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Organic Farming to Secure Education:

Green House Project at Terexa Ethnic Home

Project Summary

 "Giving better education and perspective

to disadvantaged ethnic children in Vietnam"

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Organic Farming to Secure Funding for Education 

at Teresa Ethnic Home

Project completion: April 2017

Dear friends and supporters,

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I AM IN FOUNDATION would like to express our gratitude for your support on and trust in the Green House Project at Teresa Ethnic Home. Both the operations at and revenue from the greenhouse have helped to bring essential improvements to Teresa Ethnic Home and community:

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  • Education: 100% of the ethnic kids can take extra tutoring after regular school hours so as to recap class materials and thoroughly practice the Kinh dialect (official dialect in Vietnam). Also, school stationary can be provided to the kids more.

  • Extracurricular: Kids can join classes on organic farming and learn how to do it. It gives them a new perspective on farming, compared to what they know from their home village.

  • Employment: Provide employment to two local young people, who were kids at Teresa Home some time ago.

  • Everyday life: An additional sanitary block has been built to improve daily life for the kids at Teresa Home.

In the past few months we have received support, encouragement and donations from so many kind friends & people in our local communities as well as from abroad, eg, anh Vũ, chị Thúy, Chie, em Phương, Ngọc, Nông Trại Cánh Cam, Công Nghiệp Công Nghệ Cao Củ Chi, bác Stephen, cô Yến, anh Tuấn, chị Ngọc, chị Phượng, chị Oanh…and so many more (please see our donors list). With your support and donations, we have helped Teresa Ethnic Home to build two units of greenhouse covering 666m2. The greenhouse and its operations totally meet our plan and expectation.

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A monthly revenue of approx. 40mil VND from vegetable sale (grown both inside and outside of the greenhouse) in the dry season is a strong proof for the efforts and determination of Teresa Ethnic Home to succeed in this endeavor. At the same time, this success is also a clear response to our guiding philosophy "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime". Thus, we truly believe that your support and donations will be of lasting impact to Teresa Ethnic Home.

... And all that success and hopefully long-lasting impact would not have been possible without your generous support, both mentally and financially. 

IAMIN would like to express our deepest gratitude to our dear friends, family members, and supporters - we feel so blessed to have received your helping hands.

Please read below for more details about the project.

Project Background

Introduction: Socio-demographic issues often faced by ethnic minorities in Vietnam

Ethnic minorities in Vietnam, especially those located near the borders, often live in underdeveloped regions with many difficulties: No electricity, no clean water, no regular schooling and no paved roads. People in those areas live mainly by farming and animal breeding using traditional methods, and depend much on unstable weather conditions and manual labor force. They live in poor conditions with average income of just about $1/day.

Already quite low, their incomes can vary from month to month, making them experience a life condition much characterized by instability, disease, illiteracy, and malnutrition. Not surprisingly, ethnic children aged 6-18 often become main labor force in their families.  The statistic of 86% of ethnic children bearing such heavy weight on their shoulders is a heartbreaking call for support. Child labor often leads to illiteracy, bad health, and poorly skilled adults, which can be a vicious cycles for generations.

Situation at hand: Helping institutions often need help themselves

One region with such socio-demographic issues is Buon Me Thuot, located in South of Vietnam. There are homes and orphanages to provide shelter, food and education to those less privileged children.

Consequently, the children often have to go back to their villages and face the hardship as experienced by their parents. Given the poverty and the tradition of getting married and bearing children at a young age, the vicious circle of poverty and illiteracy is likely to continue for generations.

Teresa Ethnic Home, for instance, takes those children regardless of their religious background. However, Teresa Home itself often faces financial difficulties. With no other option, funding for education is often cut back to prioritize on providing food and shelter to the children. The result is that basic qualification and essential skill training cannot be sufficiently provided to the children under its care. Lacking of sufficient qualification and skills, children often have no prospect when finishing high school and leaving Teresa Home.

Fundraising Event 7.9.2016: Live Gigs at Cafe High-End

The event on the night of 7.9.2016 was quite a success thanks to wonderful live gigs and warm support from friends and family members who joined. We would like to say our special thanks to the Band and Cafe High-End for making this event such a meaningful and fun evening!

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And here are some photos and videos of the event:

Project summary

Teresa Ethnic Home is a Christian institution located in Buon Me Thuot and raises poor ethnic kids from Lam Dong, Daklak, Daknông, Gia Lai, and Kontum... The Home operates under the mission to create a place where kids can receive education and learn to become a good person. Teresa Ethnic Home takes care of its children with absolute love and enthusiasm. For children living there Teresa Ethnic Home actually becomes their family.

With a constantly growing number of children under its care, right now is 180 kids, Teresa Home itself often faces financial difficulties. Sometimes, this means that priority can only be placed on providing food and shelter to its children, while funding for education has to be cut back. The project addresses "funding for education", with the objective to develop a reliable and higher source of income to help Teresa Home provide continuous education to its children.

Ho Chi Minh City

Largest city in Vietnam

Teresa Ethnic Home

Buon Me Thuot

Central Highlands

Hanoi

Capital of Vietnam

  • Aim: Greenhouse construction of 1,000m2 on existing farming area

  • Total investment plan: USD 14,300

  • Collaboration partners: Eakmat Seed Center of Buon Me Thuot, and Lady Bird Organic

  • Distribution of vegetable: Agreement reached with a distributor

  • Target Impact:

    • Crop yields equal to monthly income of around USD 1,000 in dry season, and USD 600 in rainy season to secure education budget

    • High school children can learn modern techniques in growing vegetable in their free time; and having one more career choice in their career path

Comprehensive project description

I AM IN Foundation aims to address this challenging issue. We want to give better education and perspective to disadvantaged ethnic children. Our mission is (a) to help institutions taking care of ethnic children become financially more self-sufficient so as to secure basic education budget, and (b) to bring better education and perspectives to disadvantaged ethnic children. We have worked with Teresa Ethnic Home closely and realized various projects to achieve this mission.

​This project is about making Teresa Home become financially more self-sufficient. Our proposal builds on Teresa Home's existing capability in Organic Farming, with the objective to develop a reliable and higher source of income to help Teresa Home provide continuous education to its children.

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Our Organic Farming project at Teresa Home encompasses three stages:

  • Stage 1 - Build up farming fields (completed):
    We raised funding to build a traditional vegetable farm with 2,500 meter square in 2014. This farm now helps Teresa Home to have an income of about USD 700 per month in the dry season. During rainy season, however, the yield of crops is marginal.

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  • Stage 2 - Secure income during rainy seasons (current project):
    We have consulted with experts and worked out a roof-structure concept for the farm. This concept is composed of sturdy structure and clear greenhouse film and protective nets for the four sides. This concept will help to secure income during rainy seasons also. Optionally, a water system is also in planning.

  • Stage 3 - Improve overall crop yield per square meter (in planning):
    The final stage of this project will explore further tools and techniques (to be finalised) that can be implemented at the greenhouse to improve the overall crop yield on the existing farming area . This will help to produce more and nicer crops, and hence improve the overall income level.

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Organically grown vegetable has a higher market price and promotes healthy food. Greenhouse farming entails further benefits, including

  • Chance for the children to learn modern farming methods

  • Opportunity to deliver this method to other communities

  • Environmental protection

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