Vietnam
Australian Charity for the Children of Vietnam (ACCV) is a grass roots organisation working directly with impoverished families in Vietnam. The goal of our project is to help as many blind, seriously ill and underprivileged children as we can to escape poverty and improve their quality of life.
We believe that by providing education, medical care and nutrition to children, the broader community will benefit and the overall standards of living will improve.
ACCV- A Brighter Tomorrow- currently has three major branches to our project:
1. E.L.I.T.E – English Language & IT Education for blind students.
Giving blind students the opportunity to further education and future job prospects.
2. Family Assist – Breaking the poverty cycle through education, nutritional and medical support on an individual as needs basis.
3. Christine Edith Sponsorship Programme – Provides on going support to children who cannot access education or medical care without financial assistance.
It is our belief that every child should have access to healthy nutrition, adequate medical care and Education. All children should be given the opportunity to reach their potential.
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.
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.
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.
Lifestart Foundation was founded by Karen Leonard to help those living in challenging situations in Vietnam to become self-sufficient. The Foundation supports disadvantaged children, adults with disabilities and street children in the Quang Nam province of Vietnam by providing education through scholarships, apprenticeships, small business loans and practical work experience. The long-term goal of the Lifestart Foundation is to set up proven working programmes within a small community to effect a generational change.
The Lifestart Foundation Workshop offers disabled people, and those from difficult backgrounds, the opportunity to earn a sustainable income while gaining a sense of independence and enjoying being part of a supportive community group. They are trained to make unique handmade products which are then available for visitors to purchase. As part of this focus on self-sufficiency Lifestart Foundation has already been able to provide funding to over 50 children in and around Hoi An to assist with their education through individual sponsorships, has a free school for children who cannot attend mainstream schools and provides free English classes and training to provide opportunities to allow people to help themselves.
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.
J311 Sunflower Project, Vietnam
Sunflower Project works in three selected education centres and selects children from poor families and supports their education from pre-school to tertiary. This project is managed by In-Country Project Managers, and is supported by individual donors in Australia.
