High in the rocky Lao Cai Mountains, where the weather and geological conditions make rice farming difficult, Sung A Hu earns a small income to support his family from maize cultivation, much like many other H’Mong villagers.
Sung A Hu and his family used to live in an old, broken, wooden house that had long been falling into disrepair. The home itself was only 32 meters square with no dividing walls, no separate kitchen, living space or bedrooms and no privacy. Alongside this, the family had no access to proper sanitation at home, with no space for a toilet; the forest, bushes or empty places near to the house were used as a bathroom when necessary.
In May 2022, a partnership with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s ANCP program, Habitat Australia; Habitat Vietnam committed to support the Sung A Hu Family to build a new, safe and secure home.
Sung A Hu’s family has moved from their insecure shack to a newly built house with plenty of privacy. The home includes two bedrooms, a living room, and importantly, a toilet. This is the first time Sung A Hu’s daughter has experienced having her own room or using a decent toilet at home, which she thought was only available at school.
“I am so happy to live in the new house, from now on, I can sleep well on the stormy nights. In the old days, when the storms knocked on our door, we used to stay out all night, we were too scared to spend the stormy night in the wrecked house, I always thought it could fall off at once.”
– Sung Thi Nhi
This project receives support from the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) and is in partnership with our implementing partner Habitat for Humanity Vietnam to provide access to safe shelter.