The microfinance program in Kien Giang has benefited baby Nguyen Thi Que Tran and her mother with a cleaner playground free from mosquito and dampness.

When Nguyen Thi Que Tran’s parents built their house in 2007 in Kien Giang province, they had no idea that their days of living with mud and mould would last nearly three years. With the house located right next to the river, the water levels could almost reach their floor and the compacted soil made it an ideal place for mosquitoes and dampness.  

After one year of living in the house, the couple attempted to repair the floor. They accumulated floor tiles to prepare for the construction, but had no idea when the job would actually start. Tran’s father is a blacksmith working away from home and her mother raises chickens and pigs. Despite immediate needs to improve the housing condition before having their first baby, house renovations were not affordable for them.

About six months before the birth of Tran, her parents were introduced to Habitat for Humanity Vietnam’s microfinance program and they seized the opportunity without delay. In August 2009, Bernadine Reeves, Habitat's Global Village team from the United States, visited Tran’s family and worked with her parents to upgrade the floor. For five days, Tran’s father and the volunteer team dug the foundation, transported mortar and cemented the floor. Tran’s father recalled his experience working side by side with the international volunteers: “The three of them worked very hard and learnt the local construction technique incredibly fast.” Tran’s mother remembered that they greatly enjoyed banh tet (savory cake made from glutinous rice) when she invited them to try.

After the volunteers left, Tran’s parents continued to work for two more weeks to finalize the brick tile and even managed to build a kitchen cupboard with the remaining materials. Now the new floor is not only solid, but also 30cm higher than before. Tran’s parents hoped that Tran would learn to crawl and walk on this new clean floor. They also planned to continue borrowing from Habitat’s revolving fund to build a new toilet and a water pump once they’ve completed the floor loan repayment.

Baby Nguyen Thi Que Tran was born in January 2010 and named after a well-known Vietnamese cai luong (folk opera) singer. Her parents want her to have the best when born into this world – and most importantly a better place to live.