This is why we need to build community philanthropy (in Vietnam and beyond)

Last week, during a workshop on coal energy’s effect on marine life off the coast of Vietnam a common development debate heated up: can social protection and economic development co-exist or does economic development need to come first? There were rational and emotional arguments for the two perspectives but what became painfully obvious is that local people are rarely engaged in debates concerning their own communities. If they are engaged, it is often without full knowledge or understanding of the issues and implications of any decision they may be asked to make.