Safe and Sound Housing - Da Nang and Quang Nam

SAFE AND SOUND HOUSING - DA NANG AND QUANG NAM

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Safe and Sound Housing - Da Nang and Quang Nam

Provide one of Vietnam's most vulnerable families with a home
add to watch list

Safe and Sound Housing - Da Nang and Quang Nam

Provide one of Vietnam's most vulnerable families with a home
add to watch list

Safe and Sound Housing - Da Nang and Quang Nam

Provide one of Vietnam's most vulnerable families with a home

Project Summary

Every child deserves a safe place to call home. Sadly, 43% of people living in South Central Vietnam live in semi-permanent or temporary housing cobbled together from tarps, bamboo matting and wooden planks, with nothing more than damp earth for a floor and without sanitary facilities. These poor conditions put children within the household at risk for poor health, parasite infection, stunted growth, and dropping out of school. Safe, dry and secure housing is a basic need for all children. By providing the labor and construction for a one-bedroom house, this project provides safe housing to one of Vietnam's most vulnerable families. The new house, built from stucco-enforced brick walls, will come equipped with a front living room, kitchen, sanitary indoor toilet, front porch, metal roof and electricity where available.

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What?

New homes include an indoor toilet to help children to stay healthy, keep children safe from monsoon rains, and reduce stress on the whole family.

The 300 sq. ft. new home includes:

- A front living room, back bedroom and small kitchen area
- A sanitary indoor toilet
- A small front porch
- Metal roof
- Electricity (if available in the region)

A typical Children of Vietnam house is 12 ft X 26 ft (about 300 sq. ft), has two or three rooms, cement floor, brick walls with stucco covering, metal roof, septic tank, inside toilet, and electricity if available in the region (6% of the population is still without electricity in Quang Nam Province). Sometimes a loft is added to provide additional living space. Construction is of good quality with four concrete columns for added strength during the monsoon season.

Why?

Experience has demonstrated that having adequate housing provides poor families with a new lease on life, increases self-esteem, and motivates the entire family to think beyond day-to-day basic needs to greater possibilities.

How?

Children of Vietnam works with local officials to identify and select families who meet four criteria: (1) have one or more children; (2) live in the Da Nang and/or Quang Nam Province; (3) household income does not exceed local poverty standards; (4) families must be willing to sign an agreement to live in the house and not sell it.

Children of Vietnam staff members personally visit and interview all families to confirm their circumstances and eligibility before a house is committed. Further, Children of Vietnam staff work with the local government to ensure that land is available for construction. Land is not actually “owned” in Vietnam but rather leased for long periods of time. If the government agrees to lease the family land then construction will begin. Participation of the family in the construction is required to the extent that the family is physically able. For example, if a family member has skills such as bricklaying he or she will contribute in this capacity. If they are without skills they will often dig ditches or haul sand and water. Often times, through Children of Vietnam encouragement, extended family members and even community representatives join in. A Children of Vietnam staff member (who has a Master’s Degree in Engineering) oversees all aspects of construction.

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The Safe and Sound Housing Program is designed to help families just like the Kiem family. There are five members, two parents and three children. All live in a dilapidated house made of bamboo wattles, dirt floor, and without a toilet. Inadequate sanitation and poor protection from the weather causes much illness in the family. They are often afraid the house will fall in during the monsoon season. The mother tends a small garden and takes care of the children, while the father, a hired farm laborer, earns only enough to feed the family and pay school fees for the children. They cannot afford to build a better home.

Learn more about Da Nang City

Community member details not available yet.

Direct Impact of Your Project

The entire household of the recipient family will be directly impacted by this project. With permanent housing, family members have improved health, higher self-esteem, and greater motivation to work to bring the family to a higher quality of life. The number of people directly impacted by the project will depend on the number of household members.

Extended Impact on Your Partner Community

There will be benefits for the entire community as the family members are better able to contribute to the community rather than becoming dependent on the community.