2003-2004 Thailand and Vietnam Projects

The twenty-four District Governors of Zones 29 and 30 met in Kansas City, MO for their Zone Institute in September 2003 and decided to partner with the Rotary Club of Chiang Mai North, Thailand, D3360 and the cooperating organization Heifer International/Thailand on two Rotary Foundation Matching Grant projects during the 2003-2004 Rotary year. MG 51331 and MG 51334 were funded with contributions from the Rotary Club of Chiang Mai North, Thailand, District 3360, the 24 districts of Zones 29 & 30, and The Rotary Foundation. Project size totaled nearly $62,000.

The villages helped with the water systems of MG 51331 are subsistence farmers, raising grain and also some fish crops.

MG 51331 funded the construction of water tanks, filters and plastic piping to bring water to rural villages in Thailand. The water is being used for drinking, cooking, and irrigation of crops.  This grant also funded the purchase of "fodder grass" seed, important to its sister project, MG 51334.

Now the people living in these villages have a clean source of water for bathing, cooking, and irrigating their crops, including fish crops. There are over 2,700 individuals benefiting from this project.

Several Chiang Mai North Rotarians (in blue and white shirts) attend the dedication ceremony for one of the water systems, pictured behind the group to the right of the banner.

MG 51334 funded the purchase of 45 dairy cows to be given to 45 women heads-of-households in the Mekong River Delta region in the far southern regions of Vietnam. The cows were transported from a large farm in Thailand through Cambodia and into Vietnam.

The cows were purchased from the Chokchai Farm in Thailand and transported to Vietnam in late September 2004. The cattle had to remain in quarantine for 30 days before being released to the beneficiaries.

The cattle traveled to Vietnam "by land and by sea." (well.... river)

Several high officials attended the official delivery ceremony of the cows, including the Deputy Minister of Public Health and a representative of the Vietnamese Embassy.

In late May & early June 2005, a few months after the project was officially complete, several Rotarians from Chiang Mai North, Heifer Project/Thailand staff members, professors from the Animal Science Department, and the Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Chiang Mai University visited the project site. They provided training in animal husbandry, production and treatment of dairy cows to the Vietnamese recipients.

They also studied the accomplishments and obstacles encountered with the project and gave encouragement to the beneficiaries. The Vietnamese women farmers in three villages (Lang Hoa (Can Tho City), Lai Vung and Lap Vo (Dong Thap province) are very proud of the cows they received and are taking very good care of them. They had never dreamed of owning such good breeding stock in their lives. So far, about 80% of the dairy cows are pregnant and should produce calves in November 2005. The 80% conception rate is higher than the expected rate of around 70%.

Past Rotary International Director Ron Beaubien and his wife Vicki visited the project site in October 2005. As they met Heifer International Director in Vietnam, veterinarian Dr. Chau Ba Loc, they learned that the original 50 heifers have already produced 26 calves. Here they are visiting with a young couple who are lucky to have 2 of the new calves.