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(This is the 2nd of a 20-post series that will be posted by Orphan Impact from March 1 to December 31 as we provide feedback to the East Villagers community about how we utilize the $20,000 in funding support we received from Chao Foundations/Transparent Fish Fund).
We "broke ground" this week on the new site that will soon become the headquarters of the Orphan Impact operations in Vietnam. Following a month of bid collecting and price shopping, we selected the architectural design firm of Saigon Eco Construction to represent us in renovating and designing our offices. The firm was incredibly gracious to offer their services to Orphan Impact free-of-charge because of "how impressed they were with our unique way of helping Vietnamese orphan children to prepare for their futures." We are thrilled to have such an amazing company helping us ensure that our space is purpose-built and designed to meet our needs and our goals. Just over 8 months ago, we cancelled the lease on our previous offices so that we could put the $350/month of savings to better use in the orphanages with who we are partnering. We moved our offices into my apartment - cramming desks, computers, projectors, whiteboards, and far too many miscellanous computer parts, cords, and wires into a small spare bedroom. While our staff has been gracious, I know they were growing weary of continually feeling like they were intruding into my personal space. But in about two weeks time, this will no longer be a concern. Our new offices are located in one of the best locations in Ho Chi Minh City, smack dab in the heart of District 1, down the street from the Provincial People's Committee and the famed Rex Hotel. Saigon Eco Construction is helping us to design a space that will be modern, yet modest....professional, yet simple. The space will be set-up to showcase our work in orphanages throughout Vietnam to our visitors, while also providing a comfortable space for our staff to collaborate together while they plan lessons for the children that are aimed towards inspiring them towards an interest in becoming lifelong learners. But the most exciting part of our new office space will be that it will allow us to jumpstart our expansion plan of getting computers and internet training into more orphanages in the Mekong Delta region of the Southern Vietnam. The offices will feature the space we need to begin training new teachers who will begin leading the classes in the new orphanages later this year. As soon as we were awarded the grant from the Chao Foundation/Transparent Fish Fund we knew that we wanted to utilize the funds to help start the expansion of our program into new orphanages to reach new children. Setting up the space for training our new team of teachers is the first step! Original Article was written by Tad Kincaid. HOW is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in the USA, whose staff consists of all volunteers. Its mission is to provide hope and care to neglected, abandoned, and orphaned children in deprived areas of the world with a specific focus on VietNam. WARNING: Graphic images below.
Well, it certainly has been quite a while since I have been able to update everyone on the process and continuing work that Helping Orphans Worldwide, HOW has been working on and there are many updates, changes, wonderful things, horrible upsets, and continued love pouring in. Please know that some of these photos are very upsetting so I will only post a few on this blog, and then will update the album as the photos are coming in. We usually do not post upsetting photos and like to only show the glorious efforts of our work, but in the case of EB (Epidermolysis Bullosa), which is: "A rare genetic skin disease that causes the skin to be so fragile that even the slightest touch will separate the layers of the skin. The skin literally breaks, resulting in painful blisters and open wounds. A mother may never be able to hold her child tightly because the skin would peel off and bleed. Children with EB may never run or play as other children because even the slightest friction will cause them great pain." We really have no choice but to be honest about what happens and the roadblocks we are finding along the way in Vietnam. As EB is genetic the countries, which are developing, are some of the most difficult to get help for. This genetic disorder is horrific anywhere and everywhere but in the countries where the education surrounding EB is limited, we are facing things we had no idea about and hard working with many amazing volunteer doctors, nurses, kind people making wound care donations, and with the wonderful financial help of "Transparent Fish Fund", and "The Ping and Amy Chow Family Foundation" and we are making slow but positive progress, and then we are finding road blocks that make us work harder, hunt for creative solutions and deal with issues that are making our work next to impossible but we will never give up. Bo'Ai Humanitarian Team was initiated by university students with social participant in Gansu province. The team aims to serve poverty-stricken areas and establish a good social mode. In January, the days before the Chinese New Year, my colleagues and I started our Journey to the village for the “family photo” activity. People do not have the habit to take family photos in the villages, or they do not have conditions to take pictures even if they have any, so we initiated taking “family photo” activity. A family photo conveys warm, love and happiness, so our activity means more than a family photo.
Abinism Children's Home is a public service platform designed to help and support albinos and their families living in China. The organization's main goal is to improve living standards and promote equal participation in society for albinos. We hope you can learn more about the children with albinism through their words and dreams. Liang Liang My name is Liang Liang. I study in Beijing University of Chinese Medicine as a postgraduate. I am an albinism patient and people call us as Moon Child. My hair is all white and my skin is pale. I am so different when walking in the street. I only see one meter distance around me. I hope to be a doctor, an angle in white, so that I can help other people and make myself happy. Wanzi I am an albinism IV patient with yellow hair and pale skin. Though my skin is not as pale as albinism I, my eyesight disturbed me in my development. There are difficulties in study, work and family as most of the albinism children do. Nevertheless, I could still gain strength and encourage from my patient friends and tried hard to change so much inconvenience. I think it needs our talents as well as people’s understanding and support.
Little Red Scarf is an NGO that sponsors congenital heart surgeries for diseased children. 
Jiayu is 4 with a big head and slim limbs. She suffers from congenital heart defects, so she looks short and thin then her contemporaries. Her parents divorced when she was 9 months old and her mother takes care of her.
People with leprosy are sent to isolated villages where they are abandoned and forgotten by society. The The Shalom Leprosy Compassion Ministry has a heart for these people and organizes groups of volunteers to travel to leprosy villages and provide medical, living, and psychological assistance. Higuchi is a Japanese doctor. He visits Kunming every year at his own expense, and serves for leprosy villages in Yunnan province together with Shalom. He works for the patients with eye problems on eye care, providing eye masks and protective goggles to them. He also studied with the Japanese experts on how to protect the patients with feet ulcer early this year. He posted special foot pads from Japan besides providing medicine support. On March 5th, he came to Kunming again and visited Yimen leprosy village with the volunteers of Shalom the next day. He treated the patients and made diagnosis for them. He also made shoe pads for the patients. On March 6th, Mr. Higuchi went to leprosy village of Yiliang with the volunteers early in the morning. They checked the construction progress of the solar-powered bath room. Then they did medical checkup and made shoe pads for the patients. On March 7th, Mr. Higuchi visited Aziying leprosy village with the volunteers. They did medical checkup and made shoe pads for the patients. At noon of March 8th, he left Kunming for Japanese. Mr. Higuchi visited 3 leprosy villages in 3 days with Shalom, providing treatment, checkup and shoe pads for more than 30 patients. Thank him for his contribution to the leprosy rehabilitation clients in 3 years.
Original Article Written by Ping Liang, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang
Yichang Civil Public Student creates caring hearts to fund for families with children with special needs deep in the mountains. They hope that through their efforts and dedication, children can find happiness through learning. Shiqi is in Grade 4 this year. His father died of cancer in 2010, which left the family fall into desperate poverty. The only source of income of the family comes from two pigs and his mother’s temp work. The mother’s eyes turned red when talking about the hardness of the life.
Ms. Zhou focuses on mental and psychological counseling for women in rural areas.
Guiying is a rural woman of 30, high school graduated. There were a lot of problems a few years ago: She married a divorced man and she found it’s hard to get on well with her step son. Her husband gave her family some money when they married, so her husband thought he had bought her and she could be treated as a slave. Her husband would beat her when something went wrong. She was not allowed to go out for work or talking with the other people. Such situation made her lose confidence for life. She complained about her parents, husband, child and even herself. She had tried suicides, but failed. Then Guiying met me... Little Bee Public Welfare was initiated by some teachers with strong sense of calling in Xi’an. They have rich experience in working with children. They hope to do something that the children love and hope to raise the children’s attention to the society and train their capacities by various activities. In the morning of International Women’s Day, 49 primary students from Xi’an Primary School went to school early in the morning. They wanted to do something special—to cook for their mothers. The children were divided into 6 groups. Bringing pots and pans, oil, salt, vegetable, fruits and so on, they started preparation work seriously according to the planned recipes. Original article written by Xiaojuan Zhang, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang
The Guizhou Dandelion Volunteer Teaching Center provides a professional platform for public welfare, attracting greater resources to poverty-stricken areas, improving education, and allowing more children from rural areas to receive care. On the first weekend of a new semester, our teaching volunteers started their home visiting activity. They visited children’s families. Seeing the environment that the children grow up, they sensed responsibilities on them. Walking on the same road that the children walk to and from school every day, the teachers knew where the students come from and what the situation of the road. They learned the importance of the care and encouragement that they give to the students every day. Original article written by Guojing Qi, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang  The road that the students walk to and from school every day |
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