The rain has stopped falling in Huong Non Commune but a mist still lingers over the fields of rice and maize and around the surrounding mountains. Hoang Van Thanh lives in a house overlooking the rice fields and banana trees. Despite the picturesque view, Hoang Van Thanh's living situation is very difficult. He is 65 years old and disabled in one leg. His wife died a while ago and his first son died last year in a work related accident. He is currently trying to buy a new house for his first son's wife and children and is being given support from different resources. His other son, 30 year old Hoang Van Hao, is in the process of building a latrine which MCC Vietnam is helping support. They already have one cement and brick outhouse but it is too close to the neighbor's property. Unlike their old outhouse, their new latrine will feature a double pit. The new latrine is still in it's initial stages of being built.
Houng Non Commune is located in Tam Nong District, Phu Tho Province. MCC Vietnam gives loans to 30 families in this commune for sanitation structures such as latrines and toilets. MCC loans two million dong, the equivalent of about 100 dollars, to each family for these projects. Some people use this money to hire builders. However, other families build the sanitation structures themselves. There are eight villages within the commune that MCC supports. In the village of Hoang Van Thnah, 15 families receive support from MCC.
Farther up into the mountain, Nguyen Van Hau lives with his wife Nguyen Thi Thong. He is very sick but he still must work to support himself. He farms and also catches and sells birds. When he was a youth, he volunteered in the the Voluntary Youth organization which helped in war efforts. He and his wife did very hard work for this organization and because of this, Nguyen Van Hau became sick. He now receives benefits from the Fatherland Front. Nguyen Van Hau's latrine is farther along in its process of being built than Hoang Van Hao's. Despite his illness, Nguyen Van Hau is currently building the latrine himself.
Living in the mountains also presents hardships. Another family, living in a nearby village, says that they used to live up in the hills. However, the terrain made it difficult to transport their crop. Sometimes they would have to park their motorbike or cart and carry the heavy loads themselves. Therefore, they have moved to the foot of the hill. There are currently building their new home there. MCC is also helping this family with building their latrine.
This family's well has water, however, water shortage is a problem in the surround area. In some places, villagers have dug over 5 meters in depth and still haven't struck water. Because of this, MCC promotes the use of double pit latrines over flush toilets. Because of lack of water in the area, flush toilets don't make sense within the circumstances. With a two pit latrine, families can use one pit and keep the other as a backup. Once the first pit is filled, it can be covered and let sit to be later used at fertilizer. Using this manure as fertilizer for their crops reduces the use of chemical fertilization and in doing so, helps protect the environment.
For these two aforementioned villages, there are three wells which are used as backup water sources during the dry season. Many villagers have to travel long distances to get to the wells. They must pay 150,000 dong per cubic meter. During the dry season, they usually are able to get enough water for eating and drinking but not enough for washing. These wells have always been reliable in the past, however, they are also very old. The villagers wish to protect and sustain the wells and are currently proposing that MCC gives support. MCC Vietnam is still discussing the supporting of this project. For the families in Huong Non Commune, hopefully the support they have already received will help make their lives healthier and easier.
