Looking at pictures from my posts, you may wonder, “where are the orphanages? All I see are monks and nuns with tons of children.” Social assistance and funds by the Vietnamese government are limited, yet there are thousands of people in need, including seniors with severe illness, the mentally disabled, and orphans just to name a few. Consequently, there are many more abandoned children than available orphanages in Vietnam. The most common type of orphanage available are temples and churches where monks, nuns, priests are the ones taking care and raising children abandoned by their parents. They operate mostly on donations from people who visit their temples and churches. If the donations are less than basic expense costs, everyone in that group will go hungry for days, including the children.
For Christmas 2017, I was proud to sponsor an event that brought small Christmas presents to 110 children as well as some funds for short-term expenses at the Linh Son temple. The temple is in small suburb that takes care of children of all ages. Many of children here have Down’s syndrome or other medical issues that require around the clock assistance.
- Small Children With Special Needs at Linh Son Temple. Wheel chairs that fit them would be on my list for next donation
My presents were so small compared to what these children lost. I hope my little gesture was enough to brighten their world for even just a minute, to bring little smiles on their faces for a moment. I can only hope that my support will help with expenses for a short while and ease their feelings of being forgotten and abandoned, which no child should ever have to experience.
Ivy Truong Broker 