Co-learning processes in a participatory poverty reduction programme

This paper reflects on Vietnamese-Canadian experiences of promoting participatory development planning in a collaborative university linkage programme. The Canadian-funded Localised Poverty Reduction in Vietnam (LPRV) programme sought to build the capacity of higher education institutions to contribute to participatory poverty reduction through community-based projects and participatory curriculum development. This paper presents the outcome of the authors' collective reflections over the past five years of the LPRV programme.The paper gives an overview of the programme, the strategies used, outputs and scales of impact. It goes on to discuss co-learning and facilitation of participation at two levels, that is, between Canadian and Vietnamese university partners, and between Vietnamese universities and the local community. It lists the achievements of the 15 community-based pilot projects undertaken and concludes with the challenges that arose during the process.