Our first visit was to a family that has been part of Thien Chi’s programs for several years, since 2017 for microcredit and 2024 for pig farming. The grandparents live with their three young granddaughters, left in their care after both of their sons divorced. In rural Vietnam, this arrangement is quite common: when parents separate, the children often go to live with grandparents.
The family once farmed 2 000 m² of rice fields, but the grandfather’s declining health forced them to stop for a while. Later, they borrowed 5 million VND from Thien Chi to restart. Their income now comes from small rice harvests, noodle sales, and pig farming, about 825,000 VND per month. Through the HSBC-supported “pig bank,” they received a sow and repaid the organization with seven piglets once it reproduced, allowing other families to join the program. Recently, their new sow became sick and died with her litter, but Thien Chi do not demand repayment, recognizing how difficult that would have been. Despite the setback, they remain hopeful for another pig soon. The neighbors often lend a hand.
The second family lives from day labor in rubber plantations and rents 200 m² of rice fields for 4 million VND per year. Both parents work hard, the husband tapping rubber before dawn, the wife raising poultry and helping with seasonal farm work, but most of their attention goes to their youngest daughter, just two years old, who suffers from Guillain-Barré syndrome. The illness affects her ability to walk, and she recently broke her arm after a fall. For months, the parents traveled daily to the hospital for therapy sessions. Now they continue the exercises at home, trying to maintain progress while keeping up with work. Thien Chi provides medical assistance, but hospital transport, uncovered medicine costs, and lost work hours make things difficult. In 2024, the family also received a 5 million VND loan for their rice and poultry business, but heavy rains and flooding led to more losses.
The third family offered a story of remarkable progress. They have been with Thien Chi since 2017 and now enjoy a sense of stability that once seemed out of reach. The parents have three sons: one studies at university in Ho Chi Minh City, one helps his father with the rubber trees, and the youngest is just two years old. With support from Thien Chi’s housing and microcredit programs (and help from neighbors, relatives, and local authorities) they managed to build a sturdy new home. They started by caring for other people’s cows, keeping 40 % of the profits, but now they own four cows of their own.
Their participation in the pig bank has also paid off. After receiving a sow worth 6 million VND, it gave birth to seven piglets within two months. They repaid two to Thien Chi and sold five at 1.5 million VND each, a real boost to their income. They also cultivate 100 m² of rice for family consumption and 200 m² of rubber trees, earning around 1.5 million VND per month, though the work is seasonal. Their health issues, especially back pain from long labor, make regular work difficult, so the flexibility of Thien Chi’s repayment system (paying loans once per harvest rather than monthly) helps immensely.
Leticia