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HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR 2016

Tuesday, February 9th, 2016

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Bên thềm năm mới

Tôi viết thư này gửi đến các bạn trong lúc mọi người đang háo hức đón tết Bính Thân. “Ông Táo” vừa được tiễn về trời; nhìn hình ảnh từ Việt Nam gửi sang thấy chợ tết thật đông vui; tại vùng San Jose các bánh chưng, dưa món, bao mừng tuổi… đang được bày bán nhiều nơi. Năm nay đối với tôi dường như không khí tết có phần vui hơn mọi năm, có lẽ vì lòng tôi cảm thấy hân hoan khác thường.

Tôi cảm thấy hạnh phúc vì mấy hôm nay VNHelp nhân được rất nhiều email của các sinh viên từ khắp các tinh Cần Thơ, Sài Gòn, Huế, Hà Nội… viết những lời cám ơn và chúc tết; tôi thấy phấn khởi vì một số ân nhân bảo trợ đang chuẩn bị  cùng đi Việt Nam với tôi một tuần sau tết để khánh thành 2 trường học  và nhà máy nước; tôi mừng  vì năm 2016 sẽ đánh dấu 25 năm hoạt động của VNHelp!

Nhìn lại những thành quả tốt đẹp của VNHelp  trong năm 2015 cũng như trong suốt 25 năm qua, tôi xin được bày tỏ lòng biết ơn sâu sắc nhất đến các ân nhân ủng hộ tài chính, các thiện nguyện viện góp sức góp công, các đối tác tại Việt Nam nhiệt tình hợp tác, và các thân hữu luôn khuyến khích tinh thần. Nhờ mỗi người một tay mà VNHelp đã lớn mạnh không ngừng và đã tạo được nhiều thay đổi tích cực trong cuộc sống của người dân nghèo.

Xin thay mặt những người nhận sự trợ giúp của VNHelp tại Việt Nam, kính chúc các bạn năm mới An Khang Thịnh Vượng.

Đỗ Anh Thư, viết trong ngày 24 tết


Welcome the New Year

I am writing this letter while Vietnamese from all over the world are getting ready to welcome Year of the Monkey. As Tết is the most important holiday in Vietnamese culture, through pictures I can feel the festivities on the streets and in every home in Vietnam. In the San Jose area, where VNHelp is located, Vietnamese Americans also keep the tradition; new year food, flowers, and red envelops are displayed in almost every store.  This year I feel Tết is more joyful than previous years. The mood of Tết seems to be more delightful to me personally, and I know exactly why.

I am happy to receive so many emails from our scholarship recipients expressing their gratitude and new year wishes to VNHelp and our donors. I feel encouraged because some VNHelp’s sponsors are preparing to join me in my upcoming working trip in Vietnam. And I am proud to see VNHelp celebrating its 25th anniversary this year; step by step the organization is growing strong and continues to create positive impacts in Vietnam.

Recounting the VNHelp’s achievements in 2015 and in the past 25 years, I am thankful for the support VNHelp has been receiving from so many people. We wouldn’t have accomplished what we set out to do without the generosity of our donors, the dedication of our volunteers, the collaboration of our local partners, and the kind words of support from many friends. Everyone has assisted us in different ways, but all share the same goal to help the needy in Vietnam. Your special ways and generous heart make a beautiful difference. Thank you!

May Year of the Monkey bring you good health, happiness, and prosperity. Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!

Thu Anh Do

 

Wheelchairs for disabled people

Wednesday, October 14th, 2015

For a person with a physical disability, Vietnam’s traffic is immobilizing. The lack of basic infrastructure can make commuting a daily struggle for those with disabilities, and public and private facilities have no accommodations for those who need it. We distribute free wheelchairs to disabled individuals so they can get their lives going. In 2014, VNHELP and ABS Foundation distributed wheelchairs to 20 disabled individuals in Hue Province and offered 3 months of vocational training in sewing, embroidery and carpentry. See photos here

wheelchair sponsored by VNHELP


 

Vocational Training Program is More Than Track to Employment–It’s a Life Changer

Friday, February 22nd, 2013

NiLast week, we reported on the wrap-up of our second cycle of vocational training. As we await the final results of the students’ job placements, we took time to review how the program is going and how we can improve it.

During these discussions, our volunteer project coordinators shared a story about one very special student named Truong Van Ni.

We’d like to share his inspiring story with you today too.

 

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News: U.S.-Vietnam Adoption to Resume?

Friday, February 22nd, 2013

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During the course of participating in our Sponsor a Child program, many sponsors form a special bond to the children they support. Many even ask us if they can adopt the child, to give him or her a new life and formally make the child part of the family. VNHELP is not an adoption agency, so we can’t advise on the matter, but in recent years, we’ve often had to play the bearer of bad news. Since 2008, U.S.-Vietnam adoption has been banned due to allegations of baby-selling and kidnapping for profit following  U.S. investigations.

Yes, it pained us to think that there were people who could engage in a form of child trafficking for their own monetary gain. And it also pained us to see the crestfallen faces on sponsors when their hopes of forming or adding to their family was immediately quashed.

But now there may be some silver lining. According to the Associated Press, “Vietnam and the United States are close to an agreement allowing Americans to adopt Vietnamese children again.”

US Senators and adoption lobby groups have been urging the Vietnamese government to develop tighter regulations and monitoring of adoptions to avoid profiteering. Speaking from Hanoi, U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, a Democrat from Louisiana, said, “The government of Vietnam seems to be willing to restart, and there are just some final details to be worked out with the government of the United States…We hope that it will be in the near future.”

It’s impossible to tell what “near future” actually means; it could be six months from now, a year, three years or later. But we will do our best to keep you updated.

Meanwhile, an agreement to resume adoptions between Vietnam and Ireland was signed in September last year, ending the adoption ban enacted in 2009.

Source: Associated Press (via ABC News)

 

Cung cấp nước sạch tại bản Pache’

Tuesday, January 29th, 2013

Read the English version of this post here.

 

Chuyện kể bởi Bùi Đức Hợp

Ông Bùi Đức Hợp là đại diện nhóm Thiện Nguyện Sơn Nam tại Mỹ. 

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