The Hàm Thuận Nam area
Hàm Thuân Nam is probably the poorest district of the province, except for the few communes along the beach: it counts several communes with poor ethnic minorities, one of which is at the end of a difficult road in the mountain and across rivers.
The total population is 93.000, of which 10% are very poor, after the recent government survey . The average income is 271$, half the national average. This is an agricultural area, 97% of the people are farmers.
Primary schools count 11.431 pupils, with 635 teachers. Approximately 30% pupils drop out before the end of grade 10, they will have little chance to lift themselves above the poverty line.
Hygiene in schools is minimal: less than a fifth have latrines, 10% have a well. Only 15% households have a water filter.Most people are believed to be infested by worms. The region is still infested by malaria, but 10% households do not have mosquito nets .
No other NGO operates in the area and this was confirmed by our field survey. Thiên Chí is confident the information collected is of very good quality as 3 of its senior staff worked in the district before (1993-1996), and they are all from the provincial town, only 30 km away.
