Vietnam
Through this program we aim to improve the quality of life of the many Vietnamese children and adults who suffer from communication and swallowing disorders by establishing speech-language therapy as a profession in Vietnam which includes formal speech-language therapy training courses.
This will allow the Vietnamese people themselves, to successfully manage communication and swallowing disorders including those arising from head injury, cleft conditions, hearing impairment, autism, stroke, developmental delay and head and neck cancer.
We are currently assisting in the planning and funding of the first full time, two year post graduate diploma course in speech-language therapy at the Pham Ngoc Thach Municipal Medical University in Ho Chi Minh City, commencing September 2010.
As well as funds required to support this project, funds are also required to:
• provide associated medical and educational equipment and supplies
• support other speech therapy projects including:
- publication production
- ancillary staff training in hospitals and institutions across Vietnam.
The concentration of the foundation efforts to improve the health care in Quang Nam province revolves around three projects: chronic illness, (hypertension, diabetes, respiratory disease), congenital and acquired heart disease and pediatric HIV. These three were chosen due to the need and the lack of programs to treat these problems.
Major Development Objectives:
- To improve the knowledge and ability of the local health care providers in the treatment of chronic disease to a level that requires minimum involvement by the Hoi An Foundation.
- To have a heart disease screening program implemented for 25% of the children in the province.
- To fund 15 heart procedures per year
- To bring HIV treatment from other organizations to central Vietnam.
Planet Wheeler is the major sponsor of this project.
There are a large number of street and disadvantaged young people in Vietnam who lack the opportunity and the resources to gain an education or acquire useful vocational skills. Drawn to the cities in search of work and a better life, many fall prey to the dangers of life on the streets. At the same time the hospitality industry is in need of skilled labour and trained staff. The current vocational training system does not meet these needs. The project seeks to provide disadvantaged youth with training and skills to enable them to gain employment in the growing hospitality industry. The project model is straightforward. It will establish and operate a restaurant that incorporates a hospitality training program.
The project trainees gain skills, knowledge and self-respect, that result in employment, self-reliance, and with prospect for a dignified future. At the same time, the industry gains dedicated well-trained employees.
Planet Wheeler is the major sponsor of this project.
This project is a grass roots organisation that was founded in 2006 by an Australian woman to especially care for children from some of the poorest families in Hoi An and neighbouring rural areas within Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam. Many of the families we assist are surviving on little over a dollar a day. CHIA is helping to bring an improvement to hundreds of children in the region through key areas of activity and with an underlying aim of strengthening the family unit which is so critical in Vietnamese society:
- Health – including emergency/life saving surgery and treatment (such as cardiac surgery), community health and preventative education, orthopaedic surgery/treatment and nutritional supplements for malnourished children.
- Disability - ongoing support and therapy for children with major disabilities and conditions such as Cerebral Palsy to maximise physical, intellectual and social development, thereby enhancing independence and life opportunities.
- Education - provision of education sponsorships to ensure children from the poorest families have the opportunity to receive a full education.
- Poverty Alleviation - focusing on the delivery of the most basic of human needs - housing, clean water & sanitation.
Project Manager: Robyn Morley
This project exists to help orphans, street kids and families in Vietnam to become self sufficient and has implemented the following programs and sponsorships: Adopt a family – assists families who live in poverty and helps start a micro-business. Providing 1 year of tuition and additional costs, 2 bicycles, 2 pigs, 10 chickens, rice, clothing and kitchen appliances. The list varies according to each family needs.
- Orphan assist – aims to improve facilities at non-government funded orphanages. Offers direct assistance to orphans via provision of school supplies, clothing and medical assistance.
- Job start – assists street kids and ‘at risk youth’, aims to teach skills and secure future employment, provides apprenticeship training.
- Medical – funded medical treatment for a variety of illnesses, accidents, surgery, etc
- Housing – assists families who are squatting or people without shelter
- Boats – 20 boats have been built which provides a source of income and a place to live during floods.
Project Manager: Karen J. Leonard
The aim of the proposed three year project is to assist Vietnamese communities by provision of health and welfare services funded from Australia and delivered by volunteers who provide their time and airfares at no cost to any government. It is expected that the programme will perform cataract surgery and provide spectacles for people postoperatively. Since the demand for health services is great and the Vietnam government’s capacity to meet that need limited, the programme aims to provide aid direct to people, with government support but not financing it. In this way the project is able to target communities with little disposable income thus maximising benefits from the funds generated in Australia.
Significant Goals:
- To carry out about 400 cataract surgery and 200 dental treatments
- To provide for the education and care of the orphans
- To assist lepers in leprosy villages throughout Vietnam.
