The Birla Orphanage

My friend Steve was a CIDA intern last year with the Samaritan's Purse which is an NGO that does humanitarian work around the world. He is now working with them full time in the Vietnam office. The founder of Samaritan's Purse is actually the founder of World Vision, but he (his name escapes me right now) created SP to avoid all the red tape so that if help was needed, immediate assistance could be provided right away. SP is supporting the Birla orphanage and I eagerly accepted the invitation to visit. There are about 110 kids from the ages of 3 to 15. They were having a farewell party for Mr. John Pham (he is the older gentleman in the group photo with the glasses) because he is returning to Canada for retirement (although they say he has been retiring for the last year and keeps coming back!) and actually helped to establish Samaritan's Purse in Vietnam 12 years ago.

I wasn't sure what type of conditions to expect at the orphanage, I saw a documentary by the CBC a few years ago called 'Falling from the Sky' that partly took place in a Vietnamese orphanage, so I had that pictured in my mind - concrete walls, bare, and glum.

But as you can see at this orphanage the kids were healthy, happy, and energetic. I got to hand out ice cream and cake and it probably made them a little hyper, but it was nice to see them play and have some fun with them. I was pretty popular when I pulled out my camera. They loved having their picture taken and seeing their faces on the screen. SP has sponsored the glass of milk a day program as well as scholarships to help them go to university when they are older. There was a little Hieu there, you can't see his face but that's his hand waving to the camera (must be a Hieu trait - we like being in photos ...). I am hoping to do some volunteering with them soon.