The House of Love
To go meet the family of Nguyễn Thị Bích Liên in hamlet # 4, in the village of Mỹ Long - Cao Lãnh, in the province of Đồng Tháp, our three AVNES representatives had to cross with extreme caution many rickety foot bridges made of wood or bamboo, whose handrails were often broken in many places. This was during our trip of October 2008 to disburse micro business loans to twenty women there.
We visited Bích Liên’s family when we heard about the especially difficult circumstances in which she and her husband, who had been mentally ill for more than a decade, lived. Their children exhibited the same symptoms as their father to a greater or lesser degree, and Bích Liên while outwardly looking hale and hearty, actually suffered poor health herself. The women of Mỹ Long brought to our attention the plight of this family that not only suffered debilitating illness and extreme poverty, but also lacked a roof over its head.
A relative of Bích Liên welcomed us into her simple abode, not very different from other humble homes in hamlet number 4, the poorest and most isolated hamlet in Mỹ Long. Despite her own constrained circumstances, this relative had generously given a parcel of her land to Bích Liên. If Bích Liên could afford to buy the building materials, her family and neighbors would help her build her home. In view of this, AVNES representatives made a promise of 10 million VND in aid for materials.
At the home of a relative of Bích Liên’s, from left to right: a neighbor, Thu Hà, Bích Liên, Bích Liên’s husband
At the beginning of April 2009, AVNES made good on the promise and disbursed the funds. According to Phạm Thị Thu Hà – president of the Mỹ Long Women’s Association, and AVNES representative – the funds provided by AVNES and additional monies donated by the people of Mỹ Long will be sufficient to build a 4m by 8m house, comprising two rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom. The house will have tiled floors and a roof made of tin sheets. Initially, the walls of the house will also be built of tin sheets, as current funds do not extend to building brick walls, which would be sturdier and provide better insulation.
AVNES very much hopes to raise an additional 7 million VND (about 300 euros) to provide brick walls for the house that Bích Liên is calling “The House of Love”.
Mai Ninh
April 2009
