Vietnam program brings clean water and climate resilience to highland villages
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In Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam, the Resilience First Programme is improving lives in mountainous villages by providing access to clean water and building climate resilience.
Hồ Thị Tà Cơi, a 70-year-old Vân Kiều ethnic woman, used to walk 500 metres to collect water, but now has a nearby source thanks to a community-managed gravity-fed water system.
The programme, funded by the Government of Ireland with 1.4 million euros ($1.6 million) annually, operates in Quảng Trị, Phú Thọ, and Tuyên Quang provinces. It focuses on areas with large Pa Cô and Vân Kiều populations, high poverty rates, and vulnerability to natural disasters. A key element is that local people lead the process of identifying needs and planning solutions.
Beyond water systems, the programme supports 130 households with livelihood improvements, has funded 42 climate-adaptation projects benefiting 7,405 people, and works with 19 schools to promote climate-adaptive activities. Students at the Ba Tầng Ethnic Groups Boarding Primary and Junior Secondary School are participating in initiatives like waste sorting, vegetable gardens, and becoming “climate ambassadors” in their communities. The program is scheduled to continue until September 2028.
