Karolina Rutkowska, Country Programme Director of VVOB in Viet Nam. (Photo: UED)

- In your view, what enables a programme to continue making an impact after a project ends?

First and foremost, the programme must be designed in line with Viet Nam’s development priorities, with Vietnamese partners involved from the outset of the design process.

Over the years, development cooperation in Viet Nam has increasingly moved towards substantive partnerships, in which value is jointly created by Vietnamese agencies and foreign non-governmental organisations.

Rather than focusing on small-scale or isolated interventions, greater emphasis is increasingly being placed on programmes capable of generating long-term and wide-ranging impact.

VVOB shares this approach. We want programmes not only to deliver results during the project implementation period, but also to ensure that these changes can continue after the project ends.

To achieve this, all parties need to jointly identify objectives, develop the programme together and maintain their commitment throughout implementation. When domestic partners are involved from the beginning, the experience, capacity and working methods developed through the project are more likely to continue to be applied and further developed afterwards.

- How is this approach reflected in the field of education?

Education is one of the areas that clearly demonstrates why it is necessary to pursue long-term and wide-ranging impact.

As Viet Nam continues to reform its education system, VVOB sees many opportunities to work alongside Vietnamese partners in strengthening teachers’ professional development, enhancing professional leadership capacity in schools, and promoting competency-based teaching and learning.

One solution with the potential to improve learning outcomes on a large scale is continued investment in teaching capacity and educational leadership. This process needs to focus on quality, equity and appropriate innovation in teaching and learning.

If a programme only brings about changes for a group of students during the project period, its impact will be limited. But if a programme helps strengthen the capacity of teachers and professional leaders in schools, those capacities can continue to be applied in teaching and learning after the project ends.

This is also a way to ensure that the impact is not limited to a particular group of beneficiaries or a specific locality, but has greater potential to be sustained and expanded.

The kick-off workshop for the “Integrating learning through play into primary teacher education” (PLAYHi) project, organised by VVOB in Viet Nam in cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, the University of Education under Thai Nguyen University, and the Viet Nam National Institute of Educational Sciences. (Photo: VVOB)

- What further support should the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations provide for these activities, Madam?

In my view, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) should continue to create spaces and opportunities for government agencies, local partners and international organisations to exchange experiences, reflect together on the results achieved, identify remaining challenges, and discuss approaches that can be sustained and scaled up.

Regular dialogue and open mutual learning are very important, as long-term change cannot be achieved by a single organisation or an individual project. All parties need to reach a shared understanding of their objectives, participate throughout the implementation process and maintain their commitment after the project ends.

Drawing on VVOB’s many years of experience in Viet Nam, we see VUFO as having an important role in providing information and guidance to ensure that cooperation programmes are aligned with Viet Nam’s development goals and priorities. At its annual conferences, VUFO provides information on the Government’s strategic priorities as well as the domestic and international context, thereby helping development partners identify areas where their expertise can make an appropriate contribution.

For programmes aimed at generating long-term impact, VUFO’s role goes beyond facilitating the establishment of cooperation. It also involves supporting the parties in maintaining their commitment, sharing experiences and creating conditions for effective approaches to continue to be applied after a project ends.

- Thank you very much!

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