Mission

 

Aim

DWF has the following aim —

• to contribute to the capacity of the community to provide for its basic needs, specifically in the context of human settlements: housing, construction, planning, upgrading, urbanisation, rural development, and related fields, with particular emphasis on developing countries;
• in connection therewith, to initiate and undertake any research, education, design, planning, project implementation and other activities related to the above issues

2005 Activity Report (pdf)

• Supporting institutional capacity to help the community and gender balance: DW works with the people’s committees, the unions and associations to strengthen the institutional capacity to develop action plans for vulnerability and poverty reduction and to be able to assist families. DW has promoted democracy in the village decision making process to ensure equitable selection of partner families and a balanced gender approach. 

• Safer shelter: Since 1999 DW has implemented a programme for the preventive strengthening of existing houses in central Viet Nam. Roughly 70% of rural housing has been rebuilt by families since 1985, but the quality is poor and the result unable to resist the effects of storms and floods. DW helps families strengthen their existing home, at an average extra cost of 20% of the total value of their house.

 

• Credit for safe and affordable houses: With support from the Ford Foundation in 2009 DWF has provided a grant to the Vietnamese Bank of Social Policy to provide targeted loans to poor families for house strengthening. Families show they are keen to take this opportunity and the take up is very good. They recognise the social and economic value of a resistant safe home and the contribution it makes to family stability and growth.

• Access to safe schools and infrastructure: DW partners with communes in Thua Thien Hué to strengthen existing public infrastructure and build safe new schools, markets, health facilities. At village level, providing kindergartens helps small children access early education. DW works with schools to train teachers about disaster prevention, and runs workshops with children about their concerns. Children are active in school and in the community in promoting the vulnerability reduction message.

 

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  Developing skills: DW provides training to local building brigades in all the commune where it works, in order to improve the general quality of building and in order to develop skills in disaster resistant construction. Trained builders both work on local construction programmes that brings in revenue, and act as building advisers to families in the community.

Developing production opportunities:  DW has worked with local construction materials producers to make components that can be used in making safer and affordable housing and infrastructure. New products such as tiles with fixing systems are piloted in public buildings.

In all its actions, DW places an emphasis on communication, exchange and education based on active community participation. Animation activities in the communes encourage participation and the involvement of families.

Through the process of animation and demonstration grass roots and official attitudes are changing.
Development Workshop works in collaboration with the People’s Committee of Thua Thien Hué province and the Flood and Storm Control Committee, the Thua Thien Hué Consulting & Designing Construction Company, Hué, and Commune authorities. DW’s work builds on experience gained by DW in disaster and development related work in Vietnam since 1989 on UNDP and Australian Aid supported projects in central and northern Viet Nam.