On October 23rd 2019, Asiatica Foundation visited Duc Quang Shelter, located in the grounds of Van Duc Pagoda in Ben Tre Province. The pagoda is situated in a small village named Long An, under Long Hoa commune, Binh Dai district. Asiatica found this shelter during the tours in Vietnam we operated in Ben Tre.
At the moment, Duc Quang Shelter is home to 116 children from babies to teenagers under 16 years old, taken care of by the monks. Most of the children are orphans or disabled. Some of them were left in front of the door of Van Duc pagoda, whereas others were taken to the pagoda by relatives after their parents passed away.
ith the desire to help the children in Duc Quang Shelter, Asiatica Foundation brought not only material gifts, but also spiritual motivation. While giving presents to the kids, we encouraged them to talk, share, play and even sing together.
Spending the whole day with the children, we, the members of Asiatica Foundation felt the warmth, peace and sincere love thanks to the monks, the nuns and the nannies in the shelter. The sound of children playing, calling visitors as daddy, mommy, mixed with the crying of newborns makes this place a real small home, reliving less fortunate lives. The visit to Duc Quang Shelter has brought us unforgettable memories.
The trips after trips, for the members of the Asiatica Foundation, each program, each destination brings different joys and emotions. And the meeting at Ninh Binh Social Protection Center and Ki Vy Pagoda brought unforgettable memories to the Asiatica Community Support Team.
In the early morning of January 4 2019, the members of the group gathered to prepare for the departure. The first destination is Ninh Binh Social Protection Center located in Ninh Phong Commune, Ninh Binh Town, Ninh Binh Province. This is the home of more than 40 elderly people and 85 disabled and helpless children.
Supporting Items:
|
People |
Gifts |
|
24 disabled people
|
Snack + wool scarf, beanie, socks
|
|
40 elderly people
|
Blanket + Milk + wool scarf, beanie, socks
|
|
1 infant
|
Winter Clothes |
|
20 children
|
Snack+ Milk + wool scarf, beanie, socks
|
|
|
|
Wishing to help the elderly and children at the Center to have a warmer winter and welcome the early days of the year in a happy atmosphere, Asiatica not only brings material gifts but also meaningful mental gifts. The members of the Community Support team also prepared special performances to bring joy to elderly people here.
After the meeting, members of the Asiatica Foundation also visit each room to talk and learn about daily living conditions and bring gifts to each person.
At 10:30, leaving the Center, we set off for the second destination: Ky Vy Pagoda. Asiatica, in a conversation with the monk Thich Nguyen Hanh, who directly nurtured two children at the pagoda, had an opportunity to understand more about their situation. Here, the Asiatica Foundation also gave the children a backpack and a scholarship of 500,000 VND to encourage them to strive to study.
Although only a short trip, it is filled with emotions. We hope that the small gifts from Asiatica Foundation have brought a lot of joy and hope to the elderly, children in Ninh Binh.
3. KILT HOUSE IN SIEM REAP - WHERE THE DREAMS BEGIN
In the aftermath of the 30-year war, 6 million remaining unexploded landmines have destroyed and killed thousands of Cambodians every year. A large number of Cambodian people also suffer from polio and other dangerous diseases that cause disability.
KILT (Khmer Independent Life Team) is a Khmer organization for disabled people operated by Cambodian disabled people, working for their benefits in society.
KILT seeks to improve life, offer job opportunities and enhance the social integration of disabled Khmer (Cambodian) through vocational training and education in a sustainable method. The primary social purpose of KILT is creating job opportunities for the members of the association.
Founded in 2009, KILT House had to move twice to Siem Reap because of the severe flood disaster in 2009 and another one in 2010. Since February 24, 2010, the house has been registered and recognized in the list of Non-profit Organizations with the permission of Cambodia Ministry of Home Affairs.
EO of KILT House - Mr. Muy Seu Bel (Bel) is a victom of landmines when he was 7. Being disabled since he was a child, Bel have deeply understood the problems of living in Siem Reap and the difficulty of seeking for job opportunities for disabled Khmer. Asiatica Foundation has contacted with Mr. Bel to arrange a visit to KILT House in June 2018. This is home to 12 orphants and children whose parents cannot raise. They live in KILT House and go to the sole everyday then come back to the house to sleep. The children now can also learn English with study materials provided by Mr. Roberto Tartaglia from Italy.
On June 12, 2018, Asiatica Foundation Team will visit KILT House to bring the children the gifts and especially the smiles. We will prepare 12 packages, each includes notebooks, pen. crayon, rice, cooking oil, sugar and vegetable seeds.
"Khmer Independent Life Team"
Mondul 3 Village, Sangkat Slorkram, Siem Reap City, Kingdom of Cambodia
4. READY FOR A CHEERFUL TET HOLIDAYS AT PHEO B VILLAGE (HOA BINH)
The latest mission of Asiatica Foundation took place on January 13 in the small village of Pheo B (Hoa Binh Province) to support the households in difficult conditions in the context that Tet Holidays is coming closer. The village is home to 43 Muong ethnic families, most of whom are very poor. This is one of the localities that suffered the most by the flood disaster occured in October 2017.
siatica Travel Team has prepared and delivered gifts, including cooking oil , clothes, blankets, etc. to the locals with our wishes them to have a warmer winter and better preparation for Tet Holidays (which will take place on Mid-February). We did have a good time talking, singing and playing lovely games together.
On the way back to Hanoi, Asiatica Foundation team also visited a few more families and gave them presents. "The cold weather in Northern Vietnam seems to be warmer thanks to this trip and all the smiles of people we met.