Generations Serving Together

We started to work in Vietnam in 2008. Over the years, with the love and financial support of many friends and family in Canada and the United States, we feel that we have been able to have an impact, helping the disenfranchised to become a part of this country's efforts to join the developed world.

Nothing has thrilled us more than to have family here to work with us and the organizations that we support.

Daughter Eliza came in 2014 to teach yoga to the staff of Reaching Out. We watched in awe as she adapted her practise to include the disabled. Severely disabled were taught chair yoga. With an interpreter, she was also able to cover basics with the speech and hear impaired.

This year we have been joined by Bruce's granddaughter from Fresno, California. Keryn has degrees in nutrition and NGO management so she was a natural to work with two of our "clients". Here she is teaching nutrition to the staff of Reaching Out..those who have children and those who cook for the Reaching Out family. They were keen students and took home one solid lesson. Make the dinner plates as colorful as possible, with a variety of vegetables, fruits and grains.

While Keryn worked with her large shop-floor group I sat in the courtyard with Dung (and Ni, not pictured) working on the wording for item descriptions for the new on-line catalogue. We are having fun learning more adjectives in English and using a Thesaurus.

Keryn also worked with the staff of Children's Education Foundation. This young staff were seeking helpful hints to deliver to the families of the girls in the education sponsorship program. With a high dependence on packaged food, much of it saturated with sugar and salt, these poor families have much to learn about whole, natural foods.

Keryn with Linda Hutchinson-Burn, Founder and In-Country Manager, CEF

Thuy, Keryn, Ngoc, Thuy, Kim Chi

The sessions were highly interactive, with the staff asking lots of good questions, an exchange of information and cross-cultural learning. And some giggles too.

We are delighted that Keryn could be here to be part of the Journeys of the Heart team.

Over the last few days, we have managed to connect with our friend Thanhhuynh Huynh, leader of the Vietnamese charity who leads the work projects building schools in remote mountain villages. We were happy to present a donation from the St Albans Church School, Kenora Ontario. Thanks to these children in Ontario, children in the highlands of central Vietnam, of ethnic minority groups will have a dry place to learn and when Huynh arrives....some hot nutritious food.

The Journeys of the Heart family keeps growing!!!