Day: January 16, 2015

POSCO-supported Korean volunteers work with Habitat for Humanity Vietnam to build homes

for low-income families in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province

Ho Chi Minh City, 28 January 2015 – Habitat for Humanity Vietnam welcomes 107 volunteers supported by Korean steelmaker POSCO to Tan Thanh district, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, to build 11 homes for vulnerable families from 28 January to 5 February 2014.

The event kicks off today with a welcome dinner for about 130 people including the local government partners, POSCO representatives, HFH Vietnam staff, local logistical volunteers, and the volunteers who flew from Korea to help families improve their living conditions.

The volunteers will be working at the POSCO Vietnam Village project which was launched in November 2014 after a ground-breaking ceremony. The 18-month project, a partnership between POSCO and HFH Vietnam, aims to help low-income families living in informal settlements by the river or canal to move into decent homes with clean water and safe sanitation facilities. In the first phase from September 2014 to June 2015, 45 families will be helped while the second phase from July 2015 to February 2016 will see another 40 families being assisted.

“It is initiatives such as this exciting big build with POSCO Beyond that are so important for Habitat for Humanity’s vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. We thank the volunteers for helping to build up and strengthen this beautiful community. It is through valuable support such as the one of POSCO and the volunteers that makes decent housing a reality for all in Vietnam,” said Kelly Koch, Country Director of Habitat for Humanity Vietnam.

Since 2001, Habitat for Humanity Vietnam has supported 12,490 families to have decent homes and/or or clean water or safe sanitation facilities.

Habitat for Humanity Vietnam and Samsung Korea sign agreement signing for housing project in Thai Nguyen province
On December 18, 2014, Habitat for Humanity Vietnam and Samsung Korea have signed an agreement and celebrated the beginning of a 91-house project in Phuc Thuan and Thanh Cong commune, Pho Yen district, Thai Nguyen province. Attended the event was 25 people who are representatives of Habitat for Humanity Vietnam, Samsung Electronics Vietnam and local partners including the Foreign Affair of Thai Nguyen province, People’s Committee and Woman’s Union of Pho Yen district and People’s Committee of Phuc Thuan and Thanh Cong commune. This project will help low-income families, including ethnic minority groups currently living in the mountainous area of Pho Yen district with high risk of natural disasters, to live in decent homes.

The ‘New Homes – New Hope’ project will be implemented in one year from November 2014 to October 2015. Funding for the project comes from Samsung Korea and Habitat for Humanity Vietnam will provide construction advice and expertise to families wanting to build new homes, repair existing houses, or renovate and water and sanitation systems. Habitat for Humanity Vietnam will also support community development through training in financial literacy, water, sanitation and hygiene, disaster resilient construction skills and community-based disaster risk management. In addition, two primary schools will be equipped with information technology classrooms to support children’s education in Phuc Thuan and Thanh Cong communes.

Samsung Korea’s representative Mr Shim Won Hwan-General director of Samsung Korea Vietnam said “It is the proficiency and diligence of Vietnamese staff working in Samsung’s factories that contributing to the success of Samsung. Therefore, Samsung Vietnam always tries our best to develop the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program in order to help improve living standard of local people, particularly of low income families and ethnic minority groups. We hope through this project low income households in Pho Yen commune, Thai Nguyen province will obtain a “new home” to build their “new hope” for a bright future”.

“Living in a decent home provides a way out of poverty. It opens the doors to improved health, better performance in school, greater economic opportunities and increased community spirit. The financial support from Samsung Korea will allow us to expand Habitat for Humanity programs into Thai Nguyen province and support low-income families currently living in substandard housing. Habitat for Humanity Vietnam views corporate social responsibility not only as an investment in the future for corporate business, but also in the societies in which we work. We are delighted that Samsung Korea are supporting our vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Their philanthropic donation will support low-income families to live in safe, decent and affordable homes” said Kelly Koch, Country Director of Habitat for Humanity Vietnam.

Located in a mountainous area of Vietnam, Thai Nguyen province is among the poorest provinces in the country. In 2011, the overall poverty rate of the province was 16.69 percent of province’s population which is 330,707. Although Vietnam has had great success in poverty reduction, Pho Yen is one of the most marginalized districts with livelihoods predominantly dependent on agricultural production such as rice, tea, crops and forestation.
Poverty rates are highest amongst ethnic minority groups as they are mostly concentrated in remote areas of Vietnam, with limited access to basic services. The Samsung Korea and Habitat for Humanity Vietnam project in Thai Nguyen aims to specifically support these vulnerable populations.

“The project has brought rejoice to the citizens of Phuc Thuan and Thanh Cong commune,” said Mr. Tran Van Ai, Chairman of Phuc Thuan commune, “It is not just giving and receiving yet it is a sustainable project which will enable us to increase the community’s capacity through training. We are glad for the opportunity to work alongside Habitat for Humanity Vietnam and learn from the organization. We hope the organization and Samsung Electronics Vietnam will support us to successfully implement this project.”

“Safe community in disaster prone Quang Nam” kicked-off multiplies the elation of HFH Vietnam on the World Habitat Day
Here it comes, the World Habitat Day when Habitat for Humanity joins our partners to recall ourselves the mission toward a world where everyone has decent place to live. As annually celebrated on the first Monday of October, World Habitat Day aims to raise awareness, educate and mobilize individuals and communities to take action toward ending poverty housing.
The date of October 6 is an exciting day for Habitat for Humanity Vietnam (HFH Vietnam) as we are honored to rejoice the World Habitat Day not only within the team, but also with our local partners in Quang Nam Central Vietnam while launching a project in Tien Phuoc district a new project site.

Shaped like an elongated S, the complexity of Vietnam’s topography makes it susceptible to natural disasters such as typhoon, floods, droughts and landslides. Amongst vulnerable provinces exposed to risks from such hazards, Quang Nam’s coastal communities have been regularly devastated by severe typhoons and storms resulting in major loss of human life and property. Therefore, as one of the imperative goals of HFHV to enhance community’s resiliency to prepare for and mitigate against natural calamities in the central region, HFH Vietnam cheerfully kicks off our first project in Tien Phuoc district called “Safe community in disaster-prone Quang Nam”.

The poverty rate of Tien Phuoc is 17 percent, out of its population of 75,001. The number of households living in substandard housing is nearly 450 while most of the households still use well water or spring water. “Tien Phuoc has been working with World Vision to improve the well-being and socio-economic of the natives; nevertheless, the project will be terminated by September 2014 while the number of families in need is prodigious. The partnership with HFH Vietnam is an opportunity coming timely to continuously uplift Tien Phuoc out of poverty,” shared Mr Nguyen Ba, Chairman of Tien Phuoc district Red Cross.

The project’s main goal is to improve community health and security in disaster prone Tien Phuoc by providing the community with access to safe homes and building their capacity to cope with natural disasters. We aim to serve 56 families with houses renovated, new full houses and water and sanitation facilities; provide them with trainings on disaster resilient construction techniques, financial literacy, community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM) and water and sanitation and hygiene; and support to build up community’s capacity and awareness in disaster risk preparedness and mitigation for broader communities. With the support of the local partners, HFH Vietnam believes we will achieve this goal resulting in the community members’ feeling of increased security from the natural hazards.

The family of Le Hoang is living in Cam Lanh village, Tien Cam commune, Tien Phuoc district in Quang Nam province. It is a family of three including Hoang, his wife and his three-year-old daughter, and they will welcome one more member this month when Hoang’s wife will give birth to a baby boy. His family has been living in the deteriorated house which consists of wooden columns, corrugated iron sheets and untreated wood for 2 years. Hoang and his wife are inured to the scenario of roofing sheets blown off by strong winds in typhoon season, yet it is harrowing for their daughter who has mental impairment. They then have to shelter at their parent’s home. Additionally, the suffocating heat and the smell of the iron roofing sheets make it discomfort and agitated for the girl. “I hope our family will be a home-partner of this project so we can have a resilient home to shelter from typhoon or storm”, said Hoang.

“The community members are very exciting about the project,” shared zealously Ms Tran Thi Dieu Hong, Chairwoman of Tien Phuoc Women’s Union, “A Government policy named Decree 167 used to be enforced to support 2,223 households to improve housing; however, the program was finished in 2012. The support of HFH Vietnam will enable more families to access to adequate shelter”.

There are nearly 6.7 million Vietnamese people living in substandard housing, and they are just a handful of the 1.6 billion people around the world living in undignified housing. Habitat for Humanity believes that this is socially, politically and morally unacceptable. We want to see a world where everyone has a decent place to live, and so, on World Habitat Day, we call for programs, policies and systems that would make that world possible. But we are not able to achieve this alone. Our mission statement calls for us to bring people together to build homes, communities and hope. We need the joint efforts of business, community leaders, governments, volunteers and other organizations to end poverty housing. The project that we launch together today is a good demonstration of that collaboration.