Samaritan's Purse livelihood programs restore families and communities in Vietnam.
Anh found himself in a desperate situation following the death of his wife, who passed away after a two-year battle with liver cancer. Overwhelmed by medical debt and school fees for his three children, Anh sold all the family’s assets—from the furniture in their house to the nearby field that once supplied their food and income. A solitary bed in their southern Vietnam home was all that remained. Grief took hold of Anh, yet he pressed on.
“My children were the only motivation for me to keep living and working,” Anh said. The 42-year-old father, who quit his job to care for his ailing wife, began taking low-pay, unstable day jobs to provide for his children and to pay off the debt he owes.
Anh was forced to sell nearly everything he had to pay off his debt, but, through the Samaritan’s Purse livelihood program, he and his family can rebuild their lives.
In the midst of all this, he received a surprising blessing: cattle became his unexpected respite. Anh received a small group of cattle through the Samaritan’s Purse livelihood program, giving him and his family an opportunity to rebuild their lives.
Communities Thrive Together
Anh’s family was one of 69 households to receive a number of cattle to tend, along with support to build barns and troughs. They also received training on disease diagnosis and grass cultivation techniques to ensure the cattle grow strong and healthy.
“The cattle are very suitable for our farming environment, and food sources are easy to find,” Anh exclaimed. “The training knowledge is new, important, and useful to me.”
Through the program, households are taught the benefits of cooperating with each other to build a communal herd. Some harvest leaves, others build barns, and together the community’s herd of cattle grows and benefits all.
For years to come, these cattle will provide Anh and his community with milk, meat, and income as the herd multiplies.
“Since raising cows in the cooperative group, we’ve had the opportunity to meet each other and spend more time talking,” said Sau, another to receive cattle from Samaritan’s Purse in a commune close to Anh. He was initially skeptical of working together with his neighbors, he admits, but now he enjoys it more than anything.
“Every morning, after feeding the cows and cleaning the barn together, we often sit down to share our stories and encourage each other to try our best,” he said.
Sau (red shirt) has found an unexpected blessing from the Samaritan’s Purse livelihood program: fellowship with his community.
Their hard work paid off when the commune celebrated the birth of two calves earlier this year, with three other cows pregnant and expected to delivery soon. Sau and his neighbors, whom he has come to regard as friends, together decided to sell one calf and reinvest the money to expand their barn.
“This project especially teaches us about the spirit of solidarity when raising cattle in groups,” Anh concluded. “I think this is the most important thing.”
Whether with cattle, chickens, bees, or goats, Samaritan’s Purse livelihoods programs help families—like Anh’s—across the world make the transition from subsistence living to income generation, securing a safer future.
Please pray for Anh, Sau, and these communities in southern Vietnam as they continue to nurture and grow their herd of cattle together.
