Introduction
The CARE in Vietnam 2023 Annual Report provides an overview of our ongoing work and achievements across priority areas, including sustainable livelihoods, climate resilience, prevention of violence, and inclusive entrepreneurship. This report reflects the implementation of CARE’s 2021 – 2030 strategy, which emphasizes locally led, equitable, and inclusive development for people living in poverty or marginalization, particularly in ethnic minority and urban communities.
In 2023, CARE continued to implement initiatives focused on improving economic opportunities, expanding access to financial services, strengthening local leadership, and responding to climate-related challenges. Through partnerships and community-led approaches, the organization supported individuals to secure safer livelihoods, access essential services, and influence decisions that affect their lives.
The report highlights the importance of solutions tailored to the specific needs and experiences of different groups, particularly women, whose care responsibilities, social norms, and access to resources differ significantly. CARE applied human-centered design to develop and test context-specific models such as EKATA and savings groups, while investing in climate-smart agriculture, market access, and evidence-based advocacy.
Key findings
- CARE supported over 14,000 individuals through projects related to income generation, entrepreneurship, violence prevention, and climate resilience.
- Human-centered design approaches were applied in various programs to ensure solutions addressed the specific needs of different user groups.
- The EKATA model, adapted from Bangladesh, helped increase collective voice and leadership capacity among women in the garment sector.
- Savings and livelihood groups were instrumental in enhancing access to financial resources, markets, and agricultural inputs.
- CARE expanded the application of climate-smart agriculture and collaborated with businesses to explore green practices in industrial production.
- Digital solutions were integrated into local projects, enabling more responsive and evidence-based decision making.
- Research and learning were central to CARE’s advocacy and program design, especially in climate impact assessment and value chain improvement.
Policy and practice highlights:
- Strengthening community engagement in local governance.
- Promoting safe, inclusive workplaces in rural and industrial settings.
- Supporting locally led solutions to reduce climate and disaster risks.
- Enhancing the visibility and leadership of marginalized groups in decision making spaces.
CARE in Vietnam 2023 Annual Report shares our work in different areas including sustainable livelihood, disaster risk management, violence against women and girls elimination, promoting women’s entrepreneurship.
For CARE in Vietnam, our 2021-2030 strategy focuses on initiatives to empower women economically, address violence against women and girls, and strive for climate justice so that poor, marginalized ethnic minority and urban people, particularly women, equitably benefit from development.
In 2023, our solutions and initiatives centered around support for women and their communities to develop sustainable livelihoods, address their climate vulnerabilities, tackle violence against women and girls and promote women’s entrepreneurship by providing technical and financial support.
A women-centric approach underpins our programming in both rural and urban areas. In the women’s economic empowerment initiatives, we acknowledge that women’s needs and the barriers they face are different from men’s, hence solutions must be customized. Applying women-centered design in multiple projects has proved the approach’s criticality to creating effective and demand-driven products for women, boosting their livelihoods and business activities.
In the past year, we have seen significant achievements in collective voices and decisions emerging from grassroots initiatives. It is either the EKATA (Empowerment, Knowledge And Transformative Action) model, tested and developed by CARE Bangladesh and applied in Vietnam, to promote women’s leadership and empowerment within the garment industry; or the livelihood group model that enables women to access financial resources and improve their farming and market their produces at a better price.
Creative investment for environmental protection with either climate-smart farming solutions or integrated studies on climate change impact on industrial production lines is also enhanced. CARE in Vietnam has worked with partners and communities to apply technology in suitable and recommended projects based on scientific evidence.