Visiting Nam!

I was visited by Nam in the morning at the orphanage! He told me about how he had found a job and a new place to live! He told me he lives with his sister (a nun) and he is very happy! I was glad to hear this and kindly accepted the offer when he invited me to see his new 'life'. He lives in Phu Duc District just out of the city! I arrived at a building with a large sign outside advertising massage from the blind! However being in Phu Duc there are no tourists so this made it seem less commercialised and a lot more acceptable. I walked in and was greeted by around 10 people, including allot of blind young adults and the owner Van Phong. Van Phone is a 28 year old Nun who has set up a company who supports the blind. She offers housing and food to the blind adults and in return they work as a massuse or make jewlerry and bags. I got a tour around the building and was very impressed at what i saw! It was not at all what i had expected! The rooms wer large and clean! With Saunas and Spa's. Each person had a good sized bedroom by vietnamese terms and everyone seemed happy! I was treated to lunch 'vietnamese style' and had a great time. I was then taken out for coffee with a few of the blind lads. I left Nam with a completly different view on his new life as a massuse. He was happy, surrounded by friends and people that care! I will be visiting him more often and find out more about the Sister who runs this place! I feel in vietnam its better to help fund and support these exsisting programmes! I spoke to a Lady i met who has been doing charity work in Saigon for 2 years! She told me how the richest places in Saigon are often the Orphanages! People tend to come over here and automatically want to donate to an orphanage. People simply give them money and leave! It is then up to the orphanage as to where the money goes! This is why most of it doesnt go to the orphans. However it is smaller charities and organisations that have been set up that are strugelling! I will be spending lots of time here doing my research before i finally decide who i want to support with your kind donations!

IVE ARRIVED!!

I’ve Arrived

So I’ve finally arrived in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City! Where to start! It’s been a very busy few days! I arrived after almost 28 hours of travelling including a 9 hour stopover in Hong Kong! I stepped out of Saigon airport with a massive grin on my face! It was an amazing feeling to be back again! I took a cab ride (£1-30mins!) to my hotel! During which I got to see Saigon again at night! Seeing all the mopeds and lights was immense! I arrived at my hotel and started to settle in! I met up with a few Vietnamese friends for a ‘Welcome back’ meal! I also managed to get a 30 min trip riding a moped around the city at night! It was quite different to driving my Fiat back in Dorset! I am defiantly looking into renting a moped here! It’s only about £30 for a month! Bargin! Plus I found a helmet at last that fits my large British head! So no more will I have to wear some pink kid’s helmet! Which makes me stand out even more! Yes, the stares have happened already! It surprises me every time! Surely the Vietnamese population have seen someone with blonde hair and I lip piercing! Once again I am also being handed babies! For proud Vietnamese parents to take a picture of me holding their child while he/she screams and cries in horror! Good Times!! Today was my first day back at the orphanage! I was so excited! My driver ‘Da’ Picked me up at 9am and I hopped on the back of his moped and began the 30-40min journey! It seemed like only yesterday I was here! I sadly forgot about most of the key moments in the road where I need to hold on due to bumps! And nearly ended on the road! But once again I trusted ‘Da’(literally) with my life! As I pulled into Ky Quang I could hear some of the kids behind the pagoda! The pagoda was full of tourists and various religious people. As I walked up to the kitchen one of the cooks I remember from last time shrieked in excitement and ran around the corner! Next thing I know around 7 Vietnamese old women are running up to me shouting Vietnamese and touching me! They explained in ‘poor’ English that they were glad to see me back! I then did my rounds at the orphanage! At first sight it was just the same! It seemed like the kids were in exactly the same position as last time! The same ill kids lying in the same metal beds! It was sad to look back and think what I have done and achieved in the past 3 months and what these kids have done in comparison! I was impressed at the emptiness of most of the smaller rooms! As I went into the big main room! I saw all the kids again! All looking the same! If not fatter! This is hopefully a good sign of a better diet! I was impressed to see the therapy/physio room being used at last! With some of the workers giving some kids 1-2-1 attention! This was amazing! There were around 10 Volunteers already at Ky Quang! A charity organisation called ‘Volunteers for Peace’ had sent many English/America/Australian/Irish volunteers there! I spoke to many of them and they had all described their experiences at Ky Quang! Many experiencing the same as what I had when I first went! It was great to see the kids smiling! Normally when I would arrive they would be tied into their chairs waiting for a few hours until lunch! But now, they had been let out and where playing with toys and being given the attention they needed by the volunteers! Most of the kids probably didn’t have a clue that I was due to either their disability or the fact that there seems to be almost a new volunteer every week! However one little lad came running up to me and made me do a hand click thing that I taught all the kids! It was immense! He then followed me round all day! I also fed one little guy who has what appears to be spinal bifida or some sort of cerebral palsy, he recognised me and all the volunteers said how he hadn’t smiled so much for weeks! This was a great feeling! I then went upstairs to see some of the blind lads! I met their teacher who gave me some sad news. Nam who was one of my best friends at the orphanage had already been forced to leave the orphanage and work as a masseuse! This meant I couldn’t see him! However as determined as I was I managed to track him down within an hour and make a phone call to him! I am meeting him tomorrow! Where he will tell me all what he has been up to! I’m intrigued to find out what he is actually doing, the pay he gets, and the standards of living ect. I met ‘Toa’ a blind 17 yr old! Sat on the same bed as I left him on, he instantly recognised my voice and said my name! I sat next to him and chatted to him! He speaks next to none English so the Vietnamese translation book was out!! He was very happy when I gave him a talking watch! Some off the staff came in and was thanking me! And ‘Toa’ had a massive smile on his face, and was very grateful! I wanted to take a picture of this moment to share with you! But sadly my battery was dead! Just my luck! SO I decided to give out all the other gifts tomorrow so I can record the memories with pictures to show you! As I left the orphanage I was sad to see this one little guy with hydro syphilis in a worse condition then when I left him! His health had badly deteriarated and he was clearly finding every breath a struggle! The staff at Ky Quang have no training or medical experience to deal with this! It looks like he has just been left to die! I don’t know what can be done! I will look into it! But I fear his condition has got to bad! I am going to buy some colourful pictures and toys to put by his bed! This will hopefully make a difference to the blank cracked blue paint he stares at everyday!

I will update you all again soon! With pictures and more information! Thanks again for all your help in raising money! I managed to raise about £600 in the end, which is excellent! I am not rushing into spending it as I want to put it into good use! I need to find something that they will actually benefit from! Thanks again for sponsoring/ reading this blog of simply spreading the word! Hope you are all well!

Jack =]

Orphanage Photos & UPDATE!

Hey,

Sorry its been such a long time since ive updated this! I hope everyone had a good Christmas and a Happy New Year! I spent allot of time this Christmas thinking about all the people i met over in Vietnam, and wondered what they would be up to? Would they be getting all the expensive presents? WIll they be eating massive quantites of food? And will they be surrounded by the ones they love? Sadly i doubt it! This gives me even more determination to go over there and do something! I will be leaving around the 20th of Feb, I have a teachers training course coming up soon! My plans when i get there, will be to spend 2 weeks, simply settling back in. I will find a place to live, and will travel to the orphanage as often as i can. I will be bringing some of my Vietnamese friends with me, as they will come in great use when trying to make conversation.! Also they will get me some good bargins! As soon as a shopkeeper sees a white person the prices are automatically doubled!! I will take photos and upload them as soon as i can whilst over there! I cant wait to see all the kids again! Thanks to everyone who has donated so far! I have around £180 so far, but hopefully due to it being after Xmas, this will increase! Any little helps!! Thanks again, enjoy January! Please feel free to email me if you have any questions! I have put some pictures up to remind you of why i am doing this!

Thanks

Jack Sanderson

=]

Below you can see the children sleeping! Most of them are on the floor, The lucky ones get a bed( 'metal cage' ) The kids in the beds are mostly tied up! Maybe not so lucky after all!