Value Chain-based Livestock Breeding model created positive changes
Thuan and his mother with their chickens in the yard. Photo: World Vision.
“I'm in grade 7 this year. My family has four members including my mother, father, younger brother, and me. There were plenty of challenges for my little family. Our financial income mainly depends on my mother's insufficient remuneration. We used to live in a thatched house. Every time it rained, the water leaked in, leaving our whole family no place to sleep at night. We had to stay awake on those rainy and windy nights” said V.V Thuan
There have been significant changes when Thuan's family participated in a program jointly implemented by Mavin Group and World Vision International in Vietnam, which aims to support disadvantaged households.
Thuan's family received animal feed support from Mavin Group. Photo: World Vision.
In 2021, Thuan’s family was selected to participate in the Ultra-Poor Graduation (UPG) model and received training in husbandry techniques. In addition, Mavin and World Vision supported improving his family’s financial health by providing 100 chickens and chicken feed.
“Before, my father had no stable job. He used to drink a lot and roam the village. Every time he got drunk, he scolded my mother, which made us so sketched out." We felt his emotions could burst out at any moment.
When his family participated in the Value Chain-based Livestock Breeding model supported by Mavin Group and World Vision, Thuan's father had a meaningful daily job: to help the whole family take care of their chickens. This in turn also led his father to drink less alcohol.
However, in the same period, their cottage unfortunately caught fire caused by a short circuit and burned down. Gone in the night, all of the family's possessions turned a pile of ashes. From that night on, Thuan's family had to stay with their relatives.
The family was happy to receive support from the community. They were standing in front of the kitchen
which is the only asset after the house burned down.
Photo: World Vision.
The family's tragedy was known to the local authorities and thus was urgently called for all possible support. Village communities and various organizations, including World Vision, have made joint efforts to support the family in many aspects from maintaining the family's life to rebuilding their house. Thanks to this, Thuan and his brother were able to keep on their studying. The family fortunately can borrow money from their community and relatives to rebuild their house.
Now, the family is living in a fine brick house which has a separate room with a study table for the children. The kind support from the community has been a tremendous encouragement for Thuan’s family to overcome that challenging situation.
Thuan's family stood in front of their new house which was rebuilt with community support.
Photo: World Vision.
After overcoming the difficulties, in 2023, Thuan's family continued to receive support from Mavin Group with 100 Mavin Cherry ducklings, duck feed, and instructions on sustainable husbandry techniques. To ensure healthy ducks are delivered to farmers with reduced losses during the handover, Mavin Group helped raise ducklings up to 3 days old and provided basic vaccines. Before handing over to the families, ducks are also closely monitored to ensure their best health, agility, and uniformity.
To ensure that our ducks are well taken care of, my family held a discussion on dividing housework duties among family members. Since Thuan's mother works all day long, her father is in charge of taking care of the ducks. “Thanks to the dedication of my father, our ducks’ majestic feathers felt smooth, and they were huger than the other peer households’ ducks.” Thuan happily told us.
Thuan also observed various positive changes from his father. He drank less and was more diligent at housework. He also cooked delicious dishes for the family. “Now my father doesn't scold my mother often, so I am more content with my family life,”said Thuan. "And my mother now actively participates in many activities and trainings by World Vision in our village.”
The family plans to spend part of the income from the ducks to invest in a new raft of ducks, and the remaining would be used to buy textbooks for the brothers.
When being asked about his wish, Thuan delightfully told us, “I will put more effort studying to become a productive member of society. I want to support my family. In the future, helping other children who suffer from the same challenging circumstances as mine.”
According to David John Whitehead, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mavin Group, "The Mavin Group is extremely proud to continue to work closely with World Vision to create a positive impact on local communities in Thuong Xuan, Thanh Hoa. Through our support in improving livelihoods for the community, we also aim to capacitate local people with better husbandry techniques, also equip them with a better understanding of the value chain business models."
The Value Chain-based Livestock Breeding model within the framework of the Project on Livelihood Support for Poor Families in Phase I (2019-2021) has been implemented in Nhu Xuan district, Thanh Hoa province. Hundreds of farming households have been able to escape poverty, master husbandry techniques, and access sustainable livestock production. The model continued its phase II (2022-2024) in Thuong Xuan district, Thanh Hoa province with a total budget of more than 2.29 billion VND supported by Mavin Group and World Vision.