VZCZCXYZ0002
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVN #0435/01 2190921
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 060921Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 2138

UNCLAS VIENTIANE 000435 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MLS 
DEPT FOR G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM KWMN PHUM LA
SUBJECT: MONITORING REPORT FOR G/TIP FY06 PROGRAM: WORLD VISION'S 
"VOICES OF VICTIMS" 
 
REFS: A. 07 STATE 146066 
  ¶B. 08 VIENTIANE 000145 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY: In response to G/TIP's request (ref A) post conducted a 
review of the G/TIP-funded World Vision "Voices of Victims: 
Youth-to-Youth Advisory System on Safe Migration" grant project. 
The project period is currently September 2007 to September 2009, 
though the project draws on FY06 funds. While the grantee conducted 
an introductory workshop and hired project staff, lengthy memorandum 
of understanding negotiations between World Vision and the 
provincial authorities and central government of Laos (GOL) have 
delayed full program implementation. World Vision expects the MOU to 
be approved in late August and the project to begin in September. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  Following are responses to Reftel inquiries. 
 
¶A.  An Embassy staff member met with John Whan Yoon, Mekong Delta 
Regional Trafficking Strategy II (MDRTS II) Regional Manager, and 
Leigh Vickery, Advocacy and Anti-Trafficking Support Consultant, in 
Vientiane to discuss the status of World Vision's "Voices of 
Victims" (VoV) project, a youth-to-youth advisory system on safe 
migration, funded by G/TIP.  The project period is September 2007 to 
September 2009 and the project is based in Savannakhet Province in 
southern Laos. 
 
¶B.  World Vision hired project staff and conducted trainings and 
informal meetings to begin setting up the trafficking awareness 
program, though further activities toward full implementation will 
need to wait for the completed MOU (see para 4).  World Vision held 
a four-day introductory workshop for the Voices of Victims (VoV) 
project in Savannakhet in February 2008 to build trust among the 
stakeholders, orient the government to the project, and train World 
Vision staff. VoV is now fully staffed with a Program Manager and 
three project officers, all based in Savannakhet.  World Vision held 
informal meetings and set up Project Coordination Committees to 
explain and build understanding of the project in the province.  The 
committees are comprised of World Vision staff and local government 
contacts.  World Vision identified five villages in three districts 
in which to implement the VoV project.  The villages were chosen 
based on need, donor coordination, government permission, and Area 
Development Plan (ADP) assessments.  (Note: ADPs are long-term, 
multi-sector, integrated development plans operating at the village 
level -- essentially World Vision's keystone projects.)  Two project 
staff have attended a related anti-trafficking workshop in Bangkok 
on the Mekong Delta Regional Trafficking Strategy II (MDRTS II) 
program and also received gender training, which included gender 
analysis and program design and implementation. 
 
¶C.  The grantee encountered lengthy delays in the MOU approval 
process with the provincial government.  The GOL does not permit 
foreign organizations to begin project implementation until the 
signing of an MOU is complete, and thus the grantee did not progress 
towards specific objectives and indicators in the proposal.  The 
grantee submitted the MOU and project proposal in March and did not 
receive feedback until July.  The main issue under discussion was 
the location and scope of the Migrant Advice Center.  If the revised 
MOU is approved in August, World Vision will begin the project in 
September. 
 
¶D.  The grantee is operating in the context of an authoritarian 
system in which obtaining government permission is a cumbersome and 
time-consuming process.  However, World Vision, which has operated 
in Laos longer than any other international NGO, is well-versed in 
GOL project approval procedures.  The organization is, in the 
Embassy's view, well-positioned to effect long-term change and 
development of local capacity. (Comment: While the timeframe is 
uncertain, there is little doubt that the GOL will eventually 
approve the MOU.) 
 
¶E.  World Vision's strong record in Laos indicates the organization 
is qualified to implement the VoV program.  Because the project has 
not yet begun, reporting on the grantee's capacity will be 
undertaken at a later date. 
 
¶F.  The grantee believes the project period of two years is too 
short to implement sustainable programming, particularly given the 
burdensome operating context.  The grantee suggests G/TIP consider 
longer-term RFAs.  In the Embassy's estimation, the VoV project is 
likely to require a time extension due to the delays in the MOU 
process. 
 
¶G.  This project is well-positioned to address key deficiencies set 
forth in the Laos TIP country narrative, such as the lack of local 
capacity and the problem of internal migration.  VoV strives to 
build local capacity through its community-based protection 
mechanisms and integrated programming with ADPs, and the safe 
migration educational initiatives are applicable to both internal 
and cross-border trafficking.  Comments on the effectiveness of 
program operations will be undertaken at a later date. 
 
 
¶H.  Despite being hamstrung by the lengthy MOU process with the GOL, 
the grantee was able to accomplish some useful preliminary grant 
activities.  Post recommends the continuation of funding and 
monitoring six months after the grantee begins project 
implementation, which is tentatively scheduled for September and is 
contingent on the signing of the MOU.  Given World Vision's strong 
record in Laos, post expects a solid program once implementation 
begins. 
 
HUSO