26 June - Irish Aid signed a contract with Prosperity Initiative, awarding the organization with a 900,000 EUR grant to support its poverty reduction work through the end of 2010. Prosperity Initiative will receive half of the grant in July 2009 (EUR 450,000) to carry forward implementation of the Mekong Bamboo programme and support to Viet Nam's Ministry of Agriculture's Centre for Agricultural Policy's market strategy and policy, working specifically on key agricultural commodities including rice. The remainder of the grant will be applied in 2010. Through this grant, Prosperity Initiative anticipates a productive partnership with Irish Aid as another major donor in support of its market based approaches to poverty reduction. Prosperity Initiative is looking forward to the opportunity to make an important contribution to Irish Aid's Development Strategy in Viet Nam.