Improving Orphans Health and Nutrition Project (15/20)

Activities of the provinces’ orphanage (Social Sponsoring Centres) is dependent on the national budget, and it is difficult to improve the living conditions of the children living in this centre without additional funding. Unfortunately, the orphanage has not been able to attract much investment from domestic or foreign charities.Lai Chau is a mountainous province in the northwest region of Vietnam. It is amongst the poorest provinces in Vietnam. Prices of basic necessities are 1.3 to 1.7 times higher than the average of highland provinces. Lai Chau was also badly affected by Tropical Storm Kammuri which resulted in loss of life, property as well as thousands of acres of workable agriculture fields. As a result of the high poverty rate, lack of food and health services in these provinces, the people most adversely affected are the orphans, elderly and homeless.

Each child living in an orphanage receives an allowance from the Vietnam Government of 15 USD per month, which is 0.50 USD per day for food, electricity, water and fuel. As consumer prices are rapidly increasing in the Lai Chau province, this allowance is not enough for basic expenditures. Lacking farmland, capital, and knowledge, the orphanage is unable to improve the living conditions for the children through planting trees, gardens or raising animals.

The Social Sponsoring Centre (SSC) of Lai Chau will be caring for 100 children by the end of 2010. Most of these children are poor, have no working ability, and no income. They live on the allowance of the Government and the occasional intermittent aid from non-profit organizations.

The project aims to improve the health, life skills and livelihood of each of the children living in the centres. Each child will be responsible or 3 chickens and a small plot of land and will be trained in nutrition, raising fowl and planting vegetables through the FAITH (Food Always In The Home) Garden principle, the Chicken Principle and the CHE based life skills education program (see attached addendum for more information on the principles). It is hoped that these chickens and vegetable gardens will also provide a sustainable food source for the Support Centre.