In 2024, Mekong Plus marked 30 years of committed, community-first development work in rural Vietnam and Cambodia. With a focus on participatory action, education, health, gender equality, microcredit, and environmental sustainability, Mekong Plus continued to deliver real and lasting impact to the people who need it most. This year’s efforts reflect the organization’s deep connection to the communities it serves, alongside its evolution into a global model of grassroots development.
From smallholder farms to schoolyards, from family-run sewing tables to bridges built with local hands, every initiative tells the story of empowerment, resilience, and shared responsibility.
People-Centered Development, Powered by Local Leadership
The foundation of Mekong Plus’ work is its integrated, people-centered approach. In 2024, the organization reached over 200,000 individuals across rural Vietnam and Cambodia through programs that are not externally imposed but co-created with the communities they serve.
Mekong Plus no longer runs its own projects directly; instead, it works through three powerful local partners: Thiện Chí and Ánh Dương in Vietnam, and the Community Advancement Organization (CAO) in Cambodia.
These autonomous, high-impact NGOs understand the local context deeply and implement grassroots solutions shaped by the people themselves. Whether in sustainable farming, vocational training, or microcredit, the focus remains on strengthening communities from within—with Mekong Quilts, the organization’s social enterprise, providing additional support by employing over 100 women artisans to craft eco-friendly, income-generating products.
Expanding Education and Protecting Children’s Futures
Education remained at the core of Mekong Plus’ mission in 2024. More than 2,070 scholarships were awarded across Vietnam and Cambodia, ensuring that the most disadvantaged students—often in families earning less than €1/day—could remain in school. In Cambodia alone, the Romdoul District project supported multiple schools, combining educational aid with hygiene programs, including personal dental kits for every student.
An extensive eye health program screened over 10,000 students in Svay Rieng Province, with 6% referred for further care. More than half of those received prescription glasses, transforming their ability to learn.
The impact of these efforts is clear: dropout rates dropped significantly, and every child who received a scholarship completed the academic year. Mekong Plus also distributed 144 bicycles to help students in remote areas reach school safely.
Teacher training programs expanded, focusing on oral hygiene and gender education. The ripple effect of these interventions is long-term, equipping both educators and students with tools for a healthier, more equitable future.
Empowering Women and Protecting Their Rights
Women and girls remained a top priority. In collaboration with the Women’s Union, Mekong Plus trained over 400 women and teachers on gender equality and domestic violence prevention. These sessions were held in eight communes and empowered women to become change-makers in their communities.
Events like the Gender Equality and Domestic Violence Prevention Contest in Hậu Giang province brought communities together, sparking dialogue and shifting mindsets. Legal Awareness Days helped more than 590 women connect with justice department representatives and legal advisors—many for the first time.
With support from partners like the Resilience Fund of the World Union, the U.S. Consulate, Dragon Capital, and NEXT (Swiss Biotech), Mekong Plus continues to strengthen protection networks for women and girls.
Microcredit: Big Change with Small Loans
In 2024, Mekong Plus delivered over 11,000 microcredits in Vietnam and Cambodia—small loans that created big change. With an exceptional 99% repayment rate, these funds allowed families to start farms, open food stalls, or grow cottage industries like sewing or weaving. These are more than business ventures; they’re lifelines.
In Cambodia, microfinance allowed hundreds of women to break cycles of poverty and dependency, often becoming leaders in their villages. Loans averaged €100–400 and came with training and one-on-one support, ensuring long-term success.
The results were extraordinary: over 1,100 households rose out of poverty, and average incomes increased by 20%.
Greener Agriculture and Sustainable Innovation
Sustainability is central to Mekong Plus’ vision. In 2024, hundreds of eco-gardens, compost systems, and biogas units were set up across rural homes. These efforts reduced waste, improved crop yields, and cut household fuel costs.
Plastic waste also became a resource. Mekong Plus recycled over 500kg of plastic into durable school furniture—desks and chairs that are cheaper and longer-lasting than wooden ones.
Pig manure was transformed into energy via biogas systems, reducing pollution and promoting clean energy at the household level.
Building Infrastructure with Community Hands
Sometimes it takes a bridge—or a home—to change everything until 2024, Mekong Plus supported villagers in constructing more than 450 bridges and every year over 200 safe, low-cost houses.
These homes were built to withstand the region’s harsh weather conditions and offer security and dignity to the most vulnerable families. Remarkably, in many cases, communities contributed up to 90% of the funding themselves. Mekong Plus provided technical guidance, coordination, and a small financial boost to help turn local efforts into lasting impact.
Sanitation also saw dramatic progress: 95% of households now have access to hygienic latrines, drastically improving health outcomes and quality of life.
Mekong Quilts: Stitching Hope and Economic Dignity
Mekong Quilts, the social enterprise wing of Mekong Plus, continued to thrive in 2024, employing over 100 women artisans. The handmade products—quilts, bags, eco-bikes—don’t just reflect high-quality craftsmanship, but also fair trade values and sustainable design.
Mekong Quilts’ shops in HCMC and Hanoi have both done well in 2024, and a European tour reconnected the team with buyers and ethical businesses like terre d’Oc. The feedback was glowing, and new collaborations are already taking shape. Each product sold funds further development programs and keeps dignity-based employment alive.
Global Partnerships, Local Change
Mekong Plus also took its story across the Atlantic. A month-long mission in North America brought the team to key cities in Canada and the United States, including Montreal, Ottawa, Los Angeles, Eugene, and Portland. Through more than 20 meetings with diaspora groups, university students, and potential partners like Dragonberry Produce, Mekong Plus laid the groundwork for future collaborations. From campus talks to discussions with philanthropic foundations, this outreach effort helped raise awareness and build new bridges—both literal and figurative—between local communities and global supporters.
Mekong Bike Tours and Solidarity Cruises were promoted as models of responsible travel, giving participants a firsthand view of the lives they are helping to change. As one traveler put it: “Meeting the people, being welcomed into their lives, and seeing firsthand what Mekong Plus is doing—it was something I won’t forget. This is travel with purpose.”
Transparent, Efficient, and Ready for More
In 2024, Mekong Plus sent over €860,000 directly to programs in Vietnam and Cambodia. An impressive 75% of all funding went straight into fieldwork, while administrative costs were kept to just 3%. The organization continues to explore new models of long-term sustainability, including a endowment fund.
Additional fundraising trips are being planned in North America, while digital campaigns and donor engagement efforts continue to expand.
The Road Ahead: Join the Movement
In 2025, Mekong Plus aims to double the number of scholarships for children in the poorest 2% of households. Plans are in motion to expand eco-farming, open more job opportunities for women, and develop new travel programs that connect people, not just places.
If you’ve been moved by the stories of change, now is the time to get involved. Whether through a donation, a solidarity tour, a corporate partnership, or a purchase from Mekong Quilts, your contribution powers transformation.
Together, we are not just fighting poverty. We are building futures.
How You Can Help
Here’s how you can get involved:
- Sponsor a child with a scholarship: https://mekongplus.org/en/sponsor-a-child/
- Finance a microcredit: https://mekongplus.org/en/finance-a-microcredit/
- Join our eco-tours: https://mekongplus.org/en/mekong-bikes/
- Buy our handicrafts: https://mekongquilts.com/
- Make a donation to our programmes: https://mekongplus.org/en/donate/
- Follow us on Facebook: Mekong Plus
