DA NANG

Located in central Viet Nam, Da Nang is the county's 3rd largest city. The good news is that the city is developing; the bad news is overcrowding, unemployment and lack of housing and proper sanitation. Further, the number of people including children with HIV/AIDS and other related diseases is steadily increasing.

Da Nang Street Children's Program

The Da Nang Street Children's Program
provides housing and a safe place for young people.

For some of our work we have found that partnering with the Da Nang Street Children's Program has enabled us to identify and implement projects effectively. GCSF retains a person on the Da Nang Street Kids staff to assist in the management of GCSF projects.

The Da Nang Street Children's Program has five houses which are home to over 150 children. It also has a safe house, vocational training center, and a school for children whose parents work in the local garbage dump.

HOUSE #2 EXPANSION

House #2 needs expanding. A new facility would provide separate sleeping and bathroom arrangements for the boys and girls, as well as a study hall.

Blueprint for the expansion of House #2.
The current building is on the left.

House #2:The extension will be built
on to the back of the house.

Housing, access to clean water and educational sponsorships

A young man works at the garbage
dump in Da Nang

Da Nang is undergoing an economic expansion. It attracts people from the countryside seeking opportunities for a better life. Without education or skills many are forced into menial or high-risk jobs. One such group works and lives at the garbage dump searching the trash for salvageable materials for resale. Sub-standard living conditions are a health risk. Children are forced to work in the dump alongside their parents instead of going to school - hence the cycle of poverty continues.

GCSF builds houses for the families that include an outdoor kitchen, latrine and a well for $1500 each. Eleven (11) more houses will complete the pilot project of 15 houses. GCSF also sponsors basic schooling and vocational training the children that includes a hot meal at lunch.

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QUANG TRI PROVINCE

Quang Tri Province in located in the war-torn area of central Viet Nam, formerly known to many as the "DMZ" (Demilitarized Zone). Ravaged by war and distinguished by poor terrain and bad weather, Quang Tri is among those provinces most adversely affected by the war. Still struggling to overcome the lingering consequences of the war as well as the ever-present challenges of today, the families of Quang Tri strive to succeed in the creation of a better future for the generations to follow.

The new Cultural house and community center in Spanr Village

Many of Viet Nam's ethnic minority tribes, including the Van Kieu, reside in Dak Rong, Quang Tri province. These tribes have a long history in the central region of Viet Nam, but local and national governments have overlooked their needs and their condition remains severe. Heavily impacted by natural disasters, contaminated soil and limited access to clean water, the ethnic minorities in Dak Rong are calling for assistance so that they can improve their economic situation while preserving their traditional culture. Opportunities do exist for future development.

Original Van Kieu Cultural Center

The cultural house plays an important role in the lives of the people. It is where all people gather side by side to share material and spiritual values, perform cultural rituals and train the young generation on traditional custom and beliefs. The house will be used for such traditional activities as well as for economic opportunities such as developing responsible tourism programs in the area.

A grant from the US Ambassador's Fund enabled GCSF to build a new Cultural/Community Center. The pilot project for the Van Kieu commune is the template for developing the program in other ethnic minority communities. Since the pilot is located near Dak Rong National Park, the Van Kieu commune can take advantage of the government focus on the creation of a national parks system that will incorporate responsible tourism into communities. The cultural house will be used as a "home stay" for tourists. The local river provides the venue for traditional rafting, the mountains for hiking and the roads and buffalo paths for biking. A well-maintained highway allows for easy access to the area. The hospitable Van Kieu people enjoy sharing their culture, colorful festivals and unique cuisine.

The Spanr Village cultural house is a critical link to the success of this program.

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There are over 5 million physically disabled people in Viet Nam, including 600,000 blind adults and children. There is a heavy concentration in Quang Tri Province in particular. GCSF has constructed a Vocational Training, Employment Services, and Production Center for the Blind in Dong Ha Town. The facility enables the blind to receive skills training, employment placement services, and a means for direct employment at its on-site consumer production center of marketable household and other goods. Daily consumer products such as toothpicks, incense, tea, and others are produced at the "manufacturing/production" part of the Center, under the overall management of the Blind Association and the People's Committee of Dong Ha, for sale to local markets and communities to raise revenues and to pay wages of blind employees. The top floor is a dormitory for employees who cannot travel each day to work at the fcility. GCSF plans to develop community-based educational and social programs and interventions to improve the social environment for blind and disabled persons, such as developing media and outreach campaigns, furthering life skills training, improving Braille language training, encouraging sporting activities and other social programs.

The basic project has been completed. Now, GCSF is seeking funds for a new Braille printer and the associated software at a cost of $10,000.

The new Dong Ha Blind Association, including a spacious
workplace and dormitories, stands beside the old workplace.

Pre-school children in the Quang Tri area currently receive insufficient care and investment from the government, especially in the difficult and remote area such like Le Mon Village. GCSF plans to build a kindergarten capable of providing pre-school education for up to 75 children between the ages of three and six. This will bring these children into a safe environment oriented to enhance their behavior and basic knowledge before entering elementary school. Parents will also benefit from the kindergarten, as they will be able to spend more time and effort earning a living knowing that their children are being well taken care of. The local authorities will provide the land, ensuring that it is free of landmines.

HIV/AIDS special needs school

Lacking understanding of the disease, parents are concerned that their children are at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS if infected children are in the same school. Infected children are ostracized by the community and are denied a basic education. To build and support a special school for children with HIV/AIDS will ensure not only an education for these children, but will also provide an arena for medical supervision and distribution of antibiotics and other medications that could strengthen the immune system.

• Expansion of HIV/AIDS training and education activities to more districts. Train-the-trainer programs would multiply the educational activities within the villages located in the district;
  
  
• Provision of educational and outreach materials such as posters, visual aids, videotapes, etc;
  
  
• Social services and awareness counseling: For at-risk groups, information and help on how to deal with HIV/AIDS, including individual counseling services. For the general community, basic information and education on living daily with the HIV/AIDS situation, for example: "Can I get HIV from shaking someone's hand?" "Is my child at risk if there is an infected schoolmate?" "Can someone get HIV from kissing?"

Working towards behavioral changes: how to convince people who engage in high-risk behavior to change their practices in order to prevent further transmission of HIV

The cost for sponsoring IEC (Information-Education-Counseling) services is $5,000 per district.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Vocational Training Sponsorships

HCMC is the pulse of the country. The economy is booming and jobs are available providing that the people have the education and vocational training to fill these jobs. Working with Saigon Children's Charity, GCSF sponsors vocational training for individuals.

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Michelle Thong (left) works with the director of the craft workshop in Saigon

Classrooms

In the countryside outside of bustling Ho Chi Minh City, there are many rural communities that cannot afford to provide adequate school facilities for their children.

GCSF has built classrooms for pre-schoolers so that they can learn in a comfortable environment.

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Dinh Quan Schools