I was struck by the size of the house, it looks like a typical home in this area, but instead of four people, nine have to share the space.
For such a large family, earning enough income is a constant challenge. To support them, Thien Chi has provided microloans, which they use to grow corn, rice, and cashew trees.
Our visits continued to another large family of six, who also receive support through microloans for farming. The oldest daughter has already moved out and now works as a kindergarten teacher in Phan Thiet. The son is in his final year at university in Ho Chi Minh City, but he has to work alongside his studies to afford the tuition fees. The younger children are still in school.
The mother works at a nearby water company, earning around 6,000,000 VND (about 200€) per month. However, this is not enough to support the entire family, which is why they also rely on farming supported by Thien Chi.
The last visit of the day was to a 36-year-old mother who works as a tailor for a large company, earning around 3,000,000 VND (about 100€) per month.
Her husband works as a daily laborer, meaning his income is also low and unstable. As their children are still in school, the family raises chickens to sell later on. For this, they received a microloan from Thien Chi.
