Provide 20 Eco-Houses For the Underprivileged

Urgent Need During Storm Season

As we approach the New Year in Vietnam, our Provide 20 Eco-Houses For the Underprivileged project has built 1 out of the 20 houses we set out to provide. This first eco-house stands as a beacon of hope, offering one family a safe, dry, and warm home for the holidays. However, the need in our community remains immense. Many underprivileged families still live in makeshift shelters, and demand for stable housing support is higher than ever. This time of year is when Vietnamese families long for a secure home to welcome Tet (Lunar New Year), yet it’s also when central Vietnam endures relentless storms, heavy rains, and flooding. Recent severe weather has damaged countless fragile homes, making our mission even more urgent. Local authorities are stepping up with special programs to help poor households rebuild, but they rely on partnerships with community groups and donors like you to reach everyone in need.

Building Together for Lasting Change

Constructing a simple, sturdy house in this region costs about $3,500. The inspiring news is that these homes are truly a community effort: neighbors and local volunteers contribute 50–60% of the labor or materials, project donors provide roughly 10–15% of the funding, and the families themselves add what they can – often their life savings or affordable loans from a state bank. This collaborative cost-sharing is key to sustainability. It ensures each family has a stake and local pride in their new home, while your donations fill the critical gap to make the house a reality. The Vietnamese government has also accelerated disbursement of housing support funds for vulnerable families, especially as storms strike. Still, many families remain on the waiting list for a safe house. Your support, combined with community and government efforts, means the difference between a family weathering the next storm under a leaky roof or in a secure home.

Stories of Families in Need

Mrs. Lan’s family is one example of why this project matters. Mrs. Lan’s household of seven struggles in poverty – they have no farmland and survive on irregular day labor income. Only one of her children is still in school; the older kids had to drop out and haven’t found steady jobs. They all squeeze into a tiny old wooden house that is literally falling apart. “When it rains, water drips through our roof; when the sun beats down, the house feels like an oven,” Mrs. Lan says. The warped timber walls and rusty tin sheets barely protect her family. Yet, despite these hardships, they cherish the idea of a new, solid house. A safe home would mean everything to them – keeping the children dry during the rains and giving them a dignified place to celebrate the New Year together.

Another family, Mrs. Hon and her young son, remind us why we cannot stop at just one house. Mrs. Hon is a widow who works any odd jobs she can find each day to support her school-aged child. They live in a rickety bamboo hut with a dirt floor and a thatched roof full of holes. This humble shelter has stood for years but now leans dangerously after recent storms – each downpour brings the risk of collapse. Whenever the wind howls at night, Mrs. Hon lies awake worrying if the walls will hold until morning. Her greatest wish is to give her son a safe place to sleep and study. “I just pray we can have a secure home before the next big storm,” she tells us. Families like Mrs. Lan’s and Mrs. Hon’s are waiting with hope that our project will reach them in time. They are ready to contribute sweat equity and whatever savings they have, and their neighbors are eager to help rebuild – together we just need the resources to get started.

A Call for Continued Support

The joyful news is that one family is already celebrating in a new eco-house thanks to your generosity. Yet, 19 more houses are needed to reach all the vulnerable families we identified. This season of giving and solidarity is the perfect time to rally together and make sure no family is left in the cold or rain. Every additional dollar brings us closer to laying the next foundation. With your continued support, we can build safer homes and brighter futures for mothers like Mrs. Hon and large families like Mrs. Lan’s. Let’s keep this momentum going – your donation, big or small, truly transforms lives. Together, we can ensure more underprivileged families have a sturdy roof over their heads to welcome the Lunar New Year and many years to come.

Thank you for believing in this project and in the power of community. Please consider sharing this update and contributing again to help us reach the finish line of 20 eco-houses. With your kindness, we will turn hopes into homes, one family at a time.

Gratefully,
The Project Team

The eco-housing project in the Mekong Delta continues to make strong progress thanks to the support from GlobalGiving donors and local communities. Since our last update, more families have received upgraded homes or built new ones, and the feedback has been encouraging: houses are cooler, quieter, and more resilient to weather conditions.

One recent example is the story of Mrs. Khao and her family.

Mrs. Khao’s family consists of seven members — she and her husband, along with their five children. Three of the children are in school (grades 7, 4, and 3), one is a toddler, and one suffers from cerebral palsy. The family owns no farmland and depends mainly on daily wages. Mrs. Khao sells vegetables at the local market, while her husband was the main laborer until a work accident in May 2021 left him unable to work due to poor health. Since then, the entire burden has fallen on Mrs. Khao.

To support her family, she joined Mekong Plus’s closed-loop livestock program and received a small loan to raise chickens and fish, creating an additional source of income.

The family’s old house was made of worn wooden planks — cramped, poorly insulated, and vulnerable to weather. With a total cost of $2,940, the house was rebuilt into an eco-home. Mekong Plus contributed $1,340, while the remaining amount came from the family’s savings, low-interest loans, and community support.

This transformation would not have been possible without strong community participation. Neighbors volunteered labor at a reduced cost, and some donated materials such as cement and decorative tiles. This collective effort helped lower costs and strengthened the family’s bond with their community.

Since moving into the new home, Mrs. Khao shared that it is now much cooler and quieter during heavy rains, and she feels a renewed sense of stability and hope for her children’s future.

However, many disadvantaged households in the community are still waiting for support, as funding remains limited compared to the growing need. Each contribution helps bring a safe, sustainable home closer to those who need it most.