The Norwegian Mission Alliance Vietnam

The Norwegian Mission Alliance (NMA) worked in South Vietnam during 1973-1975, supporting families affected by leprosy. NMA had to leave the country by the end of the war in 1975. In 1992, NMA began discussing the possibility of coming back to Vietnam with potential local partners. In 1995, a survey supported by NORAD was made. The team members recommended that NMA return to Vietnam to continue their earlier support of people affected by leprosy. In 1996, NMA signed an agreement with the National Institute of Dermatology-Venereology to support the National Leprosy Elimination Program in Tien Giang province, about 70 km south of HCMC. The same year, NMA signed an agreement with the Hospital of Dermatology-Venereology in HCMC. During the late 1990s NMA-V worked in the Central highlands, in Gia Lai province. However, due to political unrest, NMA-V had to leave the province. All of these projects mainly targeted people affected by leprosy. From 2002 – 2006 NMA-V widened the scope of their work in the Mekong River Delta. The effort in Tien Giang province was strengthened by an added focus on micro credit and community development. In 2003, NMA-V started cooperation with Vinh Long province, focusing on community development and creation of clean water systems. An inclusive education project was started in the province in 2005. From 2006 until now, we worked with Community Development, Inclusive Education and Microfinance projects located in Tien Giang, Vinh Long and Ben Tre provinces