The house they live in is subsidized by the government, and the family receives support from the community. For example, a barber who no longer used his leather chair donated it, and now the father sleeps on it.
The second family is made up of the youngest son of the first family, his wife, and their two children.
He received a microcredit from the NGO which allowed him to plant 250 dragon fruit trees (the city of Phan Thiet is considered the dragon fruit capital of Vietnam). This microcredit also enabled him to send his children to school.
It was possible to grant a loan to this family because they have economic prospects. A small investment can significantly improve their living standards.
The NGO visits these two families about once every three months, to monitor their progress, film, take photos, and post updates on crowdfunding platforms to keep donors informed.
These families have been in the program for several years now (four years), and the benefits are clear, as is the repayment of the loans.
The third family consists of a grandmother, her daughter, and two granddaughters. She received a microcredit of $400 to rent a plot of land, buy dragon fruit plants, and raise chickens.
The grandmother is the one responsible for the family’s income because her daughter had a motorbike accident that paralyzed her leg and right arm. She also suffers from frequent, severe epileptic seizures that are strongly influenced by the weather. At the time of the accident, she was pregnant, and the doctors injected her with a very strong dose of medication. As a result, her daughter suffers from serious memory problems and had difficulty learning to walk. She still struggles at school.
Her husband left her at the time of the accident, and the grandmother also went through a divorce.
The grandmother suffers from cruciate ligament problems in her knee, which sometimes cause her a lot of pain, but she continues to work… she doesn’t really have a choice.
For this family, the NGO comes every month, since they also provide a school scholarship of $12 each month.
During the visits, there were four of us: Vinh Huyen, myself, the deputy director of the center, and a part-time employee who lives in the community we visited. She is the link between the community and the NGO. She is the one who informs the NGO whenever there is a problem, when someone needs help, and she knows the families best.
The regular follow-up of beneficiaries seems excellent to me! It allows the NGO to maintain close contact with people so they don’t feel abandoned. In addition, the regular updates inspire confidence in investors, who can clearly see how their money is improving people’s lives.
Having someone from the community working part-time in the organization is also a brilliant idea. It ensures that the support provided actually matches local needs and keeps the NGO closer to the people.
Unfortunately, I don’t understand anything during the conversations on the visits. I only know what my internship supervisor, Vinh Huyen, explains to me afterward. So I don’t know exactly what is being said.
After that, we went back to the office, and we had a break from 11:30 to 13:30. Vinh Huyen brought me back to the homestay and, on the way, stopped to help me get food.
At 13:10, he picked me up again to return to the office. In the afternoon, I worked on social media posts (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Polarsteps…),
researched potential funding sources, and started writing my internship journal, which will help me prepare my one-month report with suggestions for improvement.
At 16:30, the day ended. My internship supervisor, Vinh Huyen, invited me to eat some fried spring rolls that were really good, showed me around the city, and brought me back.
It was a really interesting first day. I can’t wait to learn more tomorrow!
Leticia