On 1st February 2005, a new poverty alleviation programme was launched in cen¬tral Vietnam, co-financed by the German Federal Department of Economic Cooperation and Development. The programme targets are the improvement of health and nutri¬tion as well as enhancing income- generation possibilities for poor village women.

The programme activities range from hygiene, health and nutrition education to the training of health staff, the promotion of small trades, the diversification of agricultural pro¬duction and a revolving fund for livestock.

The target group is 800 families of the Cotu and Bh’noong minorities living in remote, moun¬tainous regions and 1,060 poor families in the coastal areas. The Order of Malta’s project is planned to run for two and a half years.