Thursday, December 4, 2014

Vietnam: Behind the scenes with Beth

This past October I had the opportunity to head overseas, once again, for the Spoon Foundation, except this time to Vietnam. The orphanage I had the pleasure of spending time in was located in Binh, about an hour outside of Ho Chi Minh.

The purpose of this specific trip was to gather information of what these orphanages need so that the Spoon Foundation can prepare for training next time I return in June. I wanted to find out how the cultural beliefs of Vietnam impact how they treat and view children with disabilities. I spent my days interviewing staff members and observing children eating. The professionals at Spoon Foundation will take the information I gathered and customize the training to best meet the cultural needs of the trainees. I wasn't able to sit and take notes all day, but I was able to snap a few photos of some of the children I worked with. 

Due to lack of resources and knowledge, therapy is not readily accessible for all the kids who need it in this orphanage. Only 1 in 40 special needs children are able to receive therapy. A powerful way to assist children in receiving therapy is sponsoring a child. To cover one child's therapy it is about $10 US dollars a week. I have agreed to sponsor a child for a year and am asking the Fiesta Family in joining me to help. Our wonderful young boy, Thong, is 9 year old and he always has such a great smile on his adorable face. 

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