HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT

The Civil Society Inclusion in Food Security and Poverty Elimination Network (CIFPEN) was established on the grounds of a working group of Vietnamese non-governmental organizations (VNGOs) on December 2002, headed by the Consultative Institute of Socio-economic Development of Rural and Mountainous Areas (CISDOMA). CIFPEN members are those VNGOs working in the fields of rural, agricultural development; health; education and conservation. Cooperation, interactive collaboration and information sharing are the key factors in CIFPEN's operations. Apart from a positive contribution to the national work of poverty reduction and hunger elimination individually, CIFPEN has developed some initial collaborative activities among group members.

CISDOMA, as a coordinating unit, has played an active role in finding and accessing opportunities as well as financial sources to support the group's operations, create solidarity within the network, and consolidate and develop, step-by-step, the capacity of organizations and their staff under CIFPEN. All of those factors work towards fulfilling the target of strengthening capacity and status of civil society organizations while contributing to the national work of poverty reduction and hunger elimination.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between CISDOMA and CARE International in Vietnam in February, 2005, under which CISDOMA committed to implement the project, VNGO Engagement in Decision Making Process (VEDEM). This project targets a number of Vietnamese NGOs (VNGOs) known as the Poverty Reduction and Hunger Elimination Vietnamese NGO Group. The project provides these VNGOs with trainings on communication, advocacy, and with thematic talks on issues of mutual concern. The project also contracts Voice of Vietnam, a national radio-broadcasting network, to disseminate information on VNGO contribution to the poverty reduction and hunger elimination work.

CISDOMA also cooperates with CARE International in Vietnam to implement another project, called “VNGO Capacity Building” (VNCB). The focus of this project is to strengthen management capacity and other required skills in community work, such as Participatory Methodologies, Organizational Evaluation and Development, Project Design and Monitoring & Evaluation for staff and leaders of VNGOs, thereby assisting them to plan long-term strategy gradually. The project also increases VNGOs' capacity in advocacy and policy feedback. Their contribution to poverty reduction and hunger elimination then becomes more widely known in society and among policy makers.

CISDOMA has also partnered with ActionAid Vietnam in the Vietnam Action Network for Food Security (VANFS) project to be implemented within four years. The objective of VANFS is to link different organizations working in food security to foster cooperation and to provide better policy feedback. Capacity building and highlighting the role that civil society organizations play in poverty reduction, hunger elimination, and national food security are also key components. Network members have implemented a range of activities, including: direct research based on their specialized fields; organizing meetings, seminars and conferences; dialogues with government agencies; influencing policy; [1]disseminating information; raising public awareness; and sharing with, and learning from, other groups inside and outside Vietnam. The project involves many civil society organizations in Vietnam, most of which are the VNGOs working in poverty reduction and hunger elimination. With its strong experience in networking, CISDOMA has been selected to head VANFS.

As coordinating organization, CISDOMA is responsible for ensuring full participation of, and optimal benefit for targeted VNGOs, especially those that are members of both projects. In order to avoid overlap, CARE, CISDOMA and ActionAid held a meeting in which they agreed to merge poverty reduction & hunger elimination VNGOs with civil organizations specializing in food security into one group. The result was CIFPEN, a single VNGO group under CISDOMA management. Group members are associated with two supported projects by CARE International in Vietnam and ActionAid Vietnam. They are also beneficiaries of the VNCB project. 

Objectives and Specialized Fields:

Objectives: building more intensive links among organizations working in poverty reduction and hunger elimination and those working in food security; contributing to development of Vietnamese civil organizations and improving the national construction process.

Specific Objectives:

1. Consolidating capacity and collaboration among members and other community-based organizations in order to better provide service for the poor and disadvantaged through poverty reduction and hunger elimination, and food security.
2. Promoting the exchange of information and experience on issues regarding food security and poverty reduction within the group and among other civil society organizations in Vietnam, including government agencies.
3. Creating a dialogue with government agencies and representing the interests of the poor and disadvantaged in policymaking, contributing to the amendment of existing policies and policymaking process relating to poverty reduction and food security; drawing deeper government attention to the contributions of civil society organizations in Vietnam.

These three specific objectives shall be attained through four main working areas:

1. Environment-Natural Resources and Rural Poverty Reduction

2. Gender-Family-Health and Social Security

3. Human Resource Training and Development

4. Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries Extension and Community Development