The microfinance program in Kien Giang has benefited baby Nguyen Thi Que Tran and her mother with a cleaner playground free from mosquito and dampness.   When Nguyen Thi Que Tran’s parents built their house in 2007 in Kien Giang province, they had no idea that their days of living with mud and mould would last nearly three years. With the house located right next to the river, the water levels could almost reach their floor and the compacted soil made it an ideal place for mosquitoes and dampness.   After one year of living in the house, the couple attempted to repair the floor. They accumulated floor tiles to prepare for the construction, but had no idea when the job would actually start. Tran’s father is a blacksmith working away from home and her mother raises chickens and pigs. Despite immediate needs to improve the housing condition before having their first baby, house renovations were not affordable for them. About six months before the birth of Tran, her parents were introduced to Habitat for Humanity Vietnam’s microfinance program and they seized the opportunity without delay. In August 2009, Bernadine Reeves, Habitat's Global Village team from the United States, visited Tran’s family and worked with her parents to upgrade the floor. For five days, Tran’s father and the volunteer team dug the foundation, transported mortar and cemented the floor. Tran’s father recalled his experience working side by side with the international volunteers: “The three of them worked very hard and learnt the local construction technique incredibly fast.” Tran’s mother remembered that they greatly enjoyed banh tet (savory cake made from glutinous rice) when she invited them to try. After the volunteers left, Tran’s parents continued to work for two more weeks to finalize the brick tile and even managed to build a kitchen cupboard with the remaining materials. Now the new floor is not only solid, but also 30cm higher than before. Tran’s parents hoped that Tran would learn to crawl and walk on this new clean floor. They also planned to continue borrowing from Habitat’s revolving fund to build a new toilet and a water pump once they’ve completed the floor loan repayment. Baby Nguyen Thi Que Tran was born in January 2010 and named after a well-known Vietnamese cai luong (folk opera) singer. Her parents want her to have the best when born into this world – and most importantly a better place to live. 

Photo: from a degraded house made of dry leaves (upper), Mr. Danh Den can now share a decent sturdy home (lower) with his family members.  Seven members of Mr. Den’s extended family used to live in a shelter made of leaves and tiles. Even when his grandchildren started working, they could not afford to improve their housing situation.   Likewise, Mr. Con and his wife have spent their entire lives in a leaf-thatched house while sharing a fish-pond toilet with their children and grandchildren.   According to Kien Giang’s official 2009 statistics, more than 22,000 families in the province live in substandard housing and lack adequate sanitation.  The most urgent housing needs recorded in the province are the renovation of toilets, walls, foundations and roofs.     Holcim Vietnam Ltd. generously donated to HFHV as a part of their overall funding strategy for 2009. The fund was used to build houses for two families in Kien Luong district, Kien Giang province. Within 3-4 months, thanks to nearly 30 volunteers from Holcim Vietnam, together with Habitat staff, local skilled laborers and neighbors, the families of Mr. Den and Mr. Con have each received a brand new house made of durable materials.   Through the funding from Holcim Vietnam, other families in Kien Giang who are suffering from deplorable living conditions will also have a chance to rebuild their houses in the near future.  

Photo: Habitat's Water & Sanitation Senior Specialist Mr. Do Dinh Phuc receives the grant from Unilever Vietnam.    Habitat for Humanity Vietnam has been awarded with Unilever International’s grant for 361,600,000 VND (20,000 USD) for construction of a piped water supply scheme in U Minh Thuong district in Kien Giang province.  This project will provide about 500 people with access to clean water.   An award ceremony was held in Hanoi by Unilever International Vietnam on 7th January, 2010, during which a memorandum of understanding was signed by Mr. Marijn Van Tiggelen, Unilever’s General Director, and Ms. Sara Coppler, Habitat Vietnam’s National Director.  This year, Unilever granted 20 Vietnam-based organizations, working in the areas of clean water, health & sanitation,  solid waste and environmental protection,  with 4,770,000,000 VND (265,000 USD).  Among 175 applications, our proposal was selected based on its “originality and creativity, impact on the community, sustainability, transmissibility and high commitment to achieve success”, as these are Unilever’s criteria to receive funding. Habitat for Humanity Vietnam was awarded with the third highest amount of funding out of the 20 grant recipients.