SUSTAINABLE
Viet Nam is an exotic and utterly breathtaking country, known for its rich heritage, natural beauty, and a culinary experience unlike no other. Viet Nam has become a popular travel destination for many, yet, behind the beauty and extraordinary experiences, lies long, dark history of poverty and hardship.
The majority of the poor reside in most rural and isolated parts of Viet Nam, such as the North West mountainous regions. These families are not exposed to the same opportunities as those living the bigger cities of Vietnam. Therefore, a vast majority of the individuals, especially the women and children living the rural areas are often vulnerable to exploitation. As a woman myself, I want to help and empower other women to succeed. Over the years, my sister and I have contributed to the construction of reading rooms, schools, houses… in Viet Nam and also some other countries in South East Asia.
The most rewarding part of our project is the success and improvements in the lives of hundreds of women living in poverty in remote areas of Viet Nam. Our project does more than just build infrastructure. We believe in teaching the women to succeed and to utilize the resources available to them to build a decent living for themselves. Accordingly, they can learn to sustain themselves independently and will continue to grow and prosper as a community. I do not believe that a woman should feel compelled to abandon her home and work in the larger city to provide for her family. I want to provide all the necessary tools they will need to be able to flourish in their own villages and develop a strong foundation to earn a respectable living. In doing so, these mountainous community can preserve their respected culture and the women don’t have to leave their home and their children to find work in the cities. In order to fulfill this vision Diệp Tô Foundation was created.
We have adopted the mountainous area of Pù Bin, located in Mai Chau, Hoa Binh Province to help improve the life of the villagers in this region. Diệp Tô Foundation will provide them with skills, tools and product/market to allow them to grow organic herbs that will be used to make artisan spices of the highest quality. We have implemented a project to protect the watershed in the community and will sell the spices and herbs grown from the villages. With the recognized revenue, we will raise the living standards of the women and children here and work to help protect their local environment. To further create sustainability in the villages we also aim to develop and promote community based tourism.
Essentially, the primary goal is to create villages with locals knowledgeable in sustainable agriculture and tourism. In order to prevent the villages from becoming a mass commercial tourist area, the number of tourists brought to the area will be imited to those who are aware of their impact and are keen on learning about the local culture and cuisine. We want to create a place of health and relaxation by exposing tourists to an unspoiled corner of the world. We know that many different people have to come together to make this project a success. We hope you will support our project in any small way you can. We look forward to welcoming you to Pù Bin and thank you very much in advance for your help and support.