Read the Vietnamese version of this post here.
Hop Duc Bui, a retired engineer now residing in San Jose, CA, recently co-funded a water project in Pa Che with his colleagues at the Son Nam Charitable Group and the Yahoo! Employee Foundation. He compiled this story based on project reports from Vietnam and shares it with you.
Later this week, a group of world leaders and renowned economists will gather in conference rooms and workshops to discuss the state of the global economy. In particular, they will focus on the idea of “Resilient Dynamism,” this year’s theme at the World Economic Forum (WEF), happening January 23 – 27 in Davos, Switzerland.
In the context of their meeting, “resilient dynamism” refers to a country’s capability to adapt to changing conditions, withstand sudden shocks, and recover to a desired equilibrium in the event of inertia.
In advance of their annual meeting, the WEF also released the “Global Risks” report, which identifies both the global risks that have the greatest likelihood of occurring (these include severe income disparity, chronic fiscal imbalances, rising greenhouse gas emissions, water supplies crisis and mismanagement of aging population) and the risks that would have the greatest impact should they occur (these include major systemic financial failure, water supply crisis, chronic fiscal imbalance, food shortage, and weapons of mass destruction). Their conversations will be holistic, looking not just at isolated areas of concerns, but at how economic, environmental, governance, infrastructure and social systems relate and affect one another.
Looking through the WEF’s meeting programme, we at VNHELP can’t also help but contemplate what resilient dynamism means for Vietnam, its development, and the lives of the poor people we seek to assist.
Even though 2013 New Year Celebrations have come to and end and many of us have returned to the routine of daily life and keeping up with resolutions, VNHELP is actually already at work planning another new year celebration. Tet, or Lunar New Year, will be celebrated in Vietnam on February 10th this year. Although Vietnam also uses the Gregorian calendar officially, Tet is still considered the most significant holiday in Vietnam. Many celebrate the holiday for a full two weeks, and the streets are awash in lucky red and gold. It’s a time for families to get together, friends to hang out leisurely, and children to gleefully hold their hands out in anticipation of receiving li xi (red envelopes filled with lucky money.)
Read More “Make Tet Memorable for Orphans and Street Children in Vietnam”
The weekly news roundup brings you a recap of the latest happenings in Vietnam and international development. This week, we have bears and Buddhist in Vietnam, and jobs and money talk across the globe.
The weekly news roundup is back! In the first full week of the new year, we’ve already got a lot of interesting things to catch you up on. Check out some of our selected readings below!
Our latest newsletter is up and ready for your viewing! In it, we’ve compiled highlights of the work you helped us accomplish in the last year. Check it out in the viewer below:
It’s almost Thanksgiving–time to officially ring in the holiday season! Before you chow down on a scrumptious holiday dinner, we hope you’ll take a moment to think about what your grateful and what you can continue to do give back to your community.
On behalf of everyone here at VNHELP, our executive director would like to send you all a special greeting.
Cataracts are a serious issue in Vietnam. According to a 2011 study in the journal BMC Opthamology:
Cataract is the leading cause of blindness in Vietnam, affecting 87.6 new cases per 100,000 each year and causing approximately 65% of all blindness. There is currently a very high prevalence of blindness, affecting 4,304 people per 100,000. Of even more concern is the staggering numbers who are living with low vision, approximately 18,086 people per 100,000, much of which is caused by untreated cataract.
The good news is that cataracts can be treated through a relatively simple procedure. The bad news is that the cost of a procedure, which hovers around $350 – $400 in Vietnam, can be far too expensive for many poor patients. Recognizing the need and realizing that this is a fixable situation, VNHELP decided to initiate the Vision for the Poor program in 2007 to sponsor free cataract surgeries for low-income patients across Vietnam. We also established a matching fund, where we meet donations of $5000 and above, to encourage donors to give to the program.
Read More “Project Update: Restoring Sight to Vietnam’s Poor”
In the past two decades, Vietnam has made tremendous socio-economic developments and reforms. With an emerging middle class and declining poverty rate, Vietnam today is considered by many to be a cosmopolitan nation experiencing rapid economic growth and success. In addition to decreasing poverty and hunger rates, many national and international efforts have been made to increase the education, social, and economic opportunities available to women. But these efforts haven’t always worked out as hoped.
Read More “Getting Better But Not Yet Gone: Gender Inequality in Vietnam”
Meet Little Miss Phuong Anh, one of the latest beneficiaries of our wheelchair distribution program. Despite being born without legs and a left hand, Phuong Anh is a cheerful and bubbly four-year-old. She loves to play and move around, but it used to be painful for her to go outside because she had to crawl. The unpaved and rocky streets in Vietnam were a source of constant discomfort. With her own wheelchair, she’s now riding in style!
Special thanks to Thanh Huong Sandwiches in San Jose for donating to our wheelchair program!
