Activities in 2015
mr duong
February 2015 - Two years ago I was invited to Mr Duong's house to meet his granddaughter Nhung. Nhung was seriously brain damaged as a child and is bed-ridden. Over the past few months her condition has deteriorated and surviving on milk powder alone is not sustaining her growing body. Nhung's grandfather is the night guard of our hotel, a lovely old man who sleeps outside every night to let guests in after dark. While I was visiting Mr Duong’s wife had a bad motorbike accident and required shoulder surgery. Without insurance this is a huge and unexpected cost to the family. A donation was made to their family.
Pinky
February 2015 - Hong (which means Pink) comes from a very poor family and Quan Am was delighted to help donate towards her school fees last year. Hong is now studying at University and accompanied me to visit Thua Sai and Thien Tham orphanages. Quan Am donated a care package to her family which included noodles, rice, seasoning, soy and fish sauce, toiletries and washing powder.
Tra My
February 2015 - Since July 2012 I have been friends with a family who live behind the hotel where I stay. Originally making friends with 11 year old Tra My, I am now a regular visitor to their family and big brother Quy. Recently Quy and his wife had a little baby boy and I was pleased to be able to support them with food, supplies and a baby care package.
Thien Tam
February 2015 - Thien Tam is home to 30 orphaned children close to Nha Trang. Quan Am provided some supplies such as an electric rice cooker, portable wardrobe and kitchen bowls.
Phu Quang
February 2015 - Phu Quang is home to around 30 orphaned children who attend a local public school. The pagoda itself is a beautiful and peaceful place with views out to the mountains and rice fields. The nuns at Phu Quang had provided us a detailed list of supplies such as food and medicine.
Grandfather's love
February 2015 - Two years ago I was invited to Mr Duong's house to meet his granddaughter Nhung. Nhung was seriously brain damaged as a child and is bed-ridden. Over the past few months her condition has deteriorated and surviving on milk powder alone is not sustaining her growing body. Although I do not usually support providing money in Vietnam, I have the greatest respect for this family and know that the money is put to good use.
Thua Sai
February 2015 - A visit to the children at Thua Sai Orphanage bought gifts and supplies to these beautiful group of kids. Thua Sai is home to around 20 children, some of whom suffer from mental or physical disability. We were given a list of items that the nun needed for the children and were more than happy to support them.
Unacas
March 2015 - Quan Am Foundation along with The Snacker delivered 7kgs of ice cream to the beautiful children at Unacas orphanage in Takao province, Cambodia! It was wonderful to visit this beautiful home of 65 children and teenagers many of whom are orphaned by AIDS. I will be sure to come back again soon as this is a wonderful home!
Scholarship
March 2015 - Sunday is International Women's Day and what better way to celebrate than to hand over Chakriya's University fees so she can complete her Bachelor of Management. Chakriya is one of our interns at World Vision, aged 27 and balancing full time study with work in order to achieve her dream of an education. Chakriya was raised in an orphanage along with her sister and brother. She is in her final semester but is earning $80 per month, well below the minimum wage in New Zealand which is $2,280 per month.
nepal
April 2015 - A few days before the devastating earthquake of 25 April 2015, I arrived to volunteer at Paropakar Girls Orphanage in Kathmandu. I had planned to donate some games and educational supplies but after the quake we weren't able to return. Please keep these girls in your thoughts and prayers as their country fights to restore from this disaster.
new hope
April 2015 - Last week on behalf of Quan Am Foundation I donated 60 school packs to the classroom I assisted at New Hope school. Each of my students received a pencil case, ruler, pack of coloured pencils, eraser, pencil sharpener and pencil. I also donated 4 puzzles, stickers, 2 large skipping ropes and educational posters. On the final day I printed off photos of the class to decorate the walls. 1,300 children from the Mondul community in Siem Reap attend this free school to learn English, Maths and vocational skills such as music, sewing and computers.
Ninh tay
December 2015 - we visited Ninh Tay district for the first time. Located a few hours drive from Nha Trang in the mountains, live some minority ethnic groups. These families are very poor and live in small wooden shacks. As it is very cold here in winter, we delivered warm jumpers, toys and treats to 145 children at 5 different kindergartens and schools. The children were so thankful and excited to get a small gift. Check out their beautiful smiles!
Loc Tho
December 2015 - On 31 December 2015, Quan Am Foundation hosted a fun party for the children at Loc Tho. The children had great fun playing games (special thank you to Hieu and friends), then we ate cake and the kids each received a toy and bread to take home.
vinh ngoc
December 2015 - Quan Am Foundation delivered food parcels to the poor and elderly people of Vinh Ngoc district. It was a moving experience to speak with those who cannot afford the basic necessities of life. We were able to donate each woman a bag of rice, box of (24 bags) noodles, oil and seasoning. They were also able to collect a small allowance from the government to help with their electricity bill.