Every year, representatives of Veterans for Peace (VFP) visit Hearts for Hue, as part of their annual trip to Viet Nam. Usually, H4H will accompany them to A Luoi to visit the project sites actively sponsored by VFP. In this way, VFP are able to see exactly how their money is put to use. This year however, with a tight schedule and over 20 delegates, VFP chose to visit H4H in Hue – just five minutes in fact from the Hue Imperial Citadel.
Hearts for Hue always appreciates the opportunity to strengthen ties with our existing donors, to showcase the work we have been doing, and to understand the current strategic priorities of donor organisations.
Discussion from the meeting with VFP focused mainly on H4H’s work with pig farmers in A Luoi. H4H firstly outlined how the recent African swine flu has devastated the pork industry throughout Viet Nam, describing also the transmission of disease from the coastal lowlands westward into the highlands, and the steps we’re taking to try to isolate rural farmers in A Luoi from this highly contagious disease. Conversation then moved onto discussing why meat isn’t frozen in Viet Nam prior to being sold in order to limit the spread of disease. H4H explained that it’s a cultural preference for wanting to physically examine the meat prior to purchasing, and that it may take wholesale changes in consumer preferences for meat to be frozen. Finally, conversation moved to the potential negative impacts of our pig raising projects, namely the pollution caused from pig poop. VFP explained that pig waste is a major pollutant in commercial farms in the USA and that H4H should take measures to address this. The difference however, is the size of the farming, with families only raising a few pigs, H4H has in place pig waste management training to turn the waste into fertiliser.
H4H would again like to thank VFP for their ongoing financial support of our work, and for taking the time to meet with us. You have helped us better appreciate the interests and priorities of our international donors, and we hope this will be reflected in better project outcomes.
