Integrated Empowerment: VisionFund and World Vision

Tran Thi Minh is a client of World Vision’s Micro Finance Unit’s Hai Lang branch. In 2013, in a community meeting, she learned about the microfinance program of World Vision Vietnam. She borrowed her first loan of US $260 to buy equipment and other materials for her family’s motorbike repair shop. Thanks to the loan, more and more clients are going to her shop. 

However, as her children were getting older, the cost of living and studying was increasing. The income from her shop wasn't enough to cover her family's expenses. In 2017, she decided to participate in the "Tu Hai" chicken cooperative with support from World Vision Vietnam Hai Lang Area Program. After joining the cooperative, she was equipped with knowledge on breeding and the experience shared by other members. With her newfound knowledge and an $870 loan from MFU, Minh raised chickens using a model focused on hygiene and safety. There were many obstacles when she changed to this new livestock, but with strong determination and support from WVV, she has gradually overcome those difficulties and made a profit.

So far, Minh has completed six loan cycles from MFU with the total loan amount of $4,000. She not only runs the motorbike repair shop but also grows her chicken farming successfully. Her chicken products were accepted by restaurants, hotels and even a supermarket in Dong Ha city. Her family income has improved significantly. She can afford a better living condition for her children as well as a better education. “At first, I was afraid that I could not pay every month, but once I was used to the saving habit, I found it easy to repay my loan. When the loan matures, I don’t have a burden of the principal. I’ll continue to take micro-loan to improve my family’s financial condition and take better care for my children,” says Minh.