Activities in 2016
new hope
January 2016 - In the second week of January I returned to Siem Reap to volunteer teach at New Hope Cambodia school. New Hope provides free education and materials to over 700 students from Mondul 3, an extremely poor area where otherwise children would likely be left at home or spend their days collecting rubbish around the temples. The kids LOVE coming to school and the team there do an incredible job. Quan Am donated towards teacher salaries.
THUA SAI
January 2016 - Our last stop on 4 January 2016 was to Thua Sai home for disabled children. This Christian home is a wonderful place for the kids and it warmed my heart to see how much the carers love them. After Hiep distributed toothbrushes on behalf of Project Healthy Smile, we sat down for around an hour for singing and play time. The children love to sing and took turns to lead the class. After this, Quan Am Foundation donated food to the head nun including: 2 large bags of rice, 10 boxes (of 25) noodles, 10 packets of pasta, 10 bottles of oil, 10 bags of seasoning and around 70 eggs. Of course I didn't listen to the dental hygiene lesson again because we also gave some treats!
PHU QUANG
January 2016 - Phu Quang is home to around 25 children and it's a beautiful and loving place. The nuns are so kind to the children and you can see how much they adore them. Recently Phu Quang received a new baby girl who is know 7 months old and named Tomato! Quan Am visited the nuns, enjoyed a lovely lunch and donated the following: 2 large bags of rice, 3 bags of potatoes, 10 packets of dried mushrooms, 25 packets of pho noodles, 10 boxes (25 packs in each) of noodles, 10 bottles of oil, 3 bags of pasta, 10 bottles of soy sauce, 10 packets of seasoning and a bag of lentils.
KIM SON
January 2016 - First Hiep gave the children a lesson on behalf of Project Healthy Smile on cleaning our teeth. Project Healthy Smile also donated toothbrushes and paste to all the children. Following this LovingKindness Vietnam (who we partner closely with) donated each of the children a warm jumper for the cooler winter weather. Obviously not paying attention to my dental lesson we then distributed some chocolate treats! The children were thrilled to receive a new jumper and were excited to try them on!
field trip
January 2016- Quan Am Foundation took around 60 children from Kim Son Charity School and Phu Quang Pagoda on a fun-filled field trip! We fit loads in, starting out on 2 big buses we stopped at Vinpearl park for some group photos, followed by the Oceanographic Institute where we saw tropical fish, sting rays, sharks, seals and turtles! Outside, Hieu and his friends organised games and singing before we headed to Long Son Pagoda for a delicious lunch in their restaurant. After the children prayed inside the temple we had a few hours free time to play outside, attracting a lot of attention from tourists! From there we went to the beach for further play and a rest before it was time to head to a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show.
university
February 2016 - I have been supporting Hong for a few years now and last year she started attending the University of Nha Trang. Quan Am was delighted to support women's education by funding 1 semester of study for Hong. She is studying Management, Tourism services and Travel and will finish her degree at the end of next year
hoa hong
March 2016 - Yesterday we visited and gave a variety of books, toys and skipping ropes to 135 children at Hoa Hong Kindergarten, Khanh Thanh Commune, Khanh Vinh District. Special thank you to Hiep for arranging the visit, purchasing all the gifts and delivering them on my behalf! We gifted 43 boxes of modelling clay, 50 boxes of crayons, 54 colouring books, 140 bouncy balls, 135 sunahts, 18 skipping ropes, cakes and milk for all the students.
thua sai
March 2016 - Thua Sai home for disabled children recently lost their monthly sponsor who donates food supplies for the 30 children in their care. Quan Am was delighted to step in and provide help! Special thanks to Hiep for purchasing all the food and delivering to Cam Rahn.
SANU NEPAL
May 2016 - With funds left over from the trip to Metta, Aakar Nepal visited another small orphanage in Kathmandu, Nepal to gift stationery to 10 orphans to assist with their studies. Sanu Foundation were delighted to receive the textbooks for their students and we look forward to working with Aakar Nepal in the future.
metta
May 2016 - To mark the anniversary of the Nepal Earthquake, Quan Am partnered with our friends at Aakar Nepal to visit the Metta Centre orphanage in Banepar. Aakar met the 17 girls at their home and brought along a friend to teach a dance lesson! After this the girls watched a video I had made and received their school stationery to last them for the next year including books, supplies and skipping ropes.
VINH NGOC
June 2016 - To celebrate International Children's Day we were asked by the Vinh Ngoc youth union to donate text books to 30 high school students from poor families. They received between 14 to 20 books each...you need a lot of books at high school in Vietnam! Chúc mừng Ngày của trẻ em!
RAGLAI
June 2016 - In partnership with LovingKindness Vietnam we visited a desperately poor community living in rugged terrain not accessible by car. Comprised mainly of the Raglai ethnic group, we identified families in urgent need of help. Quan Am donated $350 towards beds, mattresses, bed sets, fans, mosquito nets, lights, baby formula and food supplies.
suoi sau
August 2016 - On 30 August we visited Suoi Sau Primary School in Ninh Tan Village. The 45 children at this school are mainly minority tribes and are extremely poor in this region. Quan Am Foundation gave each child 10 textbooks, a pencil case, pen and pencils, crayons, bag of snacks and a cap. It was one of my favourite places I've visited in Vietnam! We gave out the gifts and then a wonderful magician performed a show for the children and most of the village who turned up to watch!
nguyen van thinh
August 2016 - Our last stop on 30 August was to visit Nguyen Van Thinh Secondary School and the 55 children who attend (as well as some from the primary classes). As before, we gave our gifts to kick off the new school year in Vietnam including text books, pencil case, pen and pencils, crayons, bag of snacks and a cap. Our awesome magician also performed for the group which was very entertaining!
hoa thien
August 2016 - On 30 August we travelled around 1 hour north to Ninh An Village in Ninh Hoa District to visit 94 students at Hoa Thien Primary School. Quan Am Foundation gave all the students 10 text books, pencil case, pen and pencils, crayons, a bag of snacks and a cap! The children were very excited to see us and almost the whole village turned up to watch a hilarious magic show! We partnered with Thien Tam charity who kindly donated food to the poor in the village.
hospital
August 2016 - We travelled to Dalat, Vietnam to visit a hospital that cares for patients that are 75% minority Vietnamese. In 2013, a husband and wife started a charity kitchen to make meals for the patients during their stay. Now up to 150 patients daily, the volunteers make 3 hot meals a day, entirely for free, as well as feeding the family members that come to care for them. Quan Am Foundation was delighted to donate a huge supply of dry food to keep the kitchen stocked up.
SWIMMING
August 2016 - To celebrate the launch of our child sponsorship program, we took some of our new students to iResort water park for a fantastic afternoon of swimming, ice cream and games. The children had such a wonderful time and were absolutely exhausted by home time!
WHEELCHAIRS
September 2016 - Quan Am Foundation partnered with Living is Giving to deliver wheelchairs to extremely poor families who live in the mountain villages of Ninh Hoa with severly disabled children. The parents of these children had spent their lives carrying these children around, so a wheelchair has really changed their lives. One of the mothers cried with overwhelming joy to see her son in the chair, and another boy didn't want to stop being pushed around!
LY HOUR
September 2016 - After visiting Vietnam I flew into Siem Reap, Cambodia for a day to visit New Hope school. I was able to check in on Ly Hour, a 15 year old boy born with a disease that grows facial tumours and recently diagnosed with leukemia. Our amazing supports helped fundraise to pay off their family's loan and his parents were so grateful!
thua sai
September 2016 - On 1 September we went out to Cam Rahn to visit Phu Quang home and orphanage for disabled children. Lovingly run by the Catholic nuns, the children are so happy and well cared for. Quan Am Foundation bought toys, soccer balls and a large donation of food including noodles, milk, cooking oil and cakes, as well as a bag of treats for each child. We always love to sing and play with the children here!
phu quang
September 2016 - Our second stop in Ninh Hoa was to Phu Quang pagoda and orphanage where we donated a large amount of food to help feed the children in their care. We also gave the kids some fun toys to play with including chess, badmington, soccer ball and toys. I also got to see 15 month old Tomato who is like a doll - so cute! Special thanks to Rona from St Andrews for knitting her gorgeous hat and jumper!
kim son
September 2016 - We travelled back up north to Ninh Hoa to visit two pagodas, the first being Kim Son which is home to 12 children and a charity school for around 60 poor children who live in the area. Quan Am Foundation has 4 of their children in our sponsorship programs which enables them to attend school. It was lovely to see them again, and we were able to pass on letters and gifts from their sponsors. We also donated noodles, milk, cooking oil and soy sauce.