School Scholarships

Without the school scholarships provided by HSCV these wonderful children would be forced to stop attending school.

For only $50 you can sponsor an at risk child with a year of school fees. In return you will receive a photo, biography, and have the opportunity to exchange letters, pictures and drawings with the child.

Donate $50 now, using paypal's safe and secure network

For an additional $100 a year you can sponsor the child's family with a monthly donation of rice. This donation will provide the family with a much needed opportunity to purchase other necessities, such as vegetables, meat and personal items such as clothing and shoes.

Donate $150 now, using paypal's safe and secure network.

Miss an update in June? Find them all here. Click on the date to go to that weeks update.

June 6th, 2004

June 20th, 2004

June 27th, 2004

I just spent my weekend in Ha Long Bay, one of my favorite places in Vietnam. It takes around three hours by bus to get there. Just before arriving in Ha Long City you start to see the ocean and a few of the huge rocks that make up hundreds of islands in the Bay. The limestone rocks protrude out of the water, most of the rocks are covered by green plants, while others’ have faces that have fallen into the sea.

Our group was ten women, and we had a boat to ourselves. We trolled around the harbor, while we enjoyed our lunch. We stopped at the local caves, where a few decided to explore. Afterwards we headed further out into the bay, meandering around the islands. We stopped the boat to enjoy the water and to go for a swim in the refreshing and clam sea. Our days were spent swimming, enjoying the beautiful scenery, and eating.

At night we went for one last dip in the water before heading to bed. The Phosphorescence was amazing. Phosphorescence is a tiny little animal in the water that glows when the flow of water is changed. They are usually seen in ocean waves crashing on the beach. The concentration in Ha Long was so high that just moving a toe would give the water a glittery glow. As people swam they were surrounded by fairy dust, as they moved the dust created tiny tingles on the skin. It was one of the most incredible feelings and moments in my life. Just like many things in Vietnam I would have missed out on the experience had no one told me about it. They are tiny and invisible, and unless you know where to find them and how look for them they will float by you. But, if you know how and if the conditions are right, you can make a connection that causes a spark and the magic to begin.

Unfortunately this is the only magic I experienced this week. A lot of my time was spent in meetings, doing the work I would prefer my father to handle. But at the moment he isn’t here to do it. So that leaves me. The meetings went well, but mostly without resolution, so that just means more meetings in the future for me.

I was however, able to visit Anh’s home this week. I wanted to get a better understanding of what her life is like on a daily basis and not just at the hospitals. Anh lives with her mother and father and two brothers. Her older brother is 16 while her younger brother is 7. Her mother sells fish at the local market. She wakes up at four in the morning to catch the fish and then she brings them to the market to sell all day. Her father has a government job of some kind and the pay is around $35 per month, her mother makes less than this. Their house is owned by her uncle. More often than not the family has a hard time making ends meet. They are afraid that I will forget about Anh and not help her with her legs. I continually reassure them that I will not forget her and that I am only seeking a better solution then the fusing of her bones the doctor has recommended.

I was also able to locate Tu a little boy my father first located a year ago. He was to come to NIP two months ago for an evaluation, but he did not show up. I was able to meet him at his home this week. He seems to have problem with deterioration in his muscles. I hope to have an appointment set-up for him next week.

Maybe next week I will have better luck at finding the tiny magic sparkles in Hanoi.

 

June 20, 2004

Finding a consensus

At the beginning of the week I took Van Anh to a hospital to get an MRI of her knees. We’re still searching for an alternative to fusing her legs. I was told that I could just bring her there without an appointment. Well it turns out that I need an appointment after all. I had an appointment scheduled for next Monday (21st) but after many e-mails between my father, doctors, and me. I have decided to wait until there is a consensus on what is needed. One doctor has asked for a full body scan while another is only requesting a scan of her legs. I’m just glad I wasn’t able to get it done when I originally brought her there.

I have finally hired Nha Trang. After a long debate she has decided to remain in Vietnam and continue her education. While she is taking night classes, seeking her masters, she will work full time for HSCV as Project Coordinator. She will also be in charge of all HSCV activities while neither my farther nor I are in Vietnam. I am very happy to welcome her into the HSCV family. I know she will be a valuable addition to the HSCV family.

At the end of the week I visited the birthing clinic in Vinh Quynh. This small clinic serves all of Vinh Quynh district (with a population of 20,000). There are six employees at this State run clinic, including one doctor and three nurses. There are twelve beds that serve over 600 women a year. Like most hospitals and clinics in Vietnam the rooms had no equipment and the equipment they do have is old and half broken. The list equipment they requested included a refrigerator (to keep medicine), sterilization equipment, and an ultra-sound. I’m hoping to supply them with at least a few of the requested items. An ultra-sound is a little out of my reach, but I may be able to provide them with a refrigerator.

The past few weeks have been a little slow, but next week is promising to be an exciting one. The audiology team from BYU will arrive and will be testing twenty-two children in need of hearing aids. Be sure to check back for next weeks update.

 

June 27, 2004

Heating up

I’ve never realized how debilitating heat and humidity is. On Wednesday the temperature reached 38c (100.4f). The normal cooling breeze created while driving my motorbike became a hot wind in my face that caused a constant bead of sweat to drip from my face. When stopping at traffic lights drivers fought over the little shade available, under trees or next to trucks and buses. The heat radiated off of the asphalt, off of buildings, and from motorbikes exhaust pipes. Simple thoughts became a challenge to extract from my mind, and the typical long waits seemed particularly painful. The hot season is upon us.

Van Anh’s situation has become a consistent group of questions and thoughts that I continually replay in my head. How can I best help her? She is a sweet, intelligent, and talented young girl. Is fusing really the only option? Is it better not to have surgery? Does she get teased by the other children at school? What is the likelihood I find a Doctor to help her? If only she was still a baby, treatment would be much easier. What would her life be like with fused knees? What kind of future will she have? How can I help her family?

For the past two weeks she has been receiving physical therapy at Dr. Ha’s center on a daily basis. The treatments have seemed to improve her thigh muscles. We’re hoping to fabricate a pair of shoes to compensate for the 8 cm difference in her legs. Doctors in the US are still debating her case and I hope to get an MRI of her legs in the near future.

This week I brought Van Anh and her two brothers to a dentist to have their teeth cleaned. After the initial examination the doctor determined Van Anh’s teeth were healthy and she was young and did not need her teeth cleaned. I insisted that she have her teeth cleaned despite the doctor’s recommendation for no treatment. Her brothers followed and her older brother received a filling. Ideally I would have liked the children to have a fluoride treatment, but to no surprise no such thing was available. After their cleaning I gave a toothbrush to each member of the family along with a few tubes of toothpaste.

This week Dr. Mark McPherson, from BYU, was in town training some of the doctors and students at the NIP how to test hearing and how to install hearing aids. On Thursday several of the doctors and students accompanied him to a school for the deaf HSCV is sponsoring. We were only there for half of a day, but around 10 children were examined and four were fit with hearing aids. It was a hot day and the working conditions were poor. The room was not sound proof; the sounds of construction from across the street penetrated the room. The heat and the humidity were tiring and at times we had to turn off the ceiling fans in-order to get an accurate reading from the testing equipment. Despite these conditions the students were eager to learn and eager to try the new techniques they had learned. In all there were 30 children who were ready to be tested. The twenty that were not seen will be taken to the NIP over the next few months to be tested and hopefully fitted with hearing aides.

My roommate Corey finally arrived in Hanoi on Friday. He’s been accustomed to living in HCMC, so Hanoi is a little bit of a change for him. Hanoi is much smaller and much quieter. It’s going to take him some time to adjust to life in Hanoi, but it’s also going to take me some time adjust to life with a roommate