VZCZCXRO2154
OO RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHPB
DE RUEHHI #0196/01 0430930
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O R 120929Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0948
INFO ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 0516

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 HANOI 000196 
 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, S/GWI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV KWMN VM
SUBJECT: Vietnam's Nomination for S/GWI Project Proposal 2010 
 
REF: 09 STATE 132094; 09 HANOI 1438 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: Mission Vietnam is pleased to submit two 
distinct project proposals for consideration by S/GWI as part of 
the 2010 Small Grants Initiative (ref A).  Domestic violence is a 
serious problem in Vietnam - one that is of growing concern to the 
Vietnamese government and public.  The 2008 passage of a domestic 
violence law was a watershed development that signals a willingness 
by Vietnamese authorities to address the issue.  Promoting the 
rights of women and supporting efforts to protect women in 
situations of domestic violence is a Mission priority that supports 
overall U.S. policy goals for Vietnam and globally. Post is proud 
to submit two small, yet highly effective Vietnamese NGOs committed 
to raising awareness of domestic violence and protecting the rights 
of women. We are confident these two projects, in conjunction with 
Mission's on-going outreach activities, will make a difference in 
Vietnam. End summary. 
 
 
 
A LONGSTANDING ISSUE ONLY NOW ENTERING THE PUBLIC DEBATE 
 
 
 
¶2.  (SBU) According to a variety of international and Vietnamese 
experts, domestic violence is widespread in Vietnam.  A woman dies 
from domestic violence every three days in Vietnam; 14 percent of 
all murders in Vietnam are related to domestic violence, according 
to the Ministry of Public Security.  By the first quarter of 2006 
this number exceeded 30 percent.  The same report also stated that 
more than 60 percent of divorces in 2005 were caused by domestic 
violence.  Many Vietnamese believe domestic violence to be a 
private, family-related matter and it is rarely discussed in a 
public setting, allowing the cycle of violence to continue.  Due to 
cultural perceptions that the role of Vietnamese women is to 
maintain harmony in the home, domestic violence is kept secret and 
women are taught by their peers and elders they must endure the 
situation without recourse.  Only recently has the issue appeared 
publically.  Meanwhile, the GVN has begun a campaign to address 
domestic violence, passing a comprehensive law on domestic violence 
prevention and control in 2007 that went into effect in 2008. 
 
 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Given the GVN's new activism on this issue, and in 
keeping with our previous domestic violence outreach activities, 
Mission Vietnam submits for consideration for S/GWI funding two 
small, but highly effective Vietnamese NGOs who are working to 
raise awareness and protect women faced with situations of 
violence.  Our first proposal would support rural women in Hau 
Giang, a province in the remote southern Mekong Delta, by 
increasing the knowledge of both men and women there about women's 
rights through community education.  This project will contribute 
to empowering women within their families and their communities to 
speak out against domestic violence.  Funding this proposal 
provides support to a Vietnamese NGO that has demonstrated great 
resourcefulness and initiative to empower women within their own 
community.  The second proposal is designed to raise awareness of 
gender-based violence among University students in Hanoi by 
educating young people about the destructiveness and illegal nature 
of domestic violence and equipping them for advocacy on the issue 
following graduation.  By focusing on university students, this 
program hopes to educate the future women leaders of Vietnam. 
Detailed proposals have been emailed to S/GWI's Wenchi Yu, who is 
our office contact for Vietnam. 
 
 
 
MEETING UNITED STATES POLICY OBJECTIVES 
 
 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Mission Vietnam already has undertaken several 
initiatives to partner with local organizations, the GVN and INGOs 
to raise awareness of the dangers of domestic violence to societies 
worldwide.  These initiatives include funding the United Nation's 
Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) to assist Vietnamese law 
enforcement and prosecutors to investigate and prosecute domestic 
violence cases, partial funding of a ten part mini-series to raise 
awareness about domestic violence (this series was broadcast on 
national TV), presenting at NGO workshops on domestic violence as 
well as an Embassy hosted round table discussion on domestic 
violence (ref B).  Both the executive and legislative branches of 
government in the United States have made recent policy 
pronouncements concerning the abhorrence of violence against women. 
Secretary Clinton has been a strong advocate to end violence 
 
HANOI 00000196  002 OF 004 
 
 
against women.  Throughout her travels she has called on "men and 
women in every country - to work together to end these atrocities." 
This month, the US Congress introduced a new bill entitled The 
International Violence Against Women Act.  This Act would, for the 
first, time require the United States Government to address 
violence against women globally through integrated strategies 
across U.S. foreign policy and assistance programs.  The two 
proposals we recommend below are consistent with the Secretary's 
larger policy goals of ending domestic violence and will complement 
existing mission programs as well.  They are targeted, low-cost 
and, in our view, highly-effective initiatives to further the 
Secretary's goal and our wider Mission objectives. 
 
 
 
PROPOSAL ONE: Women's Rights and Gender Equality for Women in Rural 
Areas 
 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Hau Giang Province is a poor, rural area in the Mekong 
Delta near the bottom tip of Vietnam.  Women's lives are restricted 
by unequal relationships between men and women at home, in the 
workplace, and in the community.  In Hau Giang, women are expected 
to play a subservient role.  Many women suffer from domestic 
violence in silence.  Anh Duong Community and Development Center 
(ACDC) is a Vietnamese NGO focusing on poverty-reduction and 
community development in Hau Giang's poorest areas.  Anh Duong's 
staff is 100 percent Vietnamese and works with 15 local communes. 
Anh Duong has a proven track record in the community and is well 
regarded by women there as a result of its previous activities, 
including: micro-credit loans to poor women, employment creation 
for women, action-theatre to promote awareness about gender 
equality, health education, and the promotion of inclusive 
education.  In 2009, ACDC reached 1,159 households in fifteen 
localities.  The NGO implements projects with local Vietnamese 
partners and asks locals to contribute from 30 percent to 50 
percent of the budget in order to encourage capacity building, 
ownership and empowerment of the people in the community. 
 
 
 
PROPOSAL ONE: ACTIVITIES, BUDGET AND TIME FRAME 
 
 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  The main objective of the proposal is to empower rural 
women in Hau Giang Province by increasing their knowledge about 
their rights through community education; ACDC proposes holding a 
series of "train the trainer" workshops focused on women's rights 
for the Vietnamese Women's Union (VWU) in 15 project communes. 
(Note: The VWU is a government sponsored NGO.  In rural areas such 
as Hau Giang, the VWU is the only resource for social services and 
most women look to the VWU when assistance is needed.  ACDC's 
training will improve the quality of social services women 
receive.)  Additionally, every three months, as an advocacy part of 
the program, ACDC will invite a lawyer, psychologist, and 
sociologist to talk about subjects concerning women's rights.  ACDC 
will work with the Women's Unions to establish a women's "club" in 
each commune, for the purpose of building networks of community 
support for participants.  (Note: The rural areas of Vietnam often 
provide limited social services.  The VWU and NGOs establish clubs 
to help provide support to women, i.e. those suffering from 
domestic violence.  In these clubs women often learn about their 
rights under the law and different recourses available to them.) 
The women's clubs will also disseminate information on Vietnam's 
laws on domestic violence and create greater awareness of the 
issue.  It is estimated that 450 village women will participate in 
this project.  Husbands of members of the women's groups will be 
invited to participate in the training on women's rights creating a 
holistic and sustainable approach to the project. 
 
 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The total estimated program cost is approximately $26,470 
to be shared among the three different contributors: 
 
 
 
S/GWI: $15,210 
 
Anh Duong Center: $6,120 
 
Donations of community members: $5,140 
 
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HANOI 00000196  003 OF 004 
 
 
Project Total: $26,470 
 
 
 
PROPOSAL TWO: Gender Based Violence Prevention - Awareness Raising, 
Education and Advocacy for University Students 
 
 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The Global Village Foundation (GVF) is a Vietnamese NGO, 
founded in 1999 by author and humanitarian Le Ly Hayslip, focusing 
on sustainable community development projects emphasizing education 
at the grassroots level.  The organization, which has a 
predominately Vietnamese staff, is based in the central city of Hoi 
An, and works predominately with the rural communities of Quang Nam 
province.  GVF's current projects include a portable mobile 
library, a dental health and education project, and a rural 
infrastructure development project.  Recognizing the impact 
domestic violence has in Vietnam, GVF would like to expand its 
focus to include advocating against domestic violence. 
 
 
 
PROPOSAL TWO: ACTIVITIES, BUDGET AND TIME FRAME 
 
 
 
¶9.  (SBU)  The "Stop Gender Based Violence" university program is 
designed to create awareness of gender-based violence in young 
adults and to create a new generation of advocates capable and 
willing to educate others in their community about combating 
domestic violence.  Three Hanoi universities have been selected as 
pilot schools for the first phase (lasting approximately one year) 
of the program.  Each university has an enrollment of approximately 
5,000 to 7,000 students.  The program, in partnership with the 
Youth Union (another government sponsored NGO that addresses issues 
facing young people in Vietnam) and the Women's Union, will 
establish student-led clubs at the universities, with the support 
of the faculty to create an institution-wide environment where 
domestic violence is publicly acknowledged and discussed in and 
outside of the classroom.  The program will also use the university 
setting as a venue to educate student participants on how to work 
as advocates to address the issue of domestic violence. 
 
 
 
¶10.  (SBU)  The total program cost would be approximately $73,217 
as follows: 
 
 
 
Program staff:  $10,700 
 
Stipends- club leaders and internships:  $10,800 
 
Training: $2,000 
 
Travel: $1,800 
 
Questionnaire/First assessment: $1,000 
 
Website development:  $3,000 
 
Technical Equipment:  $3,000 
 
Meeting room rentals & refreshments:  $2,160 
 
Teaching materials for clubs/classrooms:  $600 
 
Phones and office expenses:  $1,200 
 
Honoraria/Guest speaker/travel:  $8,000 
 
LOGO Sales at Cost:  $6,000 
 
Annual conference/workshop:  $6,000 
 
Public education/media/press conf/kits:  $6,000 
 
Contingency:  $3,113 
 
Management and oversight:  $7,844 
 
------------------ 
 
Project total:  $73,217 
 
HANOI 00000196  004 OF 004 
 
 
Total grant request from Post for two proposals:  $99,687 
 
 
 
CONCLUSION 
 
 
 
¶11.  (SBU) The World Bank lists Vietnam as one of the world's most 
rapidly transforming countries, but some societal values remain 
intractable, including those regarding the role of women.  Mission 
Vietnam's two proposals target women in different strata of 
Vietnamese society in two distinct regions of the country.  The 
first proposal provides support to a local, grassroots community 
that has demonstrated great resourcefulness and initiative to 
educate women on their rights and combat this horrible crime within 
their own community.  The second initiative focuses on the future 
of Vietnam.  The acceptance of domestic violence, even among the 
well educated, is high.  By focusing outreach on university 
students, this program hopes to educate the future leaders of 
business, politics and society in Vietnam on both gender equality 
and domestic violence.  We recommend funding for both of these 
projects, which we believe can promote the empowerment of women and 
help Vietnam combat its domestic violence problem. 
 
 
 
¶12.  (U) Post action officer is Political Officer Audrey Moyer, 
 
moyeraf@state.gov, +84 4 850 5407.  Backup contact is Michael 
Goldman, Deputy Political Officer, goldmanmb@state.gov, +84 4 850 
¶5141. 
 
 
 
¶13.  (U) This cable was coordinated with U.S. Consulate General in 
Ho Chi Minh City. 
Palmer