Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – On the morning of October 21, 2025, the Community Development Ministry returned to Nam Hòa commune, Thái Nguyên for a second time, reaching 229 households in Gốc Thị hamlet together with a partner volunteer group. The total value of goods and cash given was 137,033,263 dong.
See photos: photos of the Gốc Thị trip on the Community Development Ministry fanpage
Sludge Flooding Gardens, Ponds and Wells
After a violent storm, the embankment of a waste sludge reservoir belonging to a local iron and steel plant burst. Sludge poured into orchards and fish ponds and covered the wells that had been the people’s source of life. The environment was seriously threatened and hundreds of households fell into hardship. The ministry finished buying supplies the afternoon before the trip, hoping to reach remote hamlets that few relief teams visit.
A Gift for Every Household
Each household received 500,000 dong in cash, 1 liter of cooking oil, 1 bottle of fish sauce and 1 packet of seasoning salt. Both groups shared the cost: the ministry contributed about 38% and the partner group 62%.
- The ministry bought 230 packages of essential supplies, worth 22,033,264 dong in total.
- The ministry directly gave 30,000,000 dong in cash to 60 households, 500,000 dong each.
- The rest was contributed by the partner group and given directly to the other households.
The gifts were handed to each household in the presence of local authority representatives, so no one was missed or counted twice. The ministry published the trip’s financial records.
Voices From the Community
One elderly man said: “In hard times like these, whatever help the donors can give, we are grateful for.” Another, choked with emotion, said: “A gift with cash like this is very precious to us right now.” This was only the third relief team to reach Gốc Thị since the disaster.
“Little children, let us not love in word and speech, but in action and truth.” (1 John 3:18)
Concern About Water
What weighed most on the team as they left Gốc Thị was clean water. The wells that once sustained the whole hamlet are now polluted and unusable. More than gifts, the people need a lasting solution for daily water, to restore their livelihoods and their hope.
Let Us Pray Together
- For the people of Gốc Thị to have safe, clean water soon.
- For the environment here to be cleaned up and restored.
- For cooperation between volunteer groups to stay transparent and effective.
Read more in Community Development and Church News. Contact the church office: 0942 248 688 (Zalo available).
