Foreign non-governmental organization (NGO)-funded projects have made significant contributions to the socio-economic development of the central province of Thua Thien-Hue. The assessment was given during an October 31 conference on the mobilization and management of aid from NGOs in the province. Ngo Huy Hoa, Vice Standing Chairman of the Thua Thien-Hue People’s Committee, said assistance comes to the locality in the form of sponsored programs, projects and emergency aid. Over the past years, projects funded by foreign NGOs have timely met the needs of the beneficiary localities and communities, while involving more local staff, he said. The projects also helped Thua Thien-Hue in a wide range of areas including healthcare, education, culture, agro-forestry, environmental protection, infrastructure, and agricultural and rural development, with many new and effective production models and methods, he said. Hoa noted that the management and disbursement of assistance has been effectively implemented in all localities in the province, while cooperation efficiency between the NGOs and the locality has been facilitated. So far, as many as 130 foreign NGOs are operating in Thua Thien-Hue. In the 2003-2013 period, the organizations provided the locality a total of $75.7 million in assistance. In the first nine months of this year alone, aid from foreign NGOs hit $900,000. The foreign NGOs have also carried out practical activities in the province, especially in humanitarian assistance, healthcare, education, culture and environmental protection. (vietnamplus.vn Nov 1)
