What an amazing team effort it was to change the lives of Ha Thi Cao, her daughter, son-in-law and 2 beautiful grand children.
At first it was tough for us all as we arrived at their house in Huong Trả Town in the outskirts of Hue City. It was eye opening to see their living conditions, hear about their financial situation and get an insight into the small amount of opportunity the young boys had. However, our group of 15 travelers were more than ready to try and help make any difference they could
There land in which they were living was partially funded by the government but being surrounded by a grave yard is not something the locals here in Vietnam are very fond of with them being such spiritual people.
Their only source of income comes from Ha Thi Cao's 44 year old daughter, Len, who's job is to collect plastics and glass bottles that are to be recycled. This brings in on average around 2.5 million Dong per month... that may sound like a lot but is only around $100 USD in real money, to support and feed their family of 5.
Not only did they barely have enough income to cover their monthly outgoings but they were also in small debt with the bank as they had to take out a loan to be able to send their 2 boys to school.
You may be wondering why Len's husband couldn't do more to help but unfortunately he is sick and has a mental illness forcing him to be unable to work.
OK... So what did we do to help?
Together we worked out what it seemed like they needed the most, put our money together and made it happen!
🏠 They were still cooking by fire which had to be made each time they wanted to cook. We built an extension on the side of their house and installed a full working kitchen with a new gas stove and sink.
🚿 The bathroom wasn't really a bathroom when we arrived, with a shower that didn't work and toilet that wouldn't flush. So we extended their bathroom, concreted the floor, fixed holes in the leaking roof and installed a new septic tank so the toilet was usable.
🐥 Buying food and finding ways to make money has been an issue throughout their whole lives. So we killed two birds with one stone. Actually, we did the opposite of that... we built a chicken coop in their garden and provided them with 50 baby chicks. This means they can be more self sufficient and sell their eggs for a little extra income.
🚲 After a little bit of digging into what else would help the local family, we put together a list of items that the family would benefit from. We bought a shiny new bicycle for the children, a new fan to keep them cool, pots and pans for the new kitchen, a kettle, toiletries, clothes and lots of food.
💸 We didn't only all chip in to pay off their debt which they never thought they could get out of... but the spare money we left them with is enough to cover the children's school fees for the next 3 years and provide plenty of food for the family.
Len still calls Jane at Way To Travel almost every week to catch up, let her know how they are and thank us all again for what we did for them. She's even offering to relocate for a month and help take care of Jane's baby when he's born, how thoughtful and she clearly just wants to give something back herself.
Do something SMALL. Change something BIG.
If you're ready to explore Vietnam yourself and be involved in another amazing volunteering project like this one, then check out our trip here https://www.waytotravel.asia/grouptours.
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