By Photographer Michael Costa

What seems like worlds apart, in reality isn’t.  That is my philosophy as I embrace the Vietnamese culture here in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam. This being my first trip outside the United States, the anticipation has become reality.

Michael enjoying a traditional “hot pot” Vietnamese lunch.

A team of 6 individuals have come together with one common goal: to make a difference.  No we are not “The Avengers,” coming to save the world. Rather, we have come together to use multimedia to raise awareness and shed light on the importance of micro-credit loans and the ripple effect they have on an individual, their families and the communities in which they live. With the help of Stirring the Fire, joinFITE, Fund for Poor Women and Dermalogica, Phil Borges has once again created a strategic team to achieve this goal.

The STF team learning about Kiva field partner, Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women.

Once we touched ground at the Hanoi airport we were greeted by our interpreter and guide Thao, KIVA representative Alice Reeves and STF’s Sandy Jeglum.  After overcoming some jet lag and traveling 3 hours to our destination of Thanh Hoa, we began our first day of a 2 week journey bright and early.  Once we arrived at the Fund for Poor Women office we were greeted by the staff who reviewed their goals, mission statement and objectives about their organization.  FPW’s vision is to become the leading Microfinance Institution in Central Vietnam, as well as become a leader in information sharing, technical assistance and technology.  Their objective is to target and serve the poor in Thanh Hoa province and those located in coastal districts, improving the standard of living for poor women and their families, while at the same time improving their overall confidence and become more active in their lives.  Some of FPW’s achievements include the amount of actives clients involved, which has exceeded over 14,000; the amount of outstanding loans, which has exceeded over $2 million USD;  and successful repayment rate of 99.7%.  Their staff’s hospitality is also amazing.

STF team conducting the pre-production interviews.

After lunch, we all assumed our respective roles and began to interview our prospective subjects.  The selection process began nearly 2 or 3 months ago when we first were contacted by the organization.  After narrowing down the list, there were four women we planned to interview.  With the help of our interpreter Thao, the interview process began.  The four subjects took two or three hours of filming and recording audio.    Each individual was asked a series of questions, including the women’s visual diversity, backstory, along with the commitment to be documented throughout their daily events.  Specifics that we are looking for are welcoming body language, on screen presence, articulation, emotion and if they fit the profile as a successful candidate that represents the FITE program.  From the four candidates we ended up choosing two to film over the next two weeks.

Our first hero is Bich.  She supports her family by selling fish sauce at her home and throughout her district, has been in business for over 10 years, and has received four business loans.  She also supports her husband who is a fisherman by working alongside him, where she goes out daily at 3pm to throw the fishing nets into the ocean and returning back the following morning at 5 a.m. to collect the nets and returning to care for grandchildren by 7 a.m. Bich is no stranger to hard work, from the time between casting the nets in the ocean to collecting them the following morning she is delivering her fish sauce and making money to support her family and pay back her loans from Kiva.  With her loans Bich has invested in fishing nets and a small boat in order to succeed in her business, so she definitely is a key role in providing for her family.  For Bich the micro-credit loans have been a life changing experience for her and her family, who comes from a background of living in poor conditions, but now her and her family reap the benefits form the KIVA micro-credit loan and live a positive and healthier lifestyle.

STF team conducting the pre-production interviews.

Our second female hero is Ms. Ngan.  She lives in Thanh Hoa City and took over the family business 15 years ago and is working on her third loan cycle.  Ngan started her loan process in 2010.  She uses the money from her loan to create what is called “ghost money”, which is type of note that families gives as offerings to dead relatives to help pay for things in the after life.  With the loan monies is she able to invest in her business by buying raw materials.  Ngan supports her eldest son who currently is enrolled in cosmetology courses and also has a daughter who is currently in school.  Ngan says that since she received her loan her business has increased dramatically.  Ngan feels that the loan for her business has allowed her family to move up in society. The hardship that she faced was that her husband wage was not enough to support her children and now, though it is still difficult they can pay for their education. The KIVA loan has changed all that for her.  She feels that now her and her family are happy and can live a good life.

Stay tuned for more “In the Field” notes from the Production team as they film each Hero in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam.