Clean Water: Essential for Healthy Villages in Laos
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
Restoring hopes in disaster-stricken communities
On December 16, 2025, MCNV, in collaboration with the Phu Mo People’s Committee, provided emergency relief totaling 195 million VND to 130 households in Phu Tam and Phu Dong villages (Phu Mo Commune, Phu Yen Province). This support is designed to empower local residents to procure seedlings, livestock, agricultural supplies, and essential commodities, enabling them to stabilize their lives and resume production following the disaster.
Handover of in-cash support to affected people.
The 130 recipients include poor and near-poor households, as well as those in exceptionally difficult circumstances. These two villages are among 15 areas covered by the “Boosting Income and Jobs for Poor Ethnic Women in Dong Xuan District” project (BIJPO). The region was severely impacted by historic flooding and Typhoon No. 13 in late November 2025.
Rice paddies buried under debris, acacia plantations leveled.
The disaster left a devastating trail of loss across the project areas, including Phu Mo, Xuan Lanh, Xuan Phuoc, and Dong Xuan communes. Beyond the tragic loss of five lives, the calamity caused extensive damage to property and livelihoods. In Phu Dong village, approximately 50% of homes suffered roof damage or structural destruction. Phu Tam village, particularly the areas along the Ky Lo River, was hit hard by widespread flooding and landslides. Across both villages, acacia plantations were leveled, rice paddies were buried under debris, and livestock perished in large numbers.
Homes suffered roof damages.
These 130 households are part of the 1,110 beneficiaries of the BIJPO project (2022–2025). Through this relief effort, MCNV hopes to provide the necessary momentum for these families to overcome their current hardships, restore their livelihoods, and rebuild their lives in the wake of the disaster./.
Signing of Memorandum of Understanding on Implementing the Project ‘Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods to Improve Food Security for Poor Ethnic Minority Women in Quang Tri Province’
(December 12, 2025) – Mr. Pham Dung, Head of the Representative Office of the Medisch Comité Nederland – Vietnam (MCNV) organization, and Mr. Thai Huu Lieu, Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs of Quang Tri province, chaired the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding the implementation of the project “Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods to Improve Food Security for Poor Ethnic Minority Women in Quang Tri Province.”
Representatives of MCNV and Quang Tri provincial Department of Foreign Affairs at the signing ceremony.
The project has an estimated budget of 600,000 EUR and a duration of 36 months. It will focus on improving income and job opportunities for poor ethnic minority women in the two communes of Huong Lap and Huong Phung, thereby contributing to the reduction of food insecurity among poor women and ethnic minority children in the two project communes.
The main activities of the project include:
- Enhancing knowledge and skills for women in developing agricultural and non-agricultural production models.
- Promoting sustainable livelihoods based on non-timber forest products.
- Improving access to high-nutrition and safe food sources.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr. Pham Dung, MCNV Chief of Representative Office in Vietnam, affirmed that Quang Tri is one of the localities with the longest and most enduring cooperation relationship with MCNV in Vietnam. He also shared MCNV’s priority directions for the coming period. Accordingly, MCNV will focus on supporting the development of effective livelihood models for women in ethnic minority regions, aligned with the requirements for sustainable development, climate change adaptation, and promoting the community’s role in managing indigenous resources.
Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs of Quang Tri province, Mr.Thai Huu Lieu, showed appreciation to MCNV for the organization’s unwavering support to Quang Tri province. He expressed confidence that the project activities will help improve food security and contribute to enhancing the quality of life for ethnic minority communities, especially poor women in the mountainous areas of Quang Tri province.
Following the signing ceremony, MCNV will continue to coordinate with in-charge divisions of the Department of Foreign Affairs and relevant provincial agencies to finalize the Project Document for official approval from the competent authorities as regulated, and simultaneously prepare for implementation immediately after the Project is approved./.
MCNV Supports Quy Nhon Traditional Medicine and Rehabilitation Hospital in Disaster Relief
November 22, 2025 – MCNV provided disaster relief supplies, valued at over 20 million VND, to the Quy Nhon Traditional Medicine & Rehabilitation Hospital.
During November 19-20, 2025, a historic flooding event in Gia Lai Province caused severe inundation across many areas, heavily impacting the Quy Nhon Traditional Medicine & Rehabilitation (TMR) Hospital.
Floodwater at the hospital rose high, surpassing the 2019 historical flood peak by more than 1 meter. This situation isolated staff, patients, and created significant difficulties for the facility.
To provide prompt assistance and help the hospital overcome the disaster, on November 22, 2025, MCNV donated relief supplies, including 45 cases of milk (a total of 540 four-packs) and 400 servings of bread, totaling over 20 million VND in value. This support aims to provide sustenance and share the burden with the patients and medical staff isolated by the floodwaters.
MCNV hope that the Quy Nhon TMR Hospital will speedily complete its disaster recovery efforts and quickly stabilize examination and treatment operations to meet the healthcare needs of the local community./.
Handover of Rehabilitation Equipment to Hue City Social Protection Center
Hue City, November 18, 2025 – The Medisch Comité Nederland – Vietnam (MCNV), in collaboration with the Hue City Social Protection Center (SPC), held a Handover Ceremony of Rehabilitation Equipment to the Center.
Mr.Pham Dung, MCNV Chief of Representative Office, hands over the donation to Mr.Ngo Duy Binh, Director of Hue SPC.
This activity is carried out within the framework of the Master Project “Improving the Quality of Life of Persons with disabilities in provinces heavily sprayed with Agent Orange” – (Inclusion Project) – Inclusion 1 Project Component.
The event was attended by Mr.Ho Quang Minh, Head of the Social Protection Office, Hue City Department of Health; Mr.Pham Dung, MCNV Chief of Representative Office, Mr.Ngo Duy Binh, Director of Hue City SPC and related agencies.
Testing a multi-functional medical bed.
The equipment package donated by Inclusion 1 Project to the Hue City SPC includes 10 treadmills, 10 exercise bikes, 05 multi-functional medical beds, and 05 sets of multi-functional rehabilitation exercise equipment, with a total value of approximately US$ 18,900 (482,000,000 VND).
The Hue City SPC currently provides rehabilitation for 500 persons with neuropsychiatric disabilities. The rehabilitation equipment supported by the Inclusion 1 Project will contribute to improving the quality of rehabilitation services and promoting social inclusion for the Center’s beneficiaries.
The Hue City SPC currently provides rehabilitation for 500 persons with neuropsychiatric disabilities.
The Inclusion 1 Project is funded by the U.S. Government and owned by the National Action Center for Toxic Chemicals and Environmental Treatment. The Center for Creative Initiatives in Health and Population is the managing partner. MCNV is one of the implementing partners responsible for providing rehabilitation services and professional capacity building of healthworkers on rehabilitation.
The project is implemented over five years, from 2022 to 2026, in Quang Tri Province, Hue City, and Da Nang City with the overall objective of improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities in provinces heavily sprayed with Agent Orange.
The Project has four objectives (1) To expand health and rehabilitation services to improve health status and quality of life of persons with disabilities; (2) To expand care and social services for persons with disabilities; (3) To improve policies and raising awareness, improving public attitudes and ensuring social inclusion of persons with disabilities;(4) To enhance the capacity for managing, implementing, and delivering support services for persons with disabilities at all levels.
As of the end of October 2025, the Inclusion 1/Project – MCNV component has provided rehabilitation and care services to about 2,500 persons with disabilities; trained 650 times of healthcare workers in professional rehabilitation techniques, and supported capacity building for 27 health facilities./.
Back Into the Light: The Inclusion 1 Project Helps a Young Man Rebuild His Life After Disability
At the age of 20, Ho Van Doai, a young ethnic Bru Van Kieu man from Xa Lang hamlet in Quang Tri province, stood on the threshold of a bright future, full of dreams and possibility.
Then, in 2022, fate intervened: a sudden disability left Doai paralyzed. Overnight, his world shrank, confined to a small, cramped wooden room lit only by a dim overhead bulb. Imprisoned in his bed, fully reliant on his mother’s unwavering care, Doai watched his life drift by, day after day, without any prospect of change.
Before support arrived, Doai lay on his bed in a small room, unable to move or take part in daily life outside (Credit: Dam Mai/MCNV)
His mother’s love was boundless, but she lacked the essential tools, the know-how, and, crucially, the hope. Feeding, cleaning, and supporting Doai were all done flat on the bed—no rehabilitation, no expectation of a different life. The crushing silence of abandonment seemed to settle over their home.
Then, the intervention arrived. Since July 7, 2025, the Inclusion 1 project—implemented by Medisch Comité Nederland -Vietnam (MCNV) with support from the US government—reached out.
Every weekend, a dedicated team of technicians and rehabilitation specialists braved steep hills and rough roads to reach Doai’s small house. They began with a thorough assessment. They initiated a rehabilitation plan, provided essential assistive devices, and, perhaps most pivotally, they taught Doai to believe again.
A custom-made rope was fixed, allowing him to pull himself into a sitting position for the first time in years. His mother was enrolled in a comprehensive caregiver training course, reinforced by visits from a nurse at the district health center. She learned to help Doai sit up, to transfer him safely into a project-provided wheelchair, and to push him to the bathroom for a proper shower. For the first time in three years, Doai felt the cool, cleansing rush of water instead of being merely wiped down.
With new skills and assistive support, Doai now enjoys sitting outside in his wheelchair, greeting the world with a bright smile (Credit: Ho Huu Nhan/MCNV)
Today, every morning, Doai is wheeled to the threshold of his house, his wheelchair positioned in the sunlight. He breathes the open air. The dim bulb of his former confinement is now eclipsed by the brightness of the front yard and the possibilities that remain. Challenges related to mobility, accessibility, and livelihoods still lie ahead, but the journey has begun, and the shadow has definitively lifted.
During Quarter 3/2025, thanks to the Inclusion 1 Project, more than 300 people with disabilities in Quang Tri province, Hue, and Da Nang cities received crucial home-based rehabilitation services. Meanwhile, over 250 people received assistive, orthotic, and prosthetic devices to significantly improve their activities of daily living and overall quality of life.
The Inclusion 1 Project is funded by the U.S. Government and owned by the National Action Center for Toxic Chemicals and Environmental Treatment (NACCET). The Center for Creative Initiatives in Health and Population (CCIHP) serves as the managing partner. MCNV is one of the implementing partners responsible for delivering rehabilitation services and providing professional capacity building for health workers./.
