News

In the remote mountain communities of Sepone and Phin in Laos, many families struggle to obtain enough healthy and nutritious food. Fresh vegetables are especially scarce during the dry season. Thanks to home gardens close to their houses and access to clean water, families are increasingly able to grow their own vegetables. However, sturdy metal fences are needed to protect these gardens from free-roaming animals.

Clean Water and Food Security

Access to clean drinking water remains an important part of our program. Fortunately, sufficient funding is available in 2026 to implement the planned wells and water supply systems. At the same time, another urgent challenge is becoming increasingly apparent: access to sufficient and nutritious food.

Why Home Gardens Are So Important

With support from MCNV, approximately 70% of the families in the 25 villages where we work now have a small home garden. This enables families to grow their own vegetables and provide better nutrition for their children. They not only have access to more food, but also to healthier food.

A greater variety of vegetables and fruits provides children with essential vitamins and nutrients, contributing to better health and development. These are valuable achievements of which we are very proud.

A Metal Fence Makes All the Difference

Most home gardens are currently protected by wooden fences. Collecting suitable wood is hard work and requires a great deal of time. Women, in particular, often spend hours searching in the forest and frequently return with only part of the wood they need.

A metal fence lasts much longer, provides better protection against roaming animals, and significantly reduces the workload for women. This leaves more time for caring for their families, maintaining their gardens, and other important daily activities.

Your Contribution

This time, we are asking for your support to provide metal fences for the home gardens of 320 families. These fences will help protect their crops from animals that can destroy young plants and reduce harvests.

The cost of a fence for one garden is just over €40. A modest amount, but one that can make a tremendous difference. A successful harvest means better nutrition, improved health, and greater opportunities for children and their families in Laos.

Will you help us create a healthier and more sustainable future for these families? Every contribution, large or small, makes a difference.

Thank you very much for your generous support.

With warm regards,

Team Laos and Karin Vlug

Just before the sun rises above the mountains of Huong Lap in Quang Tri province, Ho Thi Ha is already awake. She cooks rice for her three young children, takes them to school, and then walks to her field in the hills.

Her 0.7-hectare cassava field is the main source of income for her family. In a good year, the harvest brings in about €340 – money that is needed for food, school supplies and clothing.

A Growing Number of Challenges

But the weather is becoming increasingly unpredictable. Sometimes it rains for months, causing cassava roots to rot and the harvest to fail. For families like Ha’s, this means great uncertainty.

Many families in the mountainous areas of Quang Tri depend on small-scale farming. Climate change, poor soil and fluctuating market prices make it difficult to earn a stable income.

Women in particular carry a heavy responsibility: they work the land, take care of the household and raise their children. Many families are barely able to make ends meet. Malnutrition is a serious concern: more than 20 percent of young children in these communities are undernourished.

Food Security Comes First

That is why MCNV has developed a new programme for this year and the next two years. Through this programme, we support women in improving their farming and livestock practices and in developing new sources of income, for example by collecting and selling sustainable forest products.

At the same time, we work to improve the nutrition of women and children. Through small village shops run by the women themselves, families gain access to healthy food. Pregnant women and young mothers receive nutrition education and support where needed.

Over the coming years, we aim to support at least 300 vulnerable women and families. In total, around 1,000 family members will benefit from improved nutrition, greater food security and a healthier future.

Thank you very much for your indispensible support to families in Quang Tri.

Kind regards,

Nguyen Thanh Tung and the team in Dong Ha

In the second quarter of 2025, MCNV focused on sharing knowledge to improve daily life in the districts of Phin and Sepone in Laos. Together with local communities, we work toward a future in which children grow up safely, mothers receive proper care, and clean water and toilets are part of everyday life.

Yet many families in remote villages still lack clean drinking water and sanitation. Children still become ill from preventable diseases. That is why we ask for your support—so more families can gain access to clean water, better hygiene, and a healthier life.

Promising Start in Phin

Although our program in Phin only began this year, local involvement is strong. Women actively seek guidance and show commitment. Early results are encouraging: child malnutrition has already decreased, partly thanks to home gardens.

Still a Long Way to Go

Out of 3,059 families in 20 villages, only 153 have a toilet. Not everyone sees the importance of sanitation yet, making education essential. Through training sessions and knowledge exchange with Sepone—where MCNV has supported communities for several years—people learn what is possible and what works.

We also use existing initiatives such as government vaccination days to measure children’s growth and offer health education to mothers.

Our Local Strength

With experienced members of MCNV Laos team – Fine, Done and program manager Sivone – we reach even the most remote villages. Phin’s better accessibility creates opportunities for faster progress—but extra support is crucial to make this happen.

Help Us Take the Next Step

Your donation helps us to:

• Build more toilets
• Install more water systems
• Create educational materials on hygiene and clean water

Thank you for supporting healthier futures in Laos.

Sivone, Fine & Done