Every year brings new challenges, and 2025 was no exception.
Communities across the Mekong region faced severe flooding, rising soil salinity, higher living costs, and continued economic uncertainty. Yet despite these difficulties, one thing remained unchanged: the determination of local communities to build a better future.
For more than 30 years, Mekong Plus has worked alongside families in rural Vietnam and Cambodia, not by replacing local initiatives, but by strengthening them.
This year once again demonstrated that when communities are empowered with the right tools, lasting change becomes possible.
Local Communities at the Heart of Every Project
One of the biggest milestones of 2025 wasn’t a new program.
It was seeing how far our local partners have come.
Today, Mekong Plus works alongside three independent local NGOs: Anh Duong, Thien Chi and Community Advancement Organization (CAO), as well as Mekong Quilts, our social enterprise.
These organizations now manage projects independently, raise much of their own funding, and continue expanding their impact while Mekong Plus provides strategic support and international partnerships.
This model of local ownership has become one of the organization’s greatest strengths.
Education Remains the Best Investment
Ask almost any family in the villages what matters most, and the answer is always the same: Education.
Unfortunately, schooling remains expensive for families living on only a few euros per day.
In 2025 again (and so since 2001), Mekong Plus helped thousands of children continue their education through scholarships, bicycles, vision screenings, teacher training, inclusive education, and support for children with disabilities. In 2001, after several years of different successful programs, we organized a workshop, in Đức Linh (Bình Thuận) with the topic: WHAT NEXT? After days of intense debates, between villagers, local officials and ourselves, the conclusion was: WE WANT ALL CHILDREN TO ACCESS EDUCATION! Of ten visitors ask: why is it that in Vietnam, a communist country, education is not free? Compared to other countries the state invests massively in education (infrastructure, teachers’ training etc.) and the results are visible. There is just no comparison between students in the early nineties and today.
The answer: scholarships for the very poorest. But with a strong community participation. The children joining the solidarity day: “we run so that all our friends could go to school as well”.
Some programs are remarkably simple but life-changing.
Every year, around 50,000 children receive eyesight screenings, while thousands receive glasses, allowing them to study in far better conditions.
The result speaks for itself:
Every scholarship recipient completed the school year.
Microcredit That Creates Independence
For many rural families, access to credit remains impossible.
Traditional banks rarely offer loans below €1,000, while informal lenders often charge devastating interest rates.
Mekong Plus provides small microloans, typically between €100 and €400, combined with continuous coaching and technical advice.
The objective isn’t simply to lend money.
It’s to help families build sustainable sources of income through livestock, agriculture, small businesses, or diversified farming.
The results speak for themselves. Today, more than 6,000 families benefit from the program, the repayment rate remains an exceptional 99%, household incomes increase by an average of 20% each year, and more than 8000 families have already escaped poverty thanks to the long-term support provided by Mekong Plus and its partners.
Small Projects, Lasting Impact
Development isn’t only about income.
It’s also about creating healthier, safer communities.
Throughout 2025, Mekong Plus and its partners continued supporting:
- Rural bridges and roads connecting isolated villages
- Healthier homes for vulnerable families
- Sanitation improvements
- Environmental education in schools
- Scholarships for the poorest 2%
- Tree planting
- Plastic recycling initiatives that transform waste into classroom furniture
- Sustainable agricultural practices adapted to climate change.
Many of these projects are largely financed by the communities themselves, with Mekong Plus acting as a catalyst rather than the sole funder.
That’s what makes the impact sustainable.
Creating Jobs Through Social Enterprise
Economic development also means creating employment.
Mekong Quilts, Mekong Plus’ social enterprise, continued its recovery after the difficult COVID years.
In 2025, the business became profitable again, employing more than 150 artisans across Vietnam while generating stable incomes for their families. The profits allowed Mekong Quilts to support a thousand scholarships in 2025 alone.
Every handcrafted product purchased helps create opportunities long after the sale.
Responsible Tourism That Supports Communities
Another growing source of impact comes from responsible tourism.
Through Mekong Bike tours and solidarity cruises, visitors discover Vietnam and Cambodia beyond the usual tourist routes while meeting the communities supported by Mekong Plus.
These journeys not only generate income for local economies but also inspire many participants to become long-term supporters, volunteers, or donors.
Travel becomes another way to create lasting change.
Looking Ahead
Although 2025 brought significant challenges, from climate change to financial pressures, it also confirmed the strength of the Mekong Plus model.
Our local partners continue to grow in autonomy. Communities are investing in their own future. Families are building sustainable livelihoods, and thousands of children are staying in school. This is an increasing challenge as the international funds available for development programs are slashed everywhere.
There is still much to accomplish, but every project completed and every opportunity created is proof that lasting change happens when communities are empowered to lead it themselves.
Thank You for Making This Possible
None of this would be possible without the generosity of our supporters.
Whether you sponsor a child, finance a microcredit, join a Mekong Bike tour, purchase a handcrafted product from Mekong Quilts, make a donation, or simply share our mission with others, you become part of a collective effort to reduce poverty and create opportunities across Vietnam and Cambodia.
Every contribution, no matter its size, helps a child stay in school, enables a family to build a sustainable income, or strengthens a community for years to come.
Together, we are not only changing individual lives, we are helping entire communities build a more resilient and hopeful future.
More Ways to Help
Here’s how you can get involved:
- Sponsor a child with a scholarship: https://mekongplus.org/en/sponsor-a-child/
- Buy the wonderful craft made by our women artisans: https://mekongquilts.com/
- Finance a microcredit: https://mekongplus.org/en/finance-a-microcredit/
- Join our eco-tours: https://mekongplus.org/en/mekong-bikes/
- Make a donation to our programmes: https://mekongplus.org/en/donate/
- Follow us on Facebook: Mekong Plus & Mekong Quilts
