Pictured above: We ensure mobile and migrant farm workers can benefit from healthcare

Dear John,

As our 'A World on the Move' appeal explores the ways migration impacts on the communities we work alongside, today we look at how we help mobile and migrant workers in southeast Asia stay healthy.

Dieu Thi Nheo works as a Village Health Worker in Bu Gia Map commune, a border district in Vietnam known for its lush forests and cashew plantations. Cashew farming plays a vital role in the local economy, shaping both the livelihoods of resident farmers and the seasonal migration patterns of workers who come to harvest the crop. 

The region’s tropical climate, with its distinct wet and dry seasons, provides ideal conditions for cashew trees to thrive, but it also creates a perfect environment for malaria to spread. 

Every morning, Nheo heads into the plantations with a volunteer. She approaches the farmers with warmth and familiarity. They know her, trust her, and listen when she talks - partly because they share the same minority language.

Nheo speaks with determination about her role as she makes her way through one of these plantations looking for people to test for malaria: “They don’t come to us, so we need to go to them”.

Pictured above: Village Health Workers help to detect and treat diseases like malaria

Farmers who come to the cashew plantations seeking work barely pause between shifts, pushing through without concern for rest. 

“Let’s do a quick check,” Nheo says, sitting next to a woman who looks fatigued from hours of harvesting. A small prick of the finger, a few minutes of waiting, and then the results. If malaria is detected, immediate steps are taken.

Nheo is happy that her efforts are having a positive impact on her community, helping to prevent the spread of malaria in surrounding towns and villages.

Through direct communication and engagement, she is raising local awareness of the disease, helping mobile and migrant populations access treatment, and helping to protect other communities from malaria.

By contributing to our ‘A World on the Move’ appeal, you can support communities, health workers and activists worldwide to improve people’s lives and livelihoods.

Please give whatever you can today and contribute to building a healthier, more prosperous world:

£5 could cover the cost of fuel for health workers to visit remote border communities to provide healthcare.

£38 could pay for vegetable seeds and chickens so internally displaced families can produce nutritious food to eat and trade

£100 could cover the cost of renting a warehouse to store emergency food supplies for internally displaced families for a month
 

Warm regards,

Siaffa Bunduka,

Supporter Engagement Manager