Intellectually-disabled children are taught at Sao Mai (Morning Star) Centre, a social organisation in Ha Noi. Civil society organisations play an important role in dealing with social issues, but how to maintain financial sustainability is a great challenge for them. -- Photo CSIP

HA NOI (Biz Hub) ― The Centre for Social Initiatives Promotion (CSIP) on April 8 launched a technical and financial support programme to assist in innovating civil society organisations (CSOs) following the social enterprises model.

The programme is financed by Irish Aid and will assist potential CSOs for a period of two and a half years. It will help train 30 organisations to enhance their capacity, advise 12 organisations to chart out their business plans, and sponsor six organisations with 3,000 euros (US$4,150) each to develop businesses and networks.

"CSOs are playing an important role in dealing with social issues and fostering the general progress, but how to maintain self-control and financial sustainability remains a great challenge for them," stressed CSIP Director Pham Kieu Oanh.

"Developing social firms will be an effective solution to the problem," she further added.

The scheme is a part of the Vietnam Civil Society Facility programme, which was launched in 2007 and managed by the Embassy of Ireland in Ha Noi to aid CSOs in dealing with hunger and poverty as well as building policies. The CSIP was established in 2008 and is a Vietnamese non-governmental organisation.

According to a report furnished by the Central Institute for Economic Management late last year, about 300 social enterprises were operating in Viet Nam and 50 new firms are added every year. ― VNS