff in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, conservation, and health. Many of them possess a deep understanding of low-income populations, ethnic minorities, and other disadvantaged groups in rural, mountainous, and urban areas of Vietnam. With advanced technical support and technology transfer, they could then make great contributions to improving the lives of the poor and ethnic minorities.

A pioneer in social evaluation and criticism:

In this environment of slow development among civil society organizations at the grassroots level, VNGOs in general, and CIFPEN members in particular, are a leading force in Vietnam in representing the interests of disadvantaged populations in government policy, evaluation, criticism and advocacy.