One More Delivery!!!

It is time to say goodbye to all of our friends in Vietnam for another year, but we were able, thanks to the help of a team of people, to deliver much-needed medicine to the Quang Nam Home for the Elderly and Disabled yesterday.This was a special delivery from the Tours of Peace Vietnam Veterans (TOP) Legacy Fund.

The tireless Vu Duc Anh in Saigon managed all of the ordering and delivery to Hoi An, not only of the medicines, but also a new water filter which will be located in the home in a more accessible spot for those whose disabilities make it difficult for them to make the trip to the dining room where the current and only filter resides.

It was an adventure going to the depot where the box of medicines had been delivered. Our taxi driver was very confused, as were we when we got to the first but wrong place. Things are delivered by bus and end up in one of many little passenger pick up places throughout the town. At last, we got to the right location. We had been told that there would be a long wait as hundreds of packages arrive daily. We would have to show our Passport as ID. Bruce was busy dismissing the confused driver, when I yelled across the street, "No...have him wait...she has found it". When I had walked into the tiny dark office, the young woman asked, "Who for the package?" I said "Bruce Logan." "Oh, I know" was the reply and from behind the iron grid she carried the rather large box...no signature, nothing...off we went again with the now very befuddled taxi driver who kept wanting to take us back to An Bang Beach. The Home was only another six blocks...but when I gave him a 50,000 VND tip he was all smiles!

The Director and Head Nurse ushered us into the main meeting room where we exchanged pleasantries and we proffered the box of medicines for the general populace of the home and a sum of money for the end-of-life care for a very special lady.

Ut has been a friend of TOP, its Founder Jess Devaney, Anh our fearless guide and all of the TOP participants over the years. A double amputee, the result of a land mine in the war when she 15 years old, she has lived since that time in the centre. Ut always greeted our group with huge smiles of recognition. Sadly, Ut has liver cancer and is failing quickly. Our cash donation will ensure that she has the medicine she needs for as much comfort as possible in her last months.

The smile in this picture is because we are showing her a photo of Jess, his wife Marsha and the TOP guide Anh on our last visit in October 2015.

Ut also managed a smile when I kissed her "night, night" and covered her up for her afternoon nap.

Thank goodness our friends at Reaching Out were able to send along a translator and a photographer. We could tell Ut about our sorrow, our love for her and that she would have the medicine she needed to help her digest her food and to relieve pain.

Thank you, to everyone, the TOP legacy group, Anh our master tactician, Reaching Out for translation and photos and to one taxi driver who hung in there!!! 

Hen gap lai nam sau!   See you next year!

We Deliver

We have been working with the Reaching Out Vietnam team again, of course, this year. As usual, there are a number of things going on, the most exciting of which is the launching of the new website. Have a look at www.reachingoutvietnam.com. In addition, we have discussed packaging, signage, and the new on-line catalogue which will be up and running in a couple of months. With the catalogue, we are hoping to reach a much broader audience of customers around the world.  "Strengthening the Brand" is one of the terms that we have become familiar with. We want our slogan to be top of mind for people in the know about authentically made crafts and social enterprises gaining popularity with travellers to SE Asia. As strong as Nike's Just Do It ! We have big dreams at Reaching Out.

"Gifts That Give Twice", refers to the "social" aspect of the business. While our customers and their friends receive beautifully made memories of Hoi An, our disabled artisans and servers are given the gift of opportunity, training and meaningful employment which enables them to live independent lives.

All of this marketing and advertising has made us think....maybe Journeys of the Heart should also have a slogan or tagline. This week  "We Deliver" sounds good!!!

Bruce and I consider ourselves the delivery people for all of our supporters and donors. And what a joy it is to deliver your love, your kindness and your generous gifts.

Here is an e-mail that we got just the other day from Linda at Children's Education Foundation.

I just wanted you to know that we still have money left from V 's donation and attached are some photos related to the spending of her money on books so far. 

The money was spent for book boxes and books for the boxes. They have gone to a pagoda in Thang Binh. Children from three surrounding communities will come there to borrow books. 

The remaining money will be spent on more book boxes and books also. 

Love and thanks for your help for us to get this wonderful donation, and big thanks to V.

CEF takes such good care of the books. Each one is covered and then bagged to protect it against the unrelenting moisture in this tropical environment. The girls whose education is sponsored by donors to CEF have the privilege of signing out books and they even sign a contract about how they will care for the books until they are returned to the "library"....big plastic buckets at this pagoda.The library shelves are at the CEF office in Hoi An. There is such excitement when the girls choose their books and the smiles let us know that they will enjoy reading.

We feel useful and gratified when we receive notes like the following from donors who entrust us to get their dollars to the people "on the ground" who can directly put the funds to work. The following note came from the benefactor of these library books.

Such news and comments always move me to tears…that a gift of $$ that I do not need, could mean and do so much for girls far away. Thank you for all you do in the sharing our many blessings.

Journeys of the Heart has been a principle donor to this program, started a few years ago, in memory of a dear friend by her book club members who provided the early funds. Since then, Canadian friends who support literacy have been faithful donors and our friend V has just made another considerable contribution. 

For three years in a row now we have been "couriers" for a friend in California who sponsors a student living in a nearby fishing village of Cua Dai. L sends us letters and gifts for Van before we leave for Vietnam. Once here we are her emissaries, mounting up on motorbikes with CEF staff to wind our way down the lanes to Van's house. Just look at the smile as she, with Granny paying close attention, opens L's letter. L always sends pictures of her young family. Van's English is improving to the point where she can read L's letters from start to finish. Van is maturing and becoming a very beautiful teenager. She is taking advanced physics and chemistry this year...a very promising scholar who spends six days a week in school.We can talk together through the skillful translation of CEF staff and on every visit we are endeared by this lovely young woman, whose family is grateful for the educational assistance for Van. They are VERY proud of her, especially Granny.

Sometimes we deliver both donors and their gifts to the right places!!! Recently we accompanied Ann Wittmeyer, from Buffalo, to Nha Trang where her father served during the war. Ann made the trip to walk in her father's footsteps. She would have come with TOP Tours of Peace Vietnam Veterans had they had a scheduled trip this year, but as they did not Bruce, an experienced deputy leader for TOP took on the job. Ann, in TOP and Journeys of the Heart tradition, collected a huge suitcase full of goodies from family and friends  which we helped her deliver to the Hoi An Home for the Elderly and Disabled and the Kianh Foundation. There were also generous cash gifts.

Buffalo and Ann's friends there, gave from the heart and we were so happy to be able to share "our" Vietnam with her.

Every year, it is, as the expression goes here "Same, Same but Different".

So, let us know what you think of our slogan..."WE DELIVER"....we hope to be delivering for years to come!!!!

International Women's Day, March 8th 2016

How lovely to be in Vietnam once again on International Women's Day! As with every holiday, celebration or anniversary, the Vietnamese create a very festive day to honour their women. Women are honoured in their homes by husbands, sons, fathers, uncles and at work by co-workers, bosses and each other!! Flowers, the expected and most usual gift, appear everywhere on the streets. Vendors peddle everything from single roses to elaborate assorted bunches and breathtaking arrangements.

I spent time on Women's Day and over the days since, in reflection, grateful for all the women in my life, and in particular,  all the strong, creative, dedicated women whom I have met through my work and adventures here in Vietnam.

Etched in my heart is the brief time that I spent with women in a brick-making facility. The women work from 7 am until 2 pm daily with no breaks. They earn the equivalent of about $150 dollars a month. But they were proud, cheerful and very welcoming. Quyen and I were invited into the facility where we were enticed to "haul bricks" with them. They laughed when I grabbed small piles of wet clay bricks and added them to the carts heading for the kiln. I gasped as I watched them shove the trolley weighing at least a ton, by hand into the furnace. Such big smiles of accomplishment when we praised their work and we laughed together about their strong muscles and my flaccid old ones.

Another image from that day remains with me. The woman pictured below is about 65 years old. She was our hostess on a visit to Dai Loc. Wife of our host, she was not introduced, but smiled in welcome. While we went to view their considerable holdings outside of the town, she stayed home to cook and not until we were all seated and served did she shyly join us at the table. The house was large and airy accommodating our hosts, their son, his wife and three boys. But she cooked as her mother and grandmother had cooked, outside, preparing and chopping the food on a banana leaf and using a charcoal burner.

Not only are they trojans when it comes to physical work, many women in Vietnam are now also very astute business women, buying and selling real estate and running large factories and companies.

Yes, no doubt about the strength of these women who in a very real way are the backbone of the country.  But it is in the end, family, which is the focus for most Vietnamese women. Grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters all caring for one another from one generation to the next.

I have also been proud of the young women who have joined us on this Journey of the Heart. Bruce's granddaughter Keryn shared her knowledge of nutrition with staff of both Reaching Out and Children's Education Foundation. It warmed my heart to see her reaching across the gap of language and culture to promote healthy lifestyles for young girls and the disabled.

Most recently Bruce and I have been hosting Ann Wittmeyer, the daughter of a US Army Veteran. She came to Vietnam to walk in her father's footsteps. Denny Wittmeyer served in Nha Trang in 1966 and 1967. Not only did we visit his sites there but here in Hoi An, Ann joined us on visits to the home of a disabled child, Reaching Out Craft Shop and Tea House, the Hoi An Home for the Aged and the Kianh Foundation ... a school and rehabilitation center for disabled children. Everywhere we went, Ann brought her wide smile, gifts and financial donations.

Yesterday I was reminded of the grace and elegance of Vietnamese women as I watched a small troupe of Cham dancers at the Cham Towers in Nha Trang. These relics remain from the 1000 year era of Cham domination. An ethnic group, whose religion is a hybrid of both Hindu and Islam, is endeavouring to maintain their culture.

And so my dear women, I salute you, my sisters, my soul sisters, my daughters, my friends, my colleagues. I am grateful for your companionship, your generosity and your grace. I thank you for making me smile!

And perhaps I can make you smile....this is a typical Vietnamese male. After a brief introduction on his drum, he switched on some recorded music and attentively supported the dance troupe.

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!!!

Yet Another Hero

We have been nestled back into our Salt Spring Island home for a few weeks now, but still fresh are the memories of our work in Vietnam and the wonderful people we meet.

I have been writing about some of these dedicated souls and a HERO series posts seems to be building.

Today's story is about Nha Su Thich Nu Minh Tu.

Almost 30 years ago, Co Minh Tu, having experienced the devastation of Hue during the war, committed herself to providing a loving environment for orphaned and abandoned children.

Today the Duc Son Pagoda Orphanage ( http://www.ducsonorphans.org)  houses almost 200 children.

When we have visited the orphanage with Tours of Peace Vietnam Veterans or on our own, we find the children all scrubbed, polite and welcoming. The atmosphere is very calm, but warm and loving.

From their website:

Individual nuns take responsibility for different aspects of the orphanages'   activities, such as gardening, physical education, cooking, entertainment, health and so on. They are working or on call 24/7 and take turns, along with the volunteers,  supervising the children at night.

The orphanage has a remarkable air of serenity due mainly to the calm, caring atmosphere created by the nuns.

The children are encouraged to join the nuns in prayer on special occasions. But, unlike many pagoda-run orphanages, there is no pressure on children to follow the monastic life. The main aim is to provide the children with the physical well being and emotional strength and confidence to make their own way in life.

The family atmosphere is evident; the older children look after the younger ones and each child has chores which are age appropriate like washing dishes or laundry or working in the garden.

Laundry and dishes become a game with lots of water sloshing about!! Gardening provides exercise out of doors in the fresh air and teaches a respect for the food which they grow.

When we visit the Duc Son Pagoda Orphanage with TOP Tours of Peace Vietnam Veterans it is an exciting day for us and for the kids. We donate a healthy dinner for the kids and months worth of essential supplies and have a wonderful time playing, singing, and visiting with the children.

All the while, Co Minh Tu keeps a watchful eye over her flock and her able staff of nuns and volunteers.

Over the years children have grown and graduated from high school and some from university. becoming independent adults. All, I am sure have loving hearts as exemplified by Nha Su Thich Nu Minh Tu...their hero and mine.

Another Hero

Remember the old exercise in self development and team building workshops, and in the "getting to know you " part of any retreat?  "Who is your hero?" "Name your three heroes."  You would rummage around in your head and heart, wandering what magnificent human being you wanted the group to associate with you. You would wonder if Jesus Christ, Ghandi, Mother Teresa or Stormin' Norman Schwartzkopf were good picks or maybe because of a conversation you had the night before "my Dad" was the right answer for the day.

While doing Journeys of Heart work in Vietnam, we meet heroes every day and I would like to introduce you to one.

This is Thanhhuynh Huynh. (pronounced Tan....a little closer to Ton as in "of coal"....then One One ..with a good out breath on the One).

Thanh works tirelessly for a Vietnamese based charity Ong Van  http://www.ongvangcharity.org/ as a volunteer. His "real" job is as a tour guide.  The translation to English of the charity name is Yellow Bee, but the corps of young Vietnamese who, under Thanh's leadership, perform miracles every week wear distinctive t-shirts with the logo Same Same But Different.  

When we met at Binh and Quyen's house to talk about the work of Ong Van, we were struck by his benevolence. He wanted us to really understand the plight of the villagers living high in the mountains.  Because of the isolation and meagre once-annual crops these Montagnards live in extreme poverty. 

The children are hungry and ignorant of the outside world.

Thanh's personal commitment and drive and enthusiastic leadership are beginning to change that....but to do so is difficult. There is the terrain to deal with in getting groups of volunteers, supplies and building materials up the mountain.

There is often a language problem once there as the hill tribes speak their own language or dialect. And often there is suspicion and opposition from the village elders, who are leery of the outsiders and their different ways. 

Thanh has two primary purposes: First to get food into hungry tummies and to provide clothing for the cool mountain climate.  This usually takes place in the dilapidated school building.

Secondly, the group provides schools and education in an effort to break the cycle of poverty and ignorance.

The trek up the mountain is daunting, even without considering hauling building materials. But several times a year, Thanh and his crew of volunteers do just that and when they get to the village they all pitch in and build a school...rain or shine!

When the school is finished, usually in just a matter of days, blessings are chanted.

When I listen to Thanh's stories and hear about the almost insurmountable obstacles I am in awe.  He is truly dedicated to strengthening his country and its poorest communities.

Journeys of the Heart, with the support of the Retired Teachers organization in Kenora, Ontario and the Saint Alban's Church School of the same town, has been able to be part of building two of these mountain schools. Others have provided funds for the food and clothing for the villagers.

In a recent  Facebook message exchange Thanhhuynh wrote " I do not know how to say but from my heart, i say thank you so much"