The Weekly News Roundup: Week of January 14
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.
Weekly News Roundup: First Week of January 2013
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!
The 2012 Winter Newsletter is Here!
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:
You can also view it in PDF format here.
Happy reading!
Thanksgiving Greetings!
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.
Project Update: Restoring Sight to Vietnam’s Poor
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”
Getting Better But Not Yet Gone: Gender Inequality in Vietnam
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”
Project Update: Meet Phuong Anh and Her New Wheelchair!
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!
Project Update: School in Son La Completed!
Back in May, VNHELP wrote about the start of a new school construction project in Son La province. Construction actually began in March, and six months later, in September, the school was completed! The timing was perfect–just when the fall school season was about to go in session. The school is now a place where young primary-school aged children are learning writing, maths, and other important creative and critical thinking skills. We’re looking forward to seeing how the school’s presence will brighten up these children’s futures!
Mua Thu Cho Em 2012 , Southern California Style! Recap
It’s been nearly two weeks since we concluded our 2012 Mua Thu Cho Em charity concert series, and we’re still feeling the after effects of the fun and generosity from those two nights. To prolong the euphoria and keep us reminded of how blessed we are are as an organization to receive such tremendous community support, we love to go back and browse through photos, reminiscing about the good memories. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out our concert recap for the Northern California concert. Here’s the Southern California recap too…
Read More “Mua Thu Cho Em 2012 , Southern California Style! Recap”
Vietnam’s Strategy to Reduce Poverty Through 2015 Announced
Worldwide, October 17 was the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. In Vietnam, October 17 was also the National Day of the Poor. Taking advantage of an apt date, the local United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) administrators used October 17 as an opportunity to present Vietnam’s new poverty reduction plans through 2015. Read the fact sheet here.
The most salient aspect of the new poverty plan is the push to alleviate poverty among ethnic minorities. As noted by several of the UNDP coordinators, poverty remains much more pronounced among ethnic minorities. Although Vietnam has successfully reduced poverty from 58.1% in 1993 to 14.5% in 2008 and malnutrition from 41% to 11.7%, poverty rates among some ethnic groups remains as high as 86%. In absolute terms, ethnic minorities make up 14% of Vietnam’s total population but 54% of its poor.
Read More “Vietnam’s Strategy to Reduce Poverty Through 2015 Announced”