Project No. 34 – Construction of a boarding house with sanitary facilities for 160 children in Nan Xin, Xin Man district (Ha Giang province) in the north of Vietnam
Status October 1st, 2019: Xin Man District is 150 kilometers far from Ha Giang city. It is next to China to the north. The district is divided into 01 township and 18 communes. Xin Man has a total land area of 587,02 km2 with 66.000 people. There are 18 ethnic minorities living together in the district including Nùng, Mông, Tày, Dao, La Chí, Kinh, Phù Lá, Hoa, Pà Thẻn, Cao Lan, Mường, Ngạn, Bố Y, Khmer, Giấy, Cơ Lao, Sán Dìu and Sán Chay.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Völker_Vietnams
Nan Xin commune is about 40 kilometers far from the district center. There are 8 hamlets in the commune. H’Mong people account for the largest percentage (30%), Nung people with 20% and La Chi people with 20%.
The commune has 25,68 km2 with more than 3.673 people. Among them, 430 households are poor (2.049 people) and 13 households are near-poor (72 people). All of them belong to an ethnic minority. The commune has very difficult terrain with many slopes and high mountains, which implicates the slow socio-economic development.
In the primary school of Nan Xin there is an emergency state. In total 452 children go to school in 11 classes: 1st grade (109), 2nd. grade (96), 3rd grade (93), 4th grade (75) and 5th grade (79). Currently there are 189 boarding students and for the new school year 300 boarding students are expected. All of them cannot fit in the (5) available boarding rooms. Furthermore the boarding students don’t have their own sanitary facilities. They use the ones of the teachers that are about 30 meters far from there, on a steep way. Going to the bathrooms by night is dangerous for the children. The kitchen (and canteen) should also be aggrandized for the big amount of children, but we have to handle by priority.
Looking towards the future, Nan Xin commune is in need of the following:
- 1 x boarding house with 10 rooms
- sanitary facilities with WCs and showers
Overall funds needed: USD 65.338,00 or approx. € 60.500,00 (Status October, 2019)
Next to the population of Nan Xin (3.673 people), 452 children and their teachers would be the direct beneficiaries of this project!:)
As a turnover foundation, the LOAN Foundation (LOAN Stiftung) can provide help directly. We would like to carry out this project, but are dependent on every financial donation. We remain optimistic that we will be able to collect the necessary funds.
In cooperation and in continuous contact with our Vietnamese partners, we will as always supervise and guide this project personally and on site. We will report on the progress regularly.
We would be delighted if you were to provide us with moral and financial support in this endeavor. Thank you very much!
Status May, 2021: Over one and a half year passed by. COVID-19 delayed the realization of this project very much. Donations decreased. In the meantime, the worldwide economic situation increased many costs. I.a.the costs for materials and labour for this project are now more expensive. We have sent again our Vietnamese team in the middle of May, 2021 to Nan Xin in order to make a new survey with the local authorities about the actual situation. The children still need help, not only a new boarding house, but also a kitchen and canteen.
Actually 35 teachers work at this school. In total 469 students go to this school. Among them 250 children stay at the boarding house.
In order to relief the lives of the children and teachers, we consider to place the new boarding house with the sanitary facilities next to the school. The sustainable building would be with two floors (see the new plans) in order to welcome more boarding students if necessary (minimum 160). The district of Nan Xin will built at their own costs the kitchen with canteen, should we be able to finance this project.
In addition, we will finance supplementary 80 Bunk-beds, 160 mats and 30 steel-cabinets, so that the new boarding house can be put into operation – we do hope this year. The volume of the total equipment amounts approximatively USD 11.188,00 or approx. € 9.320,00.
New overall funds needed for Nan Xin – Status May, 2021 (with supplementary equipment): approx. USD 125.915,50 or approx. € 105.000,00. After signing the contract, the construction could start at the beginning of August, 2021 and last approximatively 6 months. The handover ceremony could take place end of January, 2022.
We hope to find many sponsors supporting us financially in this matter.
Status August, 2021: On August 30th, 2021, we will receive the wonderful news that Sternstunden e.V. will support us in the realization of this project with a share of 55% (€ 57,750,00). The LOAN Stiftung will finance the remaining 45% from the donations received (€ 47,250,00). We are very happy to receive the generous support from Sternstunden e.V. for the third time in these times, which have been made even more difficult by Corona. As always, we will do our best and continue to report.
Status September, 2021: Construction work in Nan Xin has now started. It is busy on the site. The foundations are ready and you can already see the first walls.
Status October, 2021: Either strict corona restrictions or the wet weather are slowing down construction work again and again. But our craftsmen manage to make good progress on the construction site. Our team member, Mrs. Bui Thu Huong, visits regularly.
Status November, 2021: We are progressing well and according to plan. The two floors have already been built. One delivery of construction material follows the other. The first walls are being plastered.
Status December, 2021: Many interior and exterior walls have already been plastered. Soon the tilers will continue. If the weather continues to hold up so well, we will be able to officially hand over this project in February 2022 at the latest.
Status January, 2022: We have to take a break. The painting work cannot be continued due to the extremely humid weather. The paint does not apply properly. We definitely need stable, warmer temperatures. The handover has to be postponed to April or May 2022. After four months at the construction site, the workers will first go home for the Tet vacation. As soon as the painting work can be started again, we will report.
Status April, 2022: We have very good news. The warm weather in Nan Xin was stable, so all painting work has been completed. The main building and the sanitary facilities have been finished. As promised, Nan Xin District built a kitchen with canteen. At the end of April, 2022 the last painting work was finished here. We now plan to officially hand over the buildings on May 13th, 2022. On this occasion we will also personally deliver 500 books to the children and teachers of this school (see our Project No. 38 “Books for a better future”). The students will have from now on a small library at their disposal. We are happy and of course we will report!:)
Status May, 2022: On May 13th, 2022, the official handover of our new boarding house in Nan Xin took place. The ceremony, which I followed personally via GoogleMeet, had to be interrupted several times due to heavy rain. Thanks to the great support from our loyal sponsor “Sternstunden e.V.“, more than 160 children have now new furnished bedrooms. The Nan Xin district leadership also built a large kitchen and a spacious canteen for the children. It’s perfect and the joy of both the children and the teachers is huge.
After the handover, we were also able to hand over 500 used and new school books (Project No. 38, “Books for a better future”) to the children. This way, primary school students have something to read during their breaks. We are overjoyed that this project was successfully completed despite the obstacles caused by the weather and corona. We wish the children and teachers of Nan Xin all the best for the future, continued good health and much success!:)
Status September, 2022: On September 7th, 2022, I (Isabelle Müller) visited the commune of Nan Xin together with my Vietnamese team. The boarding house looks wonderful and the children are very happy to be able to sleep here. The school facilities are well maintained. Our donated children’s books are kept well in the small library (our Project No. 38). The children and teachers prepared a welcome ceremony for my visit. We wish the children, the teachers and the commune of Nan Xin all the best for the future, good luck and success!:)
Status May, 2023: The children are doing much better than before in their new boarding house, as pictures of our short visit at the end of May, 2023 show. We are happy!:)
