[PHAN NGUYEN CHARITY FUND] "The Journey of Love" - First Trip to A Lu/Y Ty, Lao Cai

On September 21-22, 2024, the Phan Nguyen Charity Fund team successfully completed the first "Journey of Love" with the mission: to bring love, share difficulties both spiritually and materially with the people of A Lu and Y Ty communes in Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province, helping them recover and rebuild their lives after Typhoon YAGI (Storm No. 3).

The Phan Nguyen Charity Fund distributes gifts to the people in A Lu commune

Why did Phan Nguyen Charity Fund choose A Lu Commune, Bat Xat District, Lao Cai Province as the destination for relief efforts?

The goal of the Charity Fund is to reach areas where people are in dire need of help but have not yet received significant support from other relief groups. A Lu Commune, Bat Xat District, was selected for this trip as a meaningful connection for the Fund.

With the assistance of local friends and officials, the Charity Fund team gained a comprehensive understanding of the damage and specific needs of each commune, allowing them to target their relief efforts. Among the suggested locations, the team chose A Lu Commune, as it was one of the most severely affected areas in Bat Xat District. Moreover, the road to the commune had only been cleared 1-2 days before the team set out, meaning few other relief groups had been able to reach it.

What are the most practical gifts for the people of A Lu Commune?

The road to A Lu is extremely challenging, and even in dry weather, it's difficult to traverse. The situation becomes much worse during rainstorms and landslides. Before setting off, the Charity Fund team was concerned about unfavorable weather forecasts, so they had to constantly monitor the weather and the accessibility of routes into the commune's center.

The muddy, soft road is still wet from the continuous rain

While essential supplies were desperately needed, transporting truckloads of goods would have been difficult due to the poor road conditions.

After discussions with local officials, the team decided to travel using two 4-wheel-drive pickup trucks with limited cargo space, making it crucial to prioritize practical but compact donations for the local people.

The support provided to the people of A Lu by the Charity Fund included:

• Number of households supported: 128
• Total cash support: 108,000,000 VND
  • 02 households with fatalities: 3,000,000 VND/household = 6,000,000 VND
  • 26 households severely affected by housing damage (collapsed or heavily destroyed homes): 2,000,000 VND/household = 52,000,000 VND
  • 100 households with lighter damage: 500,000 VND/household = 50,000,000 VND

Value of donated goods (necessities such as cooking oil, spices, noodles, soap, peanuts, bread) = 19,400,915 VND
Total support budget: 127,400,915 VND

Thanks to the help and organization from local officials, the distribution of gifts went smoothly and orderly.

The Phan Nguyen Charity Fund donated money and supplies to support 100 households affected by the damage in A Lu Village Community Center

The Phan Nguyen Charity Fund donated money and supplies to support 28 households severely affected by the damage in Ngai Thau Village.

The Phan Nguyen Charity Fund donated supplies to support the Mò Phu Chai - Y Ty Elementary School.

The gifts were carefully packaged.

We hope that with the love, compassion, and support from people across the country, we can help to alleviate some of the losses in lives, homes, and crops for the people of A Lu and Y Ty communes specifically, and the Northern mountainous region in general. May they leave behind the pain and loss to resume their daily lives and look toward the future.

We hope to see the beautiful Y Ty – the "Cloud Paradise" with its terraced fields – restored soon, with improved roads to make it easier for visitors to return.

The Phan Nguyen Charity Fund team before the departure of the "Journey of Love" first trip

Thank you to everyone at Phan Nguyen, as well as family and friends, for your support, contributions, and concern, which helped make the first "Journey of Love" by the Phan Nguyen Charity Fund a success, providing timely relief to the local people.

Sincerely grateful!