HOW: Huy's Gifts to and from

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.

This blog is written by Aisling Doyle as Helping Orphans Worldwide, HOW VIP (Volunteer Immersion Program) volunteer. Thanks to our VIP's and The Ping & Amy Family Chao Foundation, Transparent Fish Fund and Nancy Nguyen's assistance HOW's EB program continues. Please enjoy Aisling's blog about The Lotus Shelter girls orphanage, and Huy... Love travels in lovely ways... right down to Kerri Galligan (HOWs volunteer manager and HOW Irish Board Member) sending off the message... please read on:

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Huy is given a few of the 210 Cranes made with love form the HOW volunteers/ Free Hugs Vietnam-HOW volunteers and 26 Lotus Shelter Orphanage girls, with love!

Huy, a delightful 13-year-old boy, has E.B, so he is missing the genes needed to attach his skin to his flesh. This means that at the slightest touch, his skin will fall off and blister. It’s as painful as it sounds, and he needs constant and specific medical care. Add this to the heat and poverty, and you can only begin to imagine what Huy has to deal with on a daily basis.

Huy lies in the same spot all day in a hammock in a basic room in a small house shared with his large family. They have given up a lot of things to pay for Huy’s medical care. We decided to decorate origami birds and lotus flowers, made for him by our beautiful girls at the lotus shelter.

210 Cranes hung in above Huy's hammock :)

He becomes instantly excited pointing at the yellow swan which we soon discover is his favourite colour. He asks that we put the origami up everywhere in all different colours so that when he becomes bored of looking at one colour he can move onto the next one. The limbs of people suffering from E.B. often begin to fuse together, making movement even more difficult. This has happened to Huy’s neck, so he now has something in his line of vision which will brighten up his days after we have left.

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HOW and FHV-HOW Volunteers work alongside the girls from the Lotus Shelter orphanage to make cranes for Huy :)

He tells us of a film he once saw where a child holds a piece of origami, makes a wish and floats the origami down the river. He tells us his wish is that he will recover from this disease, be able to go outside and not be in anymore pain. So Huy takes a piece of origami (a yellow swan) closes his eyes and wishes hard. We promise him when we leave we will float it down the river. He loves this. Huy will soon be donated a wheelchair enabling him to go out so perhaps part of his wish will come true.



Kerri and all HOW volunteers keep their promise right away... sending off the crane for Huy's wish to come true!

It is clear after a few minutes of meeting Huy that he is a unique little character and before long it is him that is entertaining us with his humour and stories. I find it amazing to see a little boy in so much pain with such a beautiful perception of the world. At the same time it is heartbreaking to compare his life to that of a thirteen year old boy in Ireland.

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Please visit if you would like to make a donation where 100% of your donations will go to support EB: Transparent Fish Fund 

http://www.tfishfund.org/how.html

Thank you!!