International Cooperation: Grassroots Experience Sharing in Vietnam

One of the key stakeholders in any development projects is nongovernment organizations (NGOs), which work at grassroots level. Many NGOs try to maximize the project impact to stay at the local level, and local context is considered during planning and implementation for the purpose. However, it is always a challenge to ensure local ownership and sustainability of the project. Technical transfer project on DRR education has similar challenge. This chapter looks at the experience of disaster risk reduction (DRR) education program in Vietnam and discusses what is important for sustainability in grassroots activity for DRR education through the case of a technical transfer project carried out by a Japanese NGO partnering with the local government. This chapter dealt with four (4) activities to transfer Japanese techniques of DRR education as follows: (1) installation of DRR core schools and teachers’ training system, (2) implementation of training of trainers (ToT) and DRR classes, (3) development of teachers’ guide for DRR education, and (4) implementation of Japan study visit. Consequently, this chapter showed the importance of network among teachers, educational officials, and NGOs for technical transfer of DRR education. Through the discussion, this chapter clarified that NGOs can play a vital role in the network as an organizer, a facilitator, an advisor, and an advocate who can secure the sustainability of DRR education.