Help us help a child

Late 2018 we visited Vietnam 🇻🇳. As we made our way to Da Nang we met with a few close friends who decided to donate their time and show us a side of the country most travellers don’t typically see. 

We visited a local orphanage: 

These cute babies you see above are all under 3 weeks old. For one reason or another, these babies have been abandoned. 

They have been left on the side of the road, in bushes, or placed in dumpsters and stumbled upon by people of the community. Then have made their way to this small orphanage. 

It’s a horrible thing to hear. To see these young ones first-hand breaks my heart. 

Many are malnourished, dirty, and thirsty. 

There are 11 children under 12 months old. And they are in desperate need of high-quality baby formula to give them strength, and clean diapers to avoid bacteria and infections. It’s likely there will be more children as they arrive unexpectedly.

There are many orphanages in Da Nang that get plenty of funding from large companies and cooperations. However, small orphanages like this one rely on the donations from locals. They often struggle to gain enough money to support and feed these children.

This is where I need to introduce my friend Thanh: 

He is a local restaurant owner in Da Nang. He owns 3 restaurants and donates a small percentage of each table he serves directly to this orphanage and communities that need help and support. 

As we visited this orphanage, we purchased 10 tubs of formula and a hundred (or so) diapers to last them a few weeks. 

This has been a massive help! …But they are in need of more and continual funding. 

I know this may not be the most positive outlook. But whenever I donate to large charities I feel uneasy about whether the money I give will actually reach the people I aim to serve. Or, will it just be used to pay staff and keep the charity alive.

There’s really no way of knowing.

So we decided to start our own NGO and giving projects alongside Thanh, as we have seen first hand the impact every dollar is making and the lives he has saved.

In doing this, we have also discovered there is a right way and a wrong way to help these children & donate money… 

Wrong: 

My friend who was translating for us explained that sometimes people with great intentions will bring in a hundred (or so) tubs of baby formula to the orphanage. 

The problem is that formula can expire, and they are forced to throw a lot of it away and it never gets used. 

Right: 

Thanh first asked the carers exactly what they needed. He then walked down the street and purchased exactly that for them so they didn’t have too much of anything they don’t need. 

This is the best way to ensure no money is wasted and the children have enough food. 

There are 4 carers on rotation raising 11 babies.

These are the kindest hearted woman I have met. They are giving their all to raise these children as if they were their own.  

HOW WE CAN HELP: 

The government does not provide support to these children specifically. They provide the building and that’s it. 

They need a consistent stream of income to feed, clothe, and give clean diapers the babies. As you donate money, the cash is logged and tracked to ensure every dollar is spent where requested. 

We have set up a PayPal donation account where you can purchase diapers or high-quality formula (or both) to help feed and clean these babies in need. 

Each purchase made will be delivered in Jan 2019 by Hannah & Myself when we return to this orphanage in Da Nang. We can guarantee your money will help these children directly. 

Below you will find a link to make a donation towards Formula & Nappies. 100% of your donations that we receive (minus any banking fees, read the fine print below) will be delivered by us.

WHAT CAN YOU BUY?

$5 – Will provide clean diapers for a week 👶

 

$25 – Will feed a baby for a week 🍼

 

$100 – Will provide these two the care, food, and strength they need 💕

 $3000 will provide heart surgery to save a childs life 🙏

The fine print:

We cover our own expenses travel, time, etc to ensure your money is delivered and products are purchased as requested. We aim to deliver 100% of your donations to the orphanage. Though as we encounter currency exchange rates and bank fee’s that we cannot control, a small percent of your donation may cover those charges. For example; PayPal Donation Fee’s: 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction.

As you purchase products, money is sent into our non-profit account which we then withdraw in Vietnam in cash to purchase the goods. If we exceed expectations, cash will be sent to the orphanage manager and only used to purchase the products we list, ensuring that your donations directly help these children.

If we exceed expectations and provide months of funding to this orphanage, we may use your donations to help children in other ways. For example it costs $3000USD to provide heart surgery for a child. Thanh has saved 3 children lives by funding heart surgeries. Up in the mountains in central Vietnam, it gets very cold during winter. We may use your donations to purchase warm clothing and rain jackets for the children to prevent illness.

Each donation we make will be emailed out to each buyer, so you can keep track of our efforts and you will know exactly where the money is going.

I want to thank you for your help and support. Your donations are helping saving lives one child at a time.

I want to thank you for your help and support. Your donations are helping saving lives one child at a time.

 

More Reading & Resources:

• Additional info on Giving Back
• How To Start A Blog For The Price Of A Coffee
• How I Earn A Living While Traveling Full-Time

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