Link at: http://www.tuoitre.com.vn/Tianyon/Index.aspx?ArticleID=311724&ChannelID=312Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Viet Nam - April 4, 2009
Saturday – Day 7:
Our final day of this trip, and a special one packed with last minute activities.
Coming home:
Her birth name is Nguyen Thi Kim Hoa, born in September 1974. She was known as Kim Hoa Vermeire Lang when she died in March 2008. Just before the fall of Saigon, Kim left the Go Vap Orphanage to join her adoptive parents, Joe and Ann Vermeire, in Moline, Illinois. Josh Lang left his orphanage just south of Saigon two weeks later for his adoptive family in the U.S. They eventually met and married each other.
Today marked the exact anniversary, 34 years ago, of the tragic beginning to Operation Babylift. This operation brought orphans to the U.S. as the war in Viet Nam escalated. On April 4, 1975, a U.S. Air Force C-5A cargo plane packed with hundreds of Vietnamese orphans, crashed shortly after takeoff from Saigon (176 lived and 154 died).The evacuation efforts did continue and eventually 2,700 children were flown to the U.S, with 1,300 being flown to Canada, Europe, and Australia.
This morning, we met Josh Lang and Ann Vermeire for the first time. The family contacted Son Michael shortly after Kim died and wanted to visit the Go Vap Orphanage where Kim came from. Ann and Josh arrived the day before and Ann’s son was coming from Washington State the next day. In the car on our way to the orphanage, Ann shared with us old photos and news articles she brought along of Kim and her adoption. Josh told us stories of himself and his wife, and the wonderful memories the two families have shared. They brought with them vitamins and gifts for the children. More gifts would come tomorrow when Marc, Ann’s son, arrived. Marc is a teacher and his students donated supplies and money they collected to the orphanage. As we took them on a tour of the orphanage, Ann and Josh reached out and touched almost every baby or child they came across.
Thirty four years ago on this day marked the beginning of a new life for thousands of orphans from Viet Nam. Kim left on a flight shortly before the one that crashed, and Josh left on the first flight after the crash. How ironic that we all gathered here at Go Vap exactly 34 years later with one of the Operation Babylift children and adoptive mothers bringing, his wife-- and her daughter, back ‘home’.
The party:
It was our last night in Viet Nam and we organized our usual ‘dinner party’ for the Teach Me To Fish (TM2F) Saigon Chapter. The twenty six TM2F kids got to the restaurant early and they were anxiously waiting for us. Many of them just got off work and had to catch two or more buses to get to the restaurant in the city center. Joining us tonight were many of our KWB volunteers (from Australia and the U.S) and friends, the management of the Go Vap Orphanage, and Ann Vermeire and Josh Lang. The group grew so large that the 56 of us took up most of the restaurant!
The dinner party was a reunion for the orphans in the TM2F program. These kids grew up together and lived together in the orphanage until beginning their adult lives. Now they are scattered around this large metropolitan area and rarely have time or opportunity to see each other. The sumptuous all-you-can-eat buffet only happens when Chu (Uncle) Son comes to Saigon. While resting between meals, they engaged in conversation in English with our volunteers and guests. Some gathered around Son Michael for advice or solutions to all sorts of issues and problems. However, for all the years KWB has been involved in their lives, these kids have always found their own solutions and answers. Just with a little help, a little encouragement, and a little love, they are able to make it on their own.
Our final day of this trip, and a special one packed with last minute activities.
Coming home:
Her birth name is Nguyen Thi Kim Hoa, born in September 1974. She was known as Kim Hoa Vermeire Lang when she died in March 2008. Just before the fall of Saigon, Kim left the Go Vap Orphanage to join her adoptive parents, Joe and Ann Vermeire, in Moline, Illinois. Josh Lang left his orphanage just south of Saigon two weeks later for his adoptive family in the U.S. They eventually met and married each other.
Today marked the exact anniversary, 34 years ago, of the tragic beginning to Operation Babylift. This operation brought orphans to the U.S. as the war in Viet Nam escalated. On April 4, 1975, a U.S. Air Force C-5A cargo plane packed with hundreds of Vietnamese orphans, crashed shortly after takeoff from Saigon (176 lived and 154 died).The evacuation efforts did continue and eventually 2,700 children were flown to the U.S, with 1,300 being flown to Canada, Europe, and Australia.
This morning, we met Josh Lang and Ann Vermeire for the first time. The family contacted Son Michael shortly after Kim died and wanted to visit the Go Vap Orphanage where Kim came from. Ann and Josh arrived the day before and Ann’s son was coming from Washington State the next day. In the car on our way to the orphanage, Ann shared with us old photos and news articles she brought along of Kim and her adoption. Josh told us stories of himself and his wife, and the wonderful memories the two families have shared. They brought with them vitamins and gifts for the children. More gifts would come tomorrow when Marc, Ann’s son, arrived. Marc is a teacher and his students donated supplies and money they collected to the orphanage. As we took them on a tour of the orphanage, Ann and Josh reached out and touched almost every baby or child they came across.
Thirty four years ago on this day marked the beginning of a new life for thousands of orphans from Viet Nam. Kim left on a flight shortly before the one that crashed, and Josh left on the first flight after the crash. How ironic that we all gathered here at Go Vap exactly 34 years later with one of the Operation Babylift children and adoptive mothers bringing, his wife-- and her daughter, back ‘home’.
The party:
It was our last night in Viet Nam and we organized our usual ‘dinner party’ for the Teach Me To Fish (TM2F) Saigon Chapter. The twenty six TM2F kids got to the restaurant early and they were anxiously waiting for us. Many of them just got off work and had to catch two or more buses to get to the restaurant in the city center. Joining us tonight were many of our KWB volunteers (from Australia and the U.S) and friends, the management of the Go Vap Orphanage, and Ann Vermeire and Josh Lang. The group grew so large that the 56 of us took up most of the restaurant!
The dinner party was a reunion for the orphans in the TM2F program. These kids grew up together and lived together in the orphanage until beginning their adult lives. Now they are scattered around this large metropolitan area and rarely have time or opportunity to see each other. The sumptuous all-you-can-eat buffet only happens when Chu (Uncle) Son comes to Saigon. While resting between meals, they engaged in conversation in English with our volunteers and guests. Some gathered around Son Michael for advice or solutions to all sorts of issues and problems. However, for all the years KWB has been involved in their lives, these kids have always found their own solutions and answers. Just with a little help, a little encouragement, and a little love, they are able to make it on their own.
Ann Vermeire and an orphan.
Josh Lang and one of the children at the Go Vap Orphanage.
Chu (Uncle) Son and the kids in the Teach Me To Fish Program - Saigon.
Some of KWB volunteers from Australia and the U.S.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Viet Nam - April 3, 2009
Friday - Day 6
Travel day today: leaving Hanoi for Saigon City.
Travel day today: leaving Hanoi for Saigon City.
Images of Hanoi and Saigon:
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Viet Nam - April 2, 2009
Thursday – Day 5:
Not the normal thing one would do on a vacation, especially in a developing country. We spent most of the day in a public hospital in Hanoi. One of the TM2F kid has been ill since Son Michael last visited back in November. Mo had lived, worked, and studied with pain for the last four months.
Thao joined us this morning when we took Mo to the Bach Mai Hospital. Thao is serving as our northern in- country representative, and one of the TM2F program success stories. A bright and capable young woman from the Hoa Phuong Orphanage, Thao completed her training at the Hoa Sua School and has been working as a sales person selling motorbike helmets (her work is sponsored by the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation. AIPF is KWB partner organization, www.asiainjury.org). The Bach Mai Hospital was extremely crowded. We waited in one line after another to check Mo in and sign her up for numerous tests. The inferior overall condition of the hospital and the lack of modernization made us appreciative of what we have here at home in America. Eight hours later and US$50 worth of medicine, we were so happy that Mo got the medication she needed to treat her condition!
After we cleaned up, we made a surprise visit to Thien Nhan’s (the Miracle Baby) preschool. Next was our dinner with the TM2F kids, and time for us to get caught up on their life, studies, work, and future. We then file our report with their sponsors at home.
After we sent the kids home, we went to Thien Nhan’s home and met with his adoptive Mom, Mai Anh. We talked about the upcoming trip to Bangkok (Thailand) for his medical examination. The trip will be the first since he last went to the U.S for some immediate medical care. We could feel Mai Anh’s anxiety, concern, and hope as we talked with her. All the while, Thien Nhan hopped around us on his one leg and played with his older brother! When we bid farewell, we wished the family a successful trip and assured them that KWB will stand by them and provide the support needed for Thien Nhan to receive the required medical care.
Tomorrow: back to Saigon.
Not the normal thing one would do on a vacation, especially in a developing country. We spent most of the day in a public hospital in Hanoi. One of the TM2F kid has been ill since Son Michael last visited back in November. Mo had lived, worked, and studied with pain for the last four months.
Thao joined us this morning when we took Mo to the Bach Mai Hospital. Thao is serving as our northern in- country representative, and one of the TM2F program success stories. A bright and capable young woman from the Hoa Phuong Orphanage, Thao completed her training at the Hoa Sua School and has been working as a sales person selling motorbike helmets (her work is sponsored by the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation. AIPF is KWB partner organization, www.asiainjury.org). The Bach Mai Hospital was extremely crowded. We waited in one line after another to check Mo in and sign her up for numerous tests. The inferior overall condition of the hospital and the lack of modernization made us appreciative of what we have here at home in America. Eight hours later and US$50 worth of medicine, we were so happy that Mo got the medication she needed to treat her condition!
After we cleaned up, we made a surprise visit to Thien Nhan’s (the Miracle Baby) preschool. Next was our dinner with the TM2F kids, and time for us to get caught up on their life, studies, work, and future. We then file our report with their sponsors at home.
After we sent the kids home, we went to Thien Nhan’s home and met with his adoptive Mom, Mai Anh. We talked about the upcoming trip to Bangkok (Thailand) for his medical examination. The trip will be the first since he last went to the U.S for some immediate medical care. We could feel Mai Anh’s anxiety, concern, and hope as we talked with her. All the while, Thien Nhan hopped around us on his one leg and played with his older brother! When we bid farewell, we wished the family a successful trip and assured them that KWB will stand by them and provide the support needed for Thien Nhan to receive the required medical care.
Tomorrow: back to Saigon.
Thien Nhan and one of his classmates.
The Teach Me To Fish kids in Hanoi. Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Viet Nam - April 1, 2009
Wednesday – Day 4:
At breakfast this morning, the General Manager of the Harborview Hotel (who we know quite well from our frequent visits to Hai Phong) introduced us to a woman who is interested in supporting the Hoa Phuong Orphanage. Son Michael embraced the golden opportunity and had a lengthy conversation with the University Professor from Oslo (Norway) who, with her husband, lives and works in Hai Phong.
We then spent three hours in the car traveling to Hanoi City. After we checked into our hotel and had a quick lunch, we went to the Sofitel Plaza Hotel to visit one of the orphans in the Teach Me To Fish (TM2F) program. Nineteen years old Dien is currently working at this five-star hotel as an intern in the housekeeping department. Dien moved out of the Hoa Phuong Orphanage last summer and enrolled in the hospitality training program run by the Hoa Sua School in Hanoi (an international nonprofit organization). Dien greeted us with a beaming smile and was wearing her hotel uniform proudly! She introduced us to her manager, who praised her for being a friendly and hard-working member of his staff.
Later on in the afternoon, we reunited with three more TM2F young women (all came from Hoa Phuong Orphanage, now work, live, or study in Hanoi). And yet another reunion happened tonight-- Thien Nhan (the Miracle Baby, more information at http://help-thien-nhan.blogspot.com), his adoptive parents and two older brothers, all joined us for dinner. The kids had so much fun with each other that the adults spent most of our time over dinner watching and laughing with them. We still had the next day in Hanoi to talk about many important issues.
At breakfast this morning, the General Manager of the Harborview Hotel (who we know quite well from our frequent visits to Hai Phong) introduced us to a woman who is interested in supporting the Hoa Phuong Orphanage. Son Michael embraced the golden opportunity and had a lengthy conversation with the University Professor from Oslo (Norway) who, with her husband, lives and works in Hai Phong.
We then spent three hours in the car traveling to Hanoi City. After we checked into our hotel and had a quick lunch, we went to the Sofitel Plaza Hotel to visit one of the orphans in the Teach Me To Fish (TM2F) program. Nineteen years old Dien is currently working at this five-star hotel as an intern in the housekeeping department. Dien moved out of the Hoa Phuong Orphanage last summer and enrolled in the hospitality training program run by the Hoa Sua School in Hanoi (an international nonprofit organization). Dien greeted us with a beaming smile and was wearing her hotel uniform proudly! She introduced us to her manager, who praised her for being a friendly and hard-working member of his staff.
Later on in the afternoon, we reunited with three more TM2F young women (all came from Hoa Phuong Orphanage, now work, live, or study in Hanoi). And yet another reunion happened tonight-- Thien Nhan (the Miracle Baby, more information at http://help-thien-nhan.blogspot.com), his adoptive parents and two older brothers, all joined us for dinner. The kids had so much fun with each other that the adults spent most of our time over dinner watching and laughing with them. We still had the next day in Hanoi to talk about many important issues.
Meet some of the orphans in the Teach Me To Fish Program: Dien, Giang, and Mo. These young women are currently living, working, and studying in Hanoi. They are sponsored by Rotarians from New York and Washington State.
From left to right: Judy Pham, Mai Anh (adoptive mother of Thien Nhan), Son Michael Pham, and Thien Nhan - the Miracle Baby.
Dien standing proud in her uniform in the Sofitel Plaze Hotel in Hanoi, where she is working as an intern in the Housekeeping Department.Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Viet Nam - March 31, 2009
Tuesday, Day 3:
We left Saigon on a 6am flight and left behind the 90s heat. Two hours later, we arrived in Hai Phong with almost 30 degree cooler weather. We arrived at the Hoa Phuong Orphanage when most of the kids were still at school. After a brief visit with the management staff and getting caught up on the latest happenings in the orphanage, we went from house to house and visited with the ‘house mother’ and the orphans (at home since they are too young to be in school). We met several new babies, and learned one of the baby in the ‘sick house’ just died from a seizure. There are eight homes on the ground of the Hoa Phuong Orphanage. Five of the homes have up to ten orphans, one is for teenage boys, and one new home is a temporary boarding place for street children. The eighth home is for seven orphans who need round the clock care due to their physical or mental conditions.
Before we reached the first home, a group of three students carried an unconscious fourth student across the yard. One of the orphans had a black out in her classroom and she was sent home. When we reached the home, she was still unconscious and surrounded by the house mother and other students and orphans. We learned that the 17 years old Mien has had several blackout bouts within the last several months. We will arrange for her to have a blood test to determine the cause and necessary treatment.
As we finished our rounds, some of the kids arrived back from school and the noise level started to rise when they spotted us. We pulled out the toys we brought with and soon we were surrounded by most of the seventy plus orphans. Some of the orphans were lucky enough to receive letters and gifts from their sponsors (of the Teach Me To Fish program) in the U.S.
For Son Michael, this visit marked ten years since he visited the orphanage for the first time and fell in love with the children. For ten years, he has kept his promises to these orphans-- going out of his way to visit them every time he comes to Viet Nam. This is where the Teach Me To Fish (TM2F) program was launched; taking grown orphans under the wings of Kids Without Borders and helping them to integrate into life outside of the orphanage.
The sun started to set, and the mosquitoes became more noticeable. We wrapped up our visit and headed to a modern shopping center with five of the TM2F kids, two of them bringing along their own children! We treated everyone to a sumptuous ‘hot pot’ dinner, and it was an opportunity for us to get caught up on their current situations: home, family, work, dreams and wishes. Two of the five orphans broke the ‘orphan cycle’, both have their own family and child. However, Hoa Phuong Orphanage is always home for these kids, and the ‘house mothers’ and children there will always be their family. They all gather back at the orphanage on weekends, holidays, and especially on the annual anniversary celebration of the orphanage in April.
As we bid farewell to the kids, they all started to count down the days till our next visit and their next feast. We headed back to our comfortable, air-conditioned hotel and they returned to their modest homes. Hope they all had sweet dreams!
Tomorrow: Hanoi City.
Two sisters holding letters and gifts sent by their sponsors in the U.S.
"The School Bus": orphans coming home from their kindergarten class.
Many Rotary Clubs (in the U.S) and Rotarians are supporters of the Teach Me To Fish (TM2F) Program. THANK YOU ROTARY, for Making Dreams Real for these orphans.
Some of the Teach Me To Fish Class of 2005, now contributing members in their community (some with their own children in this photo).
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