Unio Travel is  running an initiative called “Unio Foundation” with an  effort to improve living conditions for hilltribal groups in remote northwest Vietnam. At the meantime, we are targeting children in most impoverished villages in Cao Bang and Ha Giang provinces, major destinations of our trekking tours.

These villages are almost isolated and can only be accessed by foot or motorbike via long, winding hillside routes that become very dangerous  during rainy days. Some may take 4 to 5 hours to reach from the main  road.

The villages are located on high altitude and thus are subject to harsh climate: hot in daytime and cold at night. In winter, devastating frog destroys most crops and trees. The local inhabitants belongs to different ethnic groups and most of them live on stilt houses with living area on first floor and spaces for animal right below. Without economic exchange and government service access, they live in extreme hardship and poverty. They eke out a living out of one rice crop on terraced fields and intermingled crops of corn and beans. Due to low productivity, however, most for animal right below. Without economic exchange and government service access, they live in extreme hardship and poverty. They eke out a living out of one rice crop on terraced fields and intermingled crops of corn and beans. Due to low productivity, however, most families endure severe famine during winter.

Suffering from serious malnutrition and children right abuse, children are those hardest hit. Books and schools are luxury to them as they are too busy with helping parents earn a living or taking care of younger siblings. Even if they are allowed to go to school, they usually quit soon due to lack of money and other necessary resources.

This project is funded by our company’s profit and personal donations from our staffs. Projected yearly fund is 100 million dong and still increasing. A third of the fund is allocated to buy new mosquito nets, clothes, food and milk. The rest goes into building more schools and educational facilities for local children. Our project has covered the following villages and we will continue to reach out soon.