Construction work has begun on the irrigation system for the municipalities of Ban Ngo and Nam Dam as part of the project *"Food Security for Families and Preschools in Ban Ngo and Nam Dan"*, funded by the state 8x1000 and the Gino Lunelli Foundation. Through this initiative, GTV aims to combat malnutrition, promote food self-sufficiency, and reduce the poverty rate in the target communities of the two municipalities within the Xin Man district.

Access to water is scarce throughout the Xin Man district. In Ban Ngo and Nam Dan, agricultural production relies almost entirely on seasonal rains: most current irrigation systems consist of simple soil-dug channels, with no water transportation through pipelines or proper aqueducts for irrigation purposes. This has severe consequences for local agricultural production: families, most of whom rely on subsistence farming, experience low-yield harvests and suffer from malnutrition. According to data from the Xin Man District Health Center, in Nam Dan, 17.85% of children under the age of five are underweight, and 33.71% of children in the same age group are stunted in height. In Ban Ngo, 19.69% of children under five are underweight, and 26.25% are stunted in height.

To address this emergency, GTV launched the project *"Food Security for Families and Preschools in Ban Ngo and Nam Dan."* One of its objectives is to build an irrigation system to benefit 182 families (688 people) in the two target municipalities, aiming to improve agricultural production and nutrition. Through this irrigation system, the goal is to enable two rice harvests per year instead of one and to support local fruit plantations. Last week, Kien Vu Duy, GTV representative in Vietnam, and Elena Reato, GTV board member, monitored the construction of water tanks for the irrigation system. They visited four water tanks, one of which is nearing completion. Construction of the aqueduct is scheduled to begin at the end of August, after the period of severe weather that began in recent weeks.

Local authorities in Ban Ngo and Nam Dam and the families visited by the GTV team have confirmed the essential nature of this initiative for the population. In particular, it was noted that this year's rice harvest, a staple in family diets, is expected to be poor due to a lack of water during the sowing period.

In addition to building the irrigation system, the project also includes training courses for women and teachers in the two target municipalities, as well as the creation of school gardens in five preschools.