In general, Vietnam is a relatively safe place. Violent crime is unheard of (perhaps more due to repression in the media than a true representation of the facts, but leaving one with a sense of security none-the-less) because public aggression is societal frowned upon and, despite what one might say having been here during the war, the Vietnamese culture is much more pacifist than aggressive and violent. But what is more common to modern Vietnam is property crime.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Speaking Vietnamese
Yesterday, I went out in my neighborhood to buy some vegetables for salad and a new broom because our house is in dire need of sweeping and our last broom has been relegated to the porch due it's sorry condition. When I got to our vegetable lady's stand, the younger of the two women (it is run by an elderly woman and her adult daughter), greeted me with a warm smile and a "you haven't been here for a long time," or "it's been a long time since we've seen you" or something to that effect - I only understand the Vietnamese phrase for "long time." I just smiled and wished I could say, "It's only been four days!" but my rudimentary Vietnamese doesn't include the word only, although I can say four days.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Friday, December 25, 2009
VeT Beneficiaries
The following is an article on my trip back to Cat Lai to visit beneficiaries of VeT's project there.
December 9, 2009 – Beneificiary Visit - Narrative
On December 9, Vet VN Project Officer, Bich Ngoc Truong and VeT VN Communications Officer, Sharon Brown visited Cat Lai Ward where VeT has been involved in a six-year, two phase Life Conditions Amelioration Project For Low-Income Households in Cat Lai. The VeT representatives visited a few of the many beneficiaries of the infrastructure improvements and micro-loans provided through the Ward to learn how their lives have been affected by their participation in the project. Accompanied by Ms. Nguyễn Thị Hồng Loan, the project’s Executive Committee Treasurer, Ms. Ngoc and Ms. Sharon visited with eight project beneficiaries at their homes and places of business.
Our first stop was the home and small café of Executive Committee Secretary Mrs. Nguyễn Thị Hoa whose house sits along Alley 11, one of the alleys upgraded by VeT. Ms. Hoa explained that before the upgrades, the alley was covered with loose dirt which often invaded local houses and covered floors and future, requiring families to sweep up constantly to keep their homes clean. She also explained that when it rained, the alley would flood making it difficult for local people to travel to and from their homes. Now with the improvements, the homes and businesses along the alley are no longer troubled by a constant barrage of dirt, nor are their movements impeded when it rains. Both Mrs. Hoa and the customers of her café enjoy the benefits of the alley upgrade.
Our second stop was a the home of Chau Thanh Thuy, whose home lies along Sub-Alley 13, the second alley upgraded through the project. Also provided with a sewer/draining system as part of the alley upgrade, many of the homes along Sub-Alley 13 participated in VeT’s micro-credit program for housing upgrades which allowed them to connect their households to the main sewer line as well as to conduct upgrades to their personal property, including both cementing and raising the level of their front patios to improve drainage and building or improving walls separating their property from the alley. Mrs. Thuy was one of the beneficiaries who took advantage of the housing upgrading micro-loan and said that she was very happy both with the new alley and the upgrades to her home. She recalled how VeT had approached every family in the street to inform them of the project and to ask for their input on the alley upgrades. She also recalled how during the alley upgrades many of her neighbors assisted the workers by providing them with water to drink and sometimes even water to help mix the cement. She said that everyone was happy with VeT’s work and described VeT as an organization that makes people happy by helping low-income families improve their local alleys, and their homes and financial situations through micro-loans.
Along those same streets, we met with Nguyen Thi Thanh Tuyen, a beneficiary of VeT’s micro-credit program for income generation. Mrs. Tuyen was sitting in front of a tarp laid with vegetables outside of a neighbor’s house surrounded by neighbors and customers. She explained that before joining VeT’s micro-loan program for income generation, she had only a small amount of vegetables to sell each day and, to buy them, she had to borrow money at high interest rates of up to 30% from individual lenders. Now, she says, her wares consist of seafood, chicken and a wide variety of vegetables which she buys from a large market and brings back to her neighborhood to sell to her neighbors in a convenient location and only has to pay 1.5% in interest on her loan. She mentioned that her husband had also taken a small part of the loan to purchase handmade brooms which he sells in markets in central Saigon. Mrs. Tuyen learned of the program from Ms. Hoa, the project’s Executive Committee Accountant, and said that now she and her husband and her small son are more secure financially than they were before becoming involved in the project.
The next stop was a small drink stand along the side of a busy road where Ms. Duong Thi Minh Chau and her small daughter sat selling coconuts, coffee and other refreshments to passersby. Ms. Chau explained that she had never taken out a loan before becoming a beneficiary of VeT’s project and was therefore only able to sell the few coconuts that she was able to purchase each day. Now with the help of VeT, Ms. Chau is able to sell a more diverse range of products to a larger customer base and has no problem paying back the 57,500 VND per week that she owes on her 2 million VND micro-loan because of the money she earns each day. Of the 57,500 that Ms. Chau pays each week, 40,000 VND goes to the principal, 7,500 VND goes to interest and 10,000 goes into a savings account that beneficiaries are able to access once they have paid off their loan.
After leaving Ms. Chau and her daughter, we visited Mrs. Pham Thi Bich Lan and her adult daughter, Mrs. Thanh Lan Phuong, both beneficiaries of VeT’s micro-credit program for income generation. Adding to the diverse list of incoming generating activities undertaken by the beneficiaries, Mrs. Lan used her micro-loan to purchase more tables, chairs and food supplies for her small noodle stand, enabling her to serve a greater number of customers and increase her family’s income over the four years that she has participated in the project. Her daughter, Mrs. Phuong, uses the funds from her micro-loan to buys used and recyclable materials to sell to recycling companies and other companies that purchase used goods. She says that with the money provided by the micro-credit project, she and her husband are now able to save and to better provide for their two small children. Both Mrs. Lan and her daughter say that they feel lucky to be a part of VeT’s micro-credit project and that they feel that VeT stands out above the rest because of the fact that they provide loans to lower-income households and immigrants, something not done by other local organizations.
Our last stop was at the home of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thanh and Mrs. Nguyen Hong Khoa, both living as temporary migrants in Cat Lai. Originally from provinces in the Mekong Delta, both Mrs. Thanh and Mrs. Khoa came with their families to Ho Chi Minh City, where even though they are unable to secure steady work, they are able to secure work often enough on a year-round basis to sustain their families, as opposed to their hometowns where work is often scarce. Both families utilize the funds from the micro-credit programs to supplement their incomes when they experience a lapse in employment and to provide for emergencies both for their families in HCMC and back in their home towns. Both women reported that the funds from the micro-loan program allow them to feel a little more secure during hard times which inevitably come around in the lives of the city’s migrants. When asked if they would change anything about the program, both women remarked that they wouldn’t change a thing and that they were grateful for the manageable amounts of the loans and of the low interest rates, both of which allow them to manage financially without going further into debt.
Overall, all of the beneficiaries seemed to be pleased with both the infrastructure improvements and the micro-loans, as well as VeT’s handling of the project. Each beneficiary had something positive to say about their lives since becoming involved with the project. When asked about VeT, they all broke into a smile and expressed their gratitude for the improvements that VeT has made possible in their lives. They were also all very aware of VeT’s role in the project and their mission in Vietnam.
December 9, 2009 – Beneificiary Visit - Narrative
On December 9, Vet VN Project Officer, Bich Ngoc Truong and VeT VN Communications Officer, Sharon Brown visited Cat Lai Ward where VeT has been involved in a six-year, two phase Life Conditions Amelioration Project For Low-Income Households in Cat Lai. The VeT representatives visited a few of the many beneficiaries of the infrastructure improvements and micro-loans provided through the Ward to learn how their lives have been affected by their participation in the project. Accompanied by Ms. Nguyễn Thị Hồng Loan, the project’s Executive Committee Treasurer, Ms. Ngoc and Ms. Sharon visited with eight project beneficiaries at their homes and places of business.
Our first stop was the home and small café of Executive Committee Secretary Mrs. Nguyễn Thị Hoa whose house sits along Alley 11, one of the alleys upgraded by VeT. Ms. Hoa explained that before the upgrades, the alley was covered with loose dirt which often invaded local houses and covered floors and future, requiring families to sweep up constantly to keep their homes clean. She also explained that when it rained, the alley would flood making it difficult for local people to travel to and from their homes. Now with the improvements, the homes and businesses along the alley are no longer troubled by a constant barrage of dirt, nor are their movements impeded when it rains. Both Mrs. Hoa and the customers of her café enjoy the benefits of the alley upgrade.
Our second stop was a the home of Chau Thanh Thuy, whose home lies along Sub-Alley 13, the second alley upgraded through the project. Also provided with a sewer/draining system as part of the alley upgrade, many of the homes along Sub-Alley 13 participated in VeT’s micro-credit program for housing upgrades which allowed them to connect their households to the main sewer line as well as to conduct upgrades to their personal property, including both cementing and raising the level of their front patios to improve drainage and building or improving walls separating their property from the alley. Mrs. Thuy was one of the beneficiaries who took advantage of the housing upgrading micro-loan and said that she was very happy both with the new alley and the upgrades to her home. She recalled how VeT had approached every family in the street to inform them of the project and to ask for their input on the alley upgrades. She also recalled how during the alley upgrades many of her neighbors assisted the workers by providing them with water to drink and sometimes even water to help mix the cement. She said that everyone was happy with VeT’s work and described VeT as an organization that makes people happy by helping low-income families improve their local alleys, and their homes and financial situations through micro-loans.
Along those same streets, we met with Nguyen Thi Thanh Tuyen, a beneficiary of VeT’s micro-credit program for income generation. Mrs. Tuyen was sitting in front of a tarp laid with vegetables outside of a neighbor’s house surrounded by neighbors and customers. She explained that before joining VeT’s micro-loan program for income generation, she had only a small amount of vegetables to sell each day and, to buy them, she had to borrow money at high interest rates of up to 30% from individual lenders. Now, she says, her wares consist of seafood, chicken and a wide variety of vegetables which she buys from a large market and brings back to her neighborhood to sell to her neighbors in a convenient location and only has to pay 1.5% in interest on her loan. She mentioned that her husband had also taken a small part of the loan to purchase handmade brooms which he sells in markets in central Saigon. Mrs. Tuyen learned of the program from Ms. Hoa, the project’s Executive Committee Accountant, and said that now she and her husband and her small son are more secure financially than they were before becoming involved in the project.
The next stop was a small drink stand along the side of a busy road where Ms. Duong Thi Minh Chau and her small daughter sat selling coconuts, coffee and other refreshments to passersby. Ms. Chau explained that she had never taken out a loan before becoming a beneficiary of VeT’s project and was therefore only able to sell the few coconuts that she was able to purchase each day. Now with the help of VeT, Ms. Chau is able to sell a more diverse range of products to a larger customer base and has no problem paying back the 57,500 VND per week that she owes on her 2 million VND micro-loan because of the money she earns each day. Of the 57,500 that Ms. Chau pays each week, 40,000 VND goes to the principal, 7,500 VND goes to interest and 10,000 goes into a savings account that beneficiaries are able to access once they have paid off their loan.
Overall, all of the beneficiaries seemed to be pleased with both the infrastructure improvements and the micro-loans, as well as VeT’s handling of the project. Each beneficiary had something positive to say about their lives since becoming involved with the project. When asked about VeT, they all broke into a smile and expressed their gratitude for the improvements that VeT has made possible in their lives. They were also all very aware of VeT’s role in the project and their mission in Vietnam.
VeT Project Management Training
The following is an article I wrote about VeT's Project Management Training in December. I've added some of my personal notes at the bottom.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Cat Lai Ward, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City
Project Management Training
December 2-4, 2009
Beginning on December 2 and ending on December 4, 2009, VeT, in partnership with the Cat Lai People’s Committee, held a community training on project management for selected members of the Cat Lai People’s Committee’s Poverty Reduction Committee, Women’s Union and Youth Union. This training marked the beginning of the end of a successful partnership in Cat Lai between VeT and the District 2 People’s Committee, the Cat Lai People’s Committee and the Cat Lai Women’s Union in which VeT coordinated with the community to provide much needed infrastructure improvements and micro-credit programs for some of the area’s lowest-income households.
Throughout the three-day training, 19 members of the three groups participated in various discussions, group exercises, case studies and role plays as part of a comprehensive training provided by the Center for Social Work and Community Development Research and Consultancy. Over the course of the three days, group members learned about project structure, successful project management, resource management, and the importance of teamwork, planning, oversight, evaluation and the involvement of project beneficiaries in each stage of the project.
The training marked the end of a project which spanned over six years and two phases, during which time two residential alleys were upgraded and 162 low-income households received micro-loans to use towards income generating projects. Due to the success of the micro-credit project, the people of Cat Lai Ward have chosen to extend the fund beyond the length of the joint project with VeT and requested this week’s training and another on Micro-Credit in January, to prepare them to take over the management and oversight of the micro-credit program.
Training participants worked together to draft plans in the areas of micro-credit, vocational training and economic capacity building for low-income families and were able to edit and revise these plans based on the new strategies that they learned throughout the training. Many participants stated that they had never made a plan before or thought about project management and found the training to be very interesting and useful for their future needs.
In January, Vet and the Center for Social Work and Community Development Research and Consultancy will return to Cat Lai to provide a final training on Micro-Credit and to official close the project in the Cat Lai Ward.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I attended this training for two days in December and was really surprised at how similar it was to other training's that I have attended in the US. It started off with a warm up/getting-to-know-you exercise and was filled with brainstorming, group activities and group presentations. The trainers were really impressive, asking more questions than providing information the first few days to ascertain what the participants already knew and then the next day was more information provision and the utilization of that information in small groups where the group members simulated real projects. It was all in Vietnamese, but with all of the activities and a bit of translation from my co-worker, I was able to follow along more or less with what was going on.
What wasn't at all like my previous training experiences in the US was our lunch break. One of the women in the training, Mrs. Hoa, had invited my co-worker and I and the two trainers to her house after lunch. Mrs. Hoa, like many Vietnamese, runs a business out of the front of her house, her specialty being coffees and teas. We all joined her on the patio for some Vietnamese ice tea and the women all began to chat in Vietnamese, as Mrs. Hoa doesn't speak any English. After a few moments, Mrs. Hoa gestured to me and motioned inside the front from of her house. The other ladies explained that she was offering for me to take a rest on the hammock in her front room. Thinking that I would feel a bit awkward lying in her house in a hammock while the other ladies all chatted outside, I politely refused, but she insisted. Finally not wanting to be rude, I made my way inside leaving my shoes at the door and was pleased to see all the other ladies right behind me.
We all entered the front room and the women began unrolling mats onto the floor and lying down. I had forgotten about the Vietnamese custom of napping after lunch. While they all made themselves comfortable on the floor and began chatting and laughing creating a scene much like a middle school sleepover, I - feeling slightly bad for being in the hammock and not on the floor - made myself comfortable and was soon asleep, but not before I imagined professional trainers in the US kicking off their shoes and spreading out mats on the floor for a long afternoon nap.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Cat Lai Ward, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City
Project Management Training
December 2-4, 2009
Beginning on December 2 and ending on December 4, 2009, VeT, in partnership with the Cat Lai People’s Committee, held a community training on project management for selected members of the Cat Lai People’s Committee’s Poverty Reduction Committee, Women’s Union and Youth Union. This training marked the beginning of the end of a successful partnership in Cat Lai between VeT and the District 2 People’s Committee, the Cat Lai People’s Committee and the Cat Lai Women’s Union in which VeT coordinated with the community to provide much needed infrastructure improvements and micro-credit programs for some of the area’s lowest-income households.
Throughout the three-day training, 19 members of the three groups participated in various discussions, group exercises, case studies and role plays as part of a comprehensive training provided by the Center for Social Work and Community Development Research and Consultancy. Over the course of the three days, group members learned about project structure, successful project management, resource management, and the importance of teamwork, planning, oversight, evaluation and the involvement of project beneficiaries in each stage of the project.
The training marked the end of a project which spanned over six years and two phases, during which time two residential alleys were upgraded and 162 low-income households received micro-loans to use towards income generating projects. Due to the success of the micro-credit project, the people of Cat Lai Ward have chosen to extend the fund beyond the length of the joint project with VeT and requested this week’s training and another on Micro-Credit in January, to prepare them to take over the management and oversight of the micro-credit program.
Training participants worked together to draft plans in the areas of micro-credit, vocational training and economic capacity building for low-income families and were able to edit and revise these plans based on the new strategies that they learned throughout the training. Many participants stated that they had never made a plan before or thought about project management and found the training to be very interesting and useful for their future needs.
In January, Vet and the Center for Social Work and Community Development Research and Consultancy will return to Cat Lai to provide a final training on Micro-Credit and to official close the project in the Cat Lai Ward.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I attended this training for two days in December and was really surprised at how similar it was to other training's that I have attended in the US. It started off with a warm up/getting-to-know-you exercise and was filled with brainstorming, group activities and group presentations. The trainers were really impressive, asking more questions than providing information the first few days to ascertain what the participants already knew and then the next day was more information provision and the utilization of that information in small groups where the group members simulated real projects. It was all in Vietnamese, but with all of the activities and a bit of translation from my co-worker, I was able to follow along more or less with what was going on.
What wasn't at all like my previous training experiences in the US was our lunch break. One of the women in the training, Mrs. Hoa, had invited my co-worker and I and the two trainers to her house after lunch. Mrs. Hoa, like many Vietnamese, runs a business out of the front of her house, her specialty being coffees and teas. We all joined her on the patio for some Vietnamese ice tea and the women all began to chat in Vietnamese, as Mrs. Hoa doesn't speak any English. After a few moments, Mrs. Hoa gestured to me and motioned inside the front from of her house. The other ladies explained that she was offering for me to take a rest on the hammock in her front room. Thinking that I would feel a bit awkward lying in her house in a hammock while the other ladies all chatted outside, I politely refused, but she insisted. Finally not wanting to be rude, I made my way inside leaving my shoes at the door and was pleased to see all the other ladies right behind me.
We all entered the front room and the women began unrolling mats onto the floor and lying down. I had forgotten about the Vietnamese custom of napping after lunch. While they all made themselves comfortable on the floor and began chatting and laughing creating a scene much like a middle school sleepover, I - feeling slightly bad for being in the hammock and not on the floor - made myself comfortable and was soon asleep, but not before I imagined professional trainers in the US kicking off their shoes and spreading out mats on the floor for a long afternoon nap.
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