FVSO
Friends
of
Vinh Son
All operating expenses paid by the Board of Directors so 100% of your donation goes
to the children.
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In September the kids go back to school and the nuns tell us the kids are excited about the new school year. During the summer they worked on the farms, the gardens and the bakery. They did a summer cleaning of all the dorms, the kitchens, dining room and other buildings. School will be a welcome change with new challenges for the children and the nuns. Thanks to your generosity the kids will have proper clothing and a full book bag An education is the most valuable gift we can give, it will last a lifetime. They are most grateful for your support.
In July we started our annual fundraising event. We are facing some pretty strong headwinds with inflation, both here and in Vietnam. We recognized this and we increased the Basic Needs Allowance by 10% in June. The farm and agriculture projects you have supported also help offset recent inflation.
On the right is a button you can click to see some of the wonderful art the children send us.
The Childrens Art
Because of your donations the children see the world as bright and promising. Click here to see some of the original art drawn by the kids and some of the artists themselves
Clyde Lewandowski
Personal Experiences and Reflections of Vinh Son Montagnards Orphanage
Since 1968, when I spent some time in Vietnam, I've had a soft spot in my heart for Vietnamese kids. Of course, in 1968 we soldiers were all kids. Over the years, I've become the unofficial historian for the artillery battalion that I served with. Back then we did what we could to help the kids and connected with the orphanages that were near our headquarters area. In 2002, after doing some research at the National Archives in Washington D.C., I was able to find the name and address of one of the orphanages in Hue that we had supported and began a quest to find it. Unfortunately that orphanage had closed many years ago.
In 2006, I still had not found a connection to an orphanage in Vietnam that felt right, and was fortunate to have been found by Dennis Coyne and Friends of VSO. The trip to the orphanage at Kontum in February 2007 sealed my fate. The kids, the caregivers and sisters are absolutely the most wonderful people I have ever met. Just seeing their happiness brought tears of joy and I was hooked for life.