Three years ago, Diêu, one of our village workers, took me to Ms.Ngoc. A desperate picture: with her three children (and her husband but he seemed not very present…) in a sort of a shelter made of bamboo and plastic. The children were coughing, and one feared they could drop out from school at any moment, because the family was short of money for everything, and because they could not follow. “When it rains we sleep stting in a corner, as the roof leaks in many places”.

Diêu took Ngoc to the nearest quilters group, so she got a skilled job which soon doubled the family income. Diêu intervened at the commune, the authorities have helped Ngoc build a small house in concrete. The children are all smile now, all go to school. I pinch myself! Is this really the same family? Yes it is, but a totally new life!

Mekong Plus work with over 5000 extremely poor households, and we succeed in 98% cases to help them out of poverty for good, after 3 to 5 years.

It is possible and it is simple. Not rocket science. When one puts ones heart to it.

Bernard KERVYN, 11th February 2010