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Hien and her family live in Ngoc Dong commune, a remote mountainous area of Cao Bang province in northern Vietnam.

In the past, her husband, Chuyen, was forced to take seasonal work and stay away from home for three months at a time. Yet, his salary combined with their farming income still did not cover their daily living costs. If their crop failed, they did not have enough food for the family for several months.

Life changed when Hien joined ChildFund’s Credit and Savings project in 2012. With a loan of 2,000,000 Vietnamese Dong (about $100), she decided to buy two piglets. Six months later, she sold them for 5,000,000 Dong ($250).

After paying back the loan, she continued to invest in rearing pigs, starting by buying a mother pig. Their mother pig now has had three litters, each with ten piglets.

Hien’s business is profitable and not only covers their living expenses but also their daughter`s school fees. At the moment, they have one mother pig and ten piglets!

ChildFund’s Credit and Savings scheme in Ngoc Dong commune was established in partnership with the commune’s Women’s Union in March 2011. Now the group boasts more than 300 members with each member contributing 10,000 Vietnamese Dong ($0.50) each month to its credit savings account.

“With the support of the project, our life is becoming much better. Now we have enough food to feed the whole family,” says Hien.

To ensure the success of her new business and to increase the income from their farm, Hien participated in ChildFund’s training sessions on farming rice, maize and animal husbandry and now uses new feeding techniques for her pigs. Instead of the traditional way which took hours to cook food for pigs, Hien now provides the pigs with uncooked food which is just as nutritious. “The new method saves time and money. The pigs grow quickly and look much better rather than raising on cooked food. Then, it`s easier for us to sell them,” she says.

Hien and her family live in an area where stilt houses are common and pigs and chickens roam around the yards. Though she now understands that this is not hygienic for her family so instead of keeping the animals under the house floor, she keeps her chickens and pigs in separate areas.

 

During my three years working at ChildFund Vietnam, I have had many opportunities to visit Bac Kan province, one of ChildFund’s project areas located in the north of Vietnam. But one of the most memorable trips was just recently in November 2013 when I accompanied Aussie sponsors, Greg and Judy Odgen, to meet their sponsored child, Dao, in Bach Thong, one of the poorest districts in Bac Kan.

We picked up Greg and Judy Odgen on an autumn day in Hanoi. Greg and Judy greeted us warmly and were very friendly and eager to start their trip.

This was the second time Judy and Greg had visited Bac Kan. They shared with us stories from their first unforgettable trip eight years ago when they met their first sponsored child, Su. It has now been more than a decade since the Ogdens first sponsored a child in Vietnam through ChildFund.

After driving for four hours, passing through large streets in Hanoi then narrow, rocky roads with bumpy streams in Bac Kan, we arrived at the local commune centre in Bach Thong.  This was the first time Judy and Greg have had the chance to meet 16-year-old Dao after seven years of exchanging letters.

“I was told about my sponsor’s visit three months ago. I was very excited to hear that. And now, I feel very happy and honoured to see them actually here,” says Dao.

It often takes time for Dao’s letters to reach her sponsors. Her letters are collected by the Sponsor Relations Volunteer by hand before being delivered to ChildFund`s Hanoi office to be translated into English.

Dao often shares with her sponsors about the weather in Vietnam, her study and her family. In turn, she also receives lots of notes from her sponsors with information about their family, their holiday and their work. Whenever she receives letters from overseas, she feels so excited because she can learn more about Judy, Greg, Gerard and Phillip (their two sons). She calls Gerard and Phillip “brothers” and has kept all their letters, cards and presents.

Although Dao knows much about Greg and Judy, she was still a little shy when she met them face-to-face for the first time. “They look quite different from what I thought but they are very friendly and caring, like the way they write to me,” says Dao.

 

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