Mr. Khe and his family are finally getting a new house. For the first time in years they will be able to sleep in a clean dry house with a roof that keeps out the rains and with walls that don’t grow mold that makes their children sick.
Mr. Khe has always struggled with his health. He was born with a congenital condition that delayed his development and prevented him from walking until he was 6 years old. His health has not improved much and impedes his ability to work in the rice fields and provide for his family.
Over the years Mr. Khe and his wife Hoa have struggled to make enough money by farming their small rice paddy field. Life is harder on the family when Hoa is in the hospital and can’t work. Since she was a child she has struggled with epilepsy and asthma that flare up and put her in the hospital sometimes as often as once a month.
YWAM Mercy Vietnam’s staff met Mr. Khe and his family in 2009 when local Early Childhood Development trainers were visiting homes in his area. The trainers realized that his family had special circumstances that would qualify them for additional help.
Last year YWAM Mercy Vietnam helped the family purchase a new bicycle so the children could keep going to school. They also provided one of the children with school supplies and text books to make sure none of them had to drop out of school.
Mr. Khe and Hoa have been living in a mud walled hut with their three children and Mr. Khe’s older sister. A few months ago 1/4 of their rice paddy was taken by the government for a river expansion project. In exchange for the rice paddy, he was given $2700 in compensation. With this amount he began dreaming of building a new house for his family.
At one of our meetings earlier this year he said, “My whole life dream is having a house without leaks, a house that doesn’t flood when the rain comes, so that my family will be healthy and not worried in the rainy season.”
Mr. Khe borrowed $1800 dollars from relatives, neighbors, and the ‘Bank for the Poor’ to begin construction on his home. The total cost of the finished home will be about $6000.
Knowing he was about $1500 short and that YWAM Mercy Vietnam is committed to helping the poor in his area, he contacted YWAM Mercy Vietnam for assistance in finding the remaining $1500 for the project.
YWAM Mercy Vietnam’s Humanitarian Assistance program is focused on helping families like Mr. Khe’s overcome difficult circumstances. Whenever possible we try to work with local leaders to solve these problems at a local level by involving and empowering the local community to take care of its most vulnerable members.
YWAM Mercy Vietnam was able to work with the local government to get $500 in additional funding and was able to locate a donor to cover the remaining $1000.
Soon Mr. Khe and Hoa’s house will be completed and their family will be able to live in a safe home. Life will still continue to be difficult with their health problems and the reduced capacity of their rice farm, but stable housing will help reduce their concerns of additional health problems developing.
Mr. Khe and Hoa continue to cultivate their rice paddy and tend cows to put food on the table. Their children attend the local school and are doing well.
YWAM Mercy Vietnam is committed to working with local community leaders to help those in poverty overcome the challenges they face.
Photo Credit: Sharing Dots