The thought of coming to live in such a big city to work in coastal conservation and community development initially did not make sense to me. However, over the course of my first few months, I have learned to appreciate the MCD model of partnering with coastal communities to empower them through capacity-building and technical support. My role in MCD is to work alongside the community-based ecotourism (CBET) staff enhancing the work that they do by researching and recommending topics and approaches that might help them ameliorate their work, while also participating in their current activities, projects, campaigns and conferences.
In November, I twice got to visit one of MCD’s partner communities, Giao Xuan. Giao Xuan commune acts as a buffer zone for Xuan Thuy national park, in the province of Nam Dinh, in the North of Viet Nam. Visiting the community of Giao Xuan was a valuable experience for me since I was able to enhance my understanding of the work I do in MCD’s Hanoi office, by visiting one of the communities where a CBET model is being implemented. Since community development cannot be merely theoretical, it was an honour to meet and work with Giao Xuan’s CBET group first hand. I got to stay in Ms. Thin’s rural home-stay, who is the head of the ecotourism cooperative and the women’s union in Giao Xuan, enjoy coffee and meals at Mr. Hau and Ms. Thuy’s Ecolife Café, and visit Mr. Van, the enthusiastic host and cook, experiencing many of the community’s main features available to tourists. The community-based ecotourism model not only helped me appreciate how local people live, but also helped me understand the importance of maintaining the cultural and ecological integrity of Giao Xuan.
The main goal of my first trip to Giao Xuan was to facilitate (with help from Hai, another MCD staff member) a workshop for members of the CBET group on presentation skills. The morning included skill-building exercises and role-playing activities designed to simulate tourism situations in which they were the hosts welcoming tourists to Giao Xuan. Though we discovered that many of the group members already had a wealth of presentation skills, providing people a space to share and practice these skillsets was well received. I even got to witness a special performance from Giao Xuan’s traditional singing group, who put me on the spot by demanding a song from me!
My second trip to Giao Xuan was for a five-day community event showcasing and celebrating the partnership between MCD and the community. I was impressed with the vibrancy and support the people of Giao Xuan offered, as well as their curiosity and willingness to learn about the various projects community members have been involved in over the course of the partnership. Many people were curious about where I was from, why I wanted to travel to Vietnam, and were quite excited to show off their community and its many talents. Along with showcasing community-building work through workshops and information sharing, our goal was also to help people strategize about how to better implement ecological sustainability at all levels of community organizing.
Throughout the week, the people of Giao Xuan celebrated and showcased the community work that has been benefiting the sustainability of livelihoods and the conservation of coastal resources. Though MCD provided information, and facilitated community events and activities, the bulk of the events were made possible by the extensive support, planning, and participation of community members themselves. People showcased their performance talent, honoured the hard work of organizers, showcased their delicious cooking skills and came out in large numbers to participate in the week’s proceedings.
My week in Giao Xuan was memorable; I met many people working on building a sustainable community. Without a doubt, this experience was inspiring to witness. The community members heavily involved in the MCD partnered projects were keen to communicate how these projects are beneficial not only to the various visitors who travelled from Hanoi and surrounding areas, but to other members of their community as well. I learned that MCD’s partnerships with coastal communities are mutually beneficial. The community gains access to MCD’s resources and skills, while MCD learns a great deal from each community’s challenges and strengths. This relationship, in turn, helps MCD and Giao Xuan shape their direction and approaches to work. The week of community events produced an impressive turnout, which helped build momentum and awareness of MCD’s presence in Giao Xuan.
My trips to the field were not only fun, but I really got a feel for what MCD’s community development projects look like in practice. By talking to the people in GIao Xuan about MCD’s involvement, I got a feel for the importance of these projects.
Thank you MCD and Giao Xuan for the terrific opportunity,
-Susie Miller
Two months ago I boarded a plane on the west coast of Canada bound for Vietnam to work and learn from the Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD) for five months in Hanoi. Though this move was fairly daunting for me, I have become accustomed to a rural lifestyle in a small mountain town; I have come to appreciate different ways of living and working in Hanoi.