Visits of Villagers’ Houses
On the evening of our 6th day at the village, our team visited the houses of the four poorest households in Gia Bac. As the houses were quite a distance from the school, we chit-chatted and took many photos along the way. On our way to the houses, we also met a group of children playing and, they even stood in a line and smiled for the camera.
For the average household, their main source of income is from the sale of coffee and corn crops. Most of the children attend lessons at Gia Bac School, which provides education from Kindergarten all the way up to the Singapore-equivalent of Secondary-school level.
We visited a total of 4 houses. At every house, we presented the family with a bag of clothes and a small sum of money. Although the gifts would not change their lives dramatically, the clothes will keep them warm during the cold nights and the money will allow them to purchase crops and food.
We gathered inside one of the houses and talked to the people living there. The lady in yellow is the eldest of the family. She is only 17 years old and has to take care of the entire household, comprising of her and her three younger siblings (two brothers and a sister). Her father passed away when she was still very young, and her mother abandoned them later on.
During the dialogue session, the Teacher (top right corner, in white shirt) mentioned an interesting fact about Gia Bac village: for marriage, it is the female who has to propose to the male. The female has to present the male’s family with either a large sum of money or a buffalo during proposal.
During the house visit, we found out that that the average household in Gia Bac village has about 7 to 8 children. The teacher explained that parents want many children as they are regarded as extra manpower for the planting of cash crops. However, they fail to understand that having more children means that they require more resources (food and money) to raise and take care of them.
The people of Gia Bac lead very simple and carefree lifestyles. There is almost no variation to their daily routines. Despite the very basic living conditions, they are still able to find joy and happiness in their lives.
Members of the IS team all lead comfortable and fast-paced city lifestyles, which is unlike that of the households we visited. The house visits have, therefore, given us the opportunity to see for ourselves how people survive in different conditions than us. As the sun set, we walked back to the house with a new experience.
Written by: Jesslyn and Zi Rong
