Photo: Women at the community center picking up new materials after their roofs were destroyed by Typhoon Ketsana.   By Elizabeth Lưu A popular saying in Vietnam—“Dan ong xay nha dan ba xay to am”—translates as, “Men make a house; women make a home.” Though this phrase might have been somewhat true in the past, times have changed. A large percentage of women in Habitat for Humanity Vietnam project areas are engaged in many—and often all—aspects of making a house and a home. Earlier this year, an external evaluation of a Habitat project in Tien Giang province found that 63 percent of women in the households we partnered with took part in physical building; 70 percent of women had a major role in deciding whether to repair or build their house; and 51 percent of the loans—approximately 1,100—were given to women. In this particular project, though only 51 percent of women are loan holders, at least 67 percent are responsible for making the loan payments, because it is common in Vietnamese culture for women to manage the finances of the household. In Tien Giang, several women also reported that after they partnered with Habitat, they began saving for the first time.  Due to the political structure in Vietnam, nongovernmental organizations must work through government partners to carry out projects in any location. In some of our project areas, our government partner is the Women’s Union, whose stated mandate is to “protect women’s legitimate rights and strive for gender equality.” In our Dong Nai project, 85 percent of the loans are held by women, while in Vinh Phuc and in our Kien Giang housing and water and sanitation improvement project, all of the loans are held by women. These high numbers are due to our partnership with the Women’s Union. In addition, these projects also report that the vast majority of those who manage the loans and attend financial and construction workshops are the women of the households.  Habitat for Humanity Vietnam aims to “promote gender equality and empower women”—Millennium Development Goal No. 3 (MDG 3)—by providing women with some of the tools needed to lift themselves out of poverty (e.g., training or education in financial literacy, low-cost construction techniques, safe water and sanitation practices and applying for their land use rights). Our work on MDG 3 is also a smart investment, as studies on microfinance have shown that women are better at managing their loans than men. HFH Vietnam’s project portfolios show high and timely repayment rates, reinforcing the research findings that women are good financial managers.(1),(2) Habitat’s provision of access to capital through microloans for full housing or repairs goes hand-in-hand with enabling women to increase their income, as approximately 3 million women use their homes for business(3) purposes in Vietnam. We have heard from several female home partners who have increased their income after partnering with us. For example, one home partner reported increased business in her living room café after Habitat helped her replace her dirt floor with a tile one. Before the repair, her floor would turn to mud during the rainy season. Another home partner who replaced her dirt floor said she was able to start a sewing business once she could keep the fabric clean on a tile floor. Despite these small steps toward progress, women in Vietnam, like women throughout the developed and developing world, are still constrained by traditional gender values. As wives and mothers, they are often solely responsible for both their small businesses and unpaid domestic work. And although Vietnamese women work more hours than men, they receive approximately 87 percent of men’s wages.(4) HFH Vietnam is proud of our strong record of working with women. We are eagerly looking for new ways to better serve the women in our projects by giving them a voice in forums and listening to their suggestions and feedback about our projects. Elizabeth Lưu is the planning, monitoring and evaluation manager at Habitat for Humanity Vietnam. She has worked with Habitat Vietnam for a year and half. Prior to joining Habitat, she worked with Doctors Without Borders and World Vision.   1)Women and Repayment in Microfinance” - http://www.microfinancegateway.org/gm/document-1.9.40253/Women%20and%20Repayment%20in%20Microfinance.pdf   2)Economist Article, Wominnovation” referring to International Centre for Research on Women study:http://www.economist.com/business-finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15656289   3)International Labour Organization 2007, Women's Entrepreneurship Development in Vietnam -http://www.oit.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/documents/publication/wcms_100456.pdf   4)Opening remarks at the media Q&A by the UN Resident Coordinator at the launch of regional Human Development Report on gender- http://www.undp.org.vn/detail/newsroom/news-details/?contentId=3366&languageId=1

Representatives of the partnership at the signing ceremony, from left: Mr. Robin Shell, Country Director of Habitat for Humanity Vietnam; Mr. Hank Tomlinson, President of Chevron Vietnam Ltd.; Mr. Vu Xuan Hong, President of Vietnam Union of Friendship Organization, Mr. Yusuke Kuwauchi, Chief Representative of MOECO in Hanoi; and Mr. Surachai Tanasomboonkit, Manager, Joint Venture Vietnam Assets, of PTTEP. July 22, 2010 – Chevron Vietnam Ltd. (US), Mitsui Oil Exploration Company Ltd (Japan) and PTT Exploration and Production Ltd. (Thailand) committed today to donate US$25,000 to help Habitat for Humanity Vietnam support low-income households in Kien Giang province. This partnership will directly benefit about 49 households from the “Housing, Water and Sanitation Improvement and Credit” project, which provides microfinance loans for housing repairs and renovation for people in need of decent shelter in the Me Kong region. A signing ceremony was organized with the witness of Vu Xuan Hong (Mr), President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organization. 

Photo: Habitat Vietnam Country Director Robin Shell hands over the house key to Ngo Duc Cho (in wheelchair) and his wife (standing behind). Seventeen years without sunlight and fresh air have made Ngo Duc Cho’s skin very pale and drawn. After his accident in 1993, which paralyzed his lower body, Cho has been literally imprisoned in a 15 square meter room under a corrugated tin roof, making his life centered around a bed.  When Habitat for Humanity Vietnam staff approached Cho’s family to talk about working with him to build a new house, we learnt about his situation and immediately introduced him to the Vietnam Assistance for the Handicapped (VNAH) organization. A wheelchair was donated by VNAH about the same time the house foundation was constructed. Now, with his family’s help, Cho is able to move in and around his new home. He says he saw the daily changes that every brick brought to his new house. He has a new plan for his life: “My wife and I will stay at the new house and the old place will be used to store our farming equipment and products.”   This time, in Vinh Hong district, Hai Duong province, together with Cho’s family, another two families also worked with Habitat Vietnam to construct their new homes. The three houses were completed and dedicated to the families on 11th June to celebrate the change in their lives. Cho says, “This is not only good news for me, but for my family, my parents, my neighborhood, my village—everyone has been waiting for a better day for me.” And it looks like it’s arrived.