A 6 billion VND (282,000 USD) project, mainly funded by the Swedish Cooperative Centre, is helping ethnic groups in central Thua Thien-Hue province boost the development of agriculture and handicrafts.

The centre has donated 5.3 billion VND (249,100 USD) to implement the project until 2015, with the remaining capital sourced from the Thua Thien-Hue Hope Centre.

The initiative aims to raise the capacity of local ethnic groups in A Luoi district’s six communes to improve the production and trading of handicrafts as well as farming and breeding techniques.

It also aims to pilot environmentally-friendly farming and breeding models as well as create jobs and reduce poverty for local people.

In addition, Nordic Assistance to Vietnam ( NAV) also donated 325 million VND (15,406 USD) in non-refundable aid to the province, with the view to raising the capacity to prevent and respond to natural disasters of local people.-VNA