In Cambodia, the UK is helping to coordinate the work of the large number of aid projects providing health services. A health programme has been developed with the national Government that brings donor activities in line with Cambodia's own priorities.

Health care is now in the reach of more people (for example, through refunds for treatment and transport costs for the poorest) and health resources are more readily available than before. Notable achievements have included increased deliveries of babies by health professionals and a rise in antenatal visits.

In Ghana, the UK has worked with a range of partners to put Ghana’s national development strategy at the centre of aid projects. Where aid has been used to support Ghana’s own programmes, the results have been impressive. The UK-backed removal of primary school fees, for example, achieved a turnaround in school enrolments.

Read more in our story Ghana's children go to school for life. Also read about a project that is helping Ghana's poorest people to feed themselves when famine strikes.
 

In Nicaragua, the UK has worked with the Government and donors to set up a series of projects that support democracy. One project in an isolated and impoverished region of the country gets community members to pull together and participate in local decision-making processes.

"Now that we're working, we've seen results," said one local person who got involved. "Today we have a good water infrastructure, as well as schools, bridges and roads. Before we didn’t have anything."

In Southern Sudan, the UK is supporting a team of donors working to align their assistance with the Government's own priorities. Results so far include the delivery of essential medical supplies to over 1,000 health facilities, 1 million mosquito nets, and enough student and teacher kits to meet the needs of 850,000 pupils.

Also, 380 boreholes have been created as part of a programme that will improve access to safe water to 500,000 people, while 500 kilometres of new roads have been built, increasing the availability of food.

In Vietnam, the UK has worked with others to create a rural transport system that is closely in line with Government aims. The benefits of this new system have been dramatic, with communities spending fewer days cut off from district centres, travel time in the dry season significantly reduced, and a rise in school attendance and visits to clinics.  

In addition, local incomes have increased. For example, as a result of a new irrigation scheme and better road access to his local market in Dai Son, one farmer, Mr Lu, has doubled his earnings from the sale of rice surplus from his paddy field.