One of our 'oldest' kids, a 22 year old boy named Toan, has just started his first part time job outside Blue Dragon.
Toan is the 'oldest' not only because of his age - although he is the oldest of all our beneficiaries. But he's also 'oldest' because he's been in our care longer than any other kid has.
When I first met Toan about 6 years ago, he was living a really tough life. He'd been arrested twice for shining shoes on the streets of Hanoi, but each time had made his way out of the detention centre and back to the city where he was working so that he could go to school.
It was an unusual circumstance: at age 16, Toan had never been to school, and his parents wouldn't let him go - so he ran away to the city, enrolled in a school, and worked on the streets shining shoes to pay for his studies and accommodation.
Now aged 22, Toan is in Grade 7 (he's been studying a compacted curriculum) and determined to get right through High School. Although it's more common for organisations like ours to end support when beneficairies turn 18, we've continued to support Toan because he genuinely wants to go through school, and without support he can't do it. However, he is taking steps to independence and although he's been doing some administrative jobs for us at Blue Dragon, it's time for him to take the next step of working for somebody else.
So this week he has started a part time job, and it's not just any job. Toan is working for another charity: the Australian Charity for Children of Vietnam, or ACCV for short.
ACCV is a fairly small organisation, still getting started in fact, but its founder Alison Vidotto is an absolute dynamo. She's the 'real deal': there's no pretence, no fluff, just a hard working woman with a dream to make life better for blind kids in Vietnam. Simple as that. Check out their website. (They're almost as good as Blue Dragon! Truly!!)
Alison and her daughter Rose have been coming to and from Vietnam a couple of times a year for about 4 years now, and they always drop in at Blue Dragon to see how we are. On their very first visit, they met Toan and were deeply impressed by his passion to be educated. So now that they're growing, and need some on-the-ground support, they have decided to employ Toan as their support staff.
He's still going to school, but has a couple of free mornings each week which he'll now use to arrange deliveries, visit families, and run errands around town.
There's no doubt that Toan is passionate about education. But he has another passion, too: he wants to help other disadvantaged kids so that they can have the chance to go to school, which he missed out on when he was younger. This job gives him exactly that opportunity. He's not only earning some money; he's also helping out people who are more disadvantaged than he is.
I meet a lot of young people who have endured difficult circumstances, but I am not exaggerating to say that Toan's story is one of the most inspiring I have come across. I'm grateful to Alison for giving Toan this chance, and I know that this is just the start of a great new chapter in his life.
Go get 'em, Toan.
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Thursday, April 23, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Sustain this
Sustainability is one of the buzz words in the world of development organisations - which used to call themselves charities until that word became unfashionable.
The great thing about the word sustainability is that it can mean so many things that in the end, it often means nothing. Blue Dragon recently received a flogging with a very damp kleenex on a public website because, the critic said, our results are unsustainable. And what does that mean? Well, there lies the mystery.
To be a sustainable organisation is often taken to mean that you somehow can pay for your work without having to ask anyone for help. So, for example, a training restaurant is sustainable because (in theory, at least) the income from the restaurant should support all the costs and training expenses needed to run the organisation.
This is a great concept, but how can you apply it to organisations that rescue teenage girls from brothels... or provide heart surgeries for impoverished children... or give a home to abandoned infants? How can they be expected to develop an income stream to pay for themselves?
So being financially sustainable is great, but it by no means should be the measure of how good an organisation is.
And then there's the other common meaning of sustainability: that when your organisation packs up and disappears, the results of your work live on.
Training restaurants again provide a good example of this. Once trainees, who are usually from disadvantaged backgrounds, have completed their training, they can be fully independent and no longer need any support.
Of course, that's a great goal to aim for. But again, not for everyone. What about organisations that care for the elderly? Or people with severe disabilities? Should these groups of people be expected to somehow show a sustainable result?
Last Friday one of our teen boys, Truong, was sprawled out on a sofa in our centre. He's recently dropped out of school and has been doing work experience in the Blue Dragon kitchen. He's 17 years old, and has no idea what he wants to do with his life. So I had a chat with him, and it went something like this (except in Vietnamese, of course):
Me: Do you want to get a proper job in a restaurant?
Truong: No.
Me: What sort of job would you like to have?
Truong: Dunno.
Me: What about a job selling clothes, or working in a shop?
Truong: Yeah, maybe. But I don't really like talking to people.
Me: What about joining a vocational training course?
Truong: I don't know.
... and so on.
We're hardly heading for a sustainable result with this kid, are we?
But then it hit me: millions of parents around the world must have had conversations exactly like this one with their own teens.
Maybe, just maybe, I was once Truong, with no strong passions, no career plans - just an interest in hanging out with friends and listening to music.
So who says that Truong has to somehow fit into the currently-fashionable mold of sustainability? Is it just because he's an abandoned, neglected, impoverished Vietnamese teen that he is expected to be different to any other teenager around the world? Seems to me that he's a perfectly normal teenage boy. And I, for one, have no problem with that.
Could it be that the development consultants, experts and critics around the world would really have such double standards - allowing their own kids to behave like normal people, while demanding that poor kids in developing countries deliver a sustainable result?
.
The great thing about the word sustainability is that it can mean so many things that in the end, it often means nothing. Blue Dragon recently received a flogging with a very damp kleenex on a public website because, the critic said, our results are unsustainable. And what does that mean? Well, there lies the mystery.
To be a sustainable organisation is often taken to mean that you somehow can pay for your work without having to ask anyone for help. So, for example, a training restaurant is sustainable because (in theory, at least) the income from the restaurant should support all the costs and training expenses needed to run the organisation.
This is a great concept, but how can you apply it to organisations that rescue teenage girls from brothels... or provide heart surgeries for impoverished children... or give a home to abandoned infants? How can they be expected to develop an income stream to pay for themselves?
So being financially sustainable is great, but it by no means should be the measure of how good an organisation is.
And then there's the other common meaning of sustainability: that when your organisation packs up and disappears, the results of your work live on.
Training restaurants again provide a good example of this. Once trainees, who are usually from disadvantaged backgrounds, have completed their training, they can be fully independent and no longer need any support.
Of course, that's a great goal to aim for. But again, not for everyone. What about organisations that care for the elderly? Or people with severe disabilities? Should these groups of people be expected to somehow show a sustainable result?
Last Friday one of our teen boys, Truong, was sprawled out on a sofa in our centre. He's recently dropped out of school and has been doing work experience in the Blue Dragon kitchen. He's 17 years old, and has no idea what he wants to do with his life. So I had a chat with him, and it went something like this (except in Vietnamese, of course):
Me: Do you want to get a proper job in a restaurant?
Truong: No.
Me: What sort of job would you like to have?
Truong: Dunno.
Me: What about a job selling clothes, or working in a shop?
Truong: Yeah, maybe. But I don't really like talking to people.
Me: What about joining a vocational training course?
Truong: I don't know.
... and so on.
We're hardly heading for a sustainable result with this kid, are we?
But then it hit me: millions of parents around the world must have had conversations exactly like this one with their own teens.
Maybe, just maybe, I was once Truong, with no strong passions, no career plans - just an interest in hanging out with friends and listening to music.
So who says that Truong has to somehow fit into the currently-fashionable mold of sustainability? Is it just because he's an abandoned, neglected, impoverished Vietnamese teen that he is expected to be different to any other teenager around the world? Seems to me that he's a perfectly normal teenage boy. And I, for one, have no problem with that.
Could it be that the development consultants, experts and critics around the world would really have such double standards - allowing their own kids to behave like normal people, while demanding that poor kids in developing countries deliver a sustainable result?
.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Day One - Cut!
Some great news today about one of our teen boys, Ly, who is 16 and has been living in a Blue Dragon home for over 2 years. Up until recently, Ly was studying in school, but he didn't start Grade 1 until he was 14, so he's quite a bit behind his peers and not so interested in pursuing an academic career.
So today, after a lot of thought and preparation, Ly started in a training course to become a hairdresser.
Day One has been a great success. He's just come back in, all smiles and thrilled to be in a class with just 2 other students. Seems perfect!
This is a 6 month course, so there's a long road to travel, but we're off to the best start we could hope for.
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So today, after a lot of thought and preparation, Ly started in a training course to become a hairdresser.
Day One has been a great success. He's just come back in, all smiles and thrilled to be in a class with just 2 other students. Seems perfect!
This is a 6 month course, so there's a long road to travel, but we're off to the best start we could hope for.
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Sunday, April 12, 2009
Quieter
Hanoi doesn't have many grassroots charities, so Blue Dragon is quite often in a position where we have to deal with every problem that comes our way - whether or not it's strictly part of our mission, or we have staff to deal with it.
An issue we have faced over the past few years has been how to help very young children whose families are in messy situations. Children aged as young as 5 or 6 have been turning up at our drop-in centre because their parents have died, or are sick, or are in prison, and they've been left in the care of a widowed elderly grandparent who has to work on the streets in order to survive.
Having preschoolers at the centre takes us away from providing a safe place for street kids; the little guys need a very different type of care and supervision. And our usual goals of leading the kids to greater independence, and encouraging self-motivation, just don't apply!
However, providing care to these children is still a terrific thing to do. Turning them away just isn't an option.
During 2008, we had a husband and wife team volunteering with us through VSO (the English volunteer program). Elaine was a school teacher, with a long history of caring for kids with special needs. She personally put in a huge effort with one little boy named Hai who was coming to our centre every day. Hai was so tiny that he looked much more like a 4 year old than a 6 year old; and he so badly lacked social skills that for the first 6 months of him coming to us, he had virtually no communication at all, with anyone. He wouldn't say a word, and he wouldn't look any of us in the eye.
Thanks in very large part to Elaine's efforts, Hai is a completely different child now. He runs about the centre, chattering and playing with stuffed animals like any normal child. And, also thanks to Elaine, our staff are well trained in working with Hai and know how to get through to other children with similar difficulties.
More recently, a little girl has also been coming to the centre every day: Hong, also just 6 years old. She had a wild gleam in her eyes when she first turned up. Her hair was tangled and her clothes were filthy, and her two main emotions were "disengaged" and "angry". The way she lectured and spanked the stuffed toys gave us a fairly good idea of what her home life was like.
But she, too, has undergone something of a transformation. She now smiles widely when she sees the staff; she wants to be picked up and hugged, and she treats the toys now with child-like concern for their welfare. Just like any little girl of the same age.
Having Hong and Hai at the centre made the place much noisier, and the staff have definitely been kept on their toes. But during this last week, our centre suddenly became much quieter.
Hong and Hai have both improved so much in their social skills that they are ready now for preschool. Until recently, no preschool would accept them. They couldn't interact with other children, and needed too much care and attention to fit in.
Remarkably, though, their first week at preschool has been fine, even though the school year is nearing the end. It's still early days, of course, but some early intervention seems to have had a pretty good result.
This might not be what Blue Dragon was set up for, but helping out these two preschoolers has undoubtedly been the right thing to do.
.
An issue we have faced over the past few years has been how to help very young children whose families are in messy situations. Children aged as young as 5 or 6 have been turning up at our drop-in centre because their parents have died, or are sick, or are in prison, and they've been left in the care of a widowed elderly grandparent who has to work on the streets in order to survive.
Having preschoolers at the centre takes us away from providing a safe place for street kids; the little guys need a very different type of care and supervision. And our usual goals of leading the kids to greater independence, and encouraging self-motivation, just don't apply!
However, providing care to these children is still a terrific thing to do. Turning them away just isn't an option.
During 2008, we had a husband and wife team volunteering with us through VSO (the English volunteer program). Elaine was a school teacher, with a long history of caring for kids with special needs. She personally put in a huge effort with one little boy named Hai who was coming to our centre every day. Hai was so tiny that he looked much more like a 4 year old than a 6 year old; and he so badly lacked social skills that for the first 6 months of him coming to us, he had virtually no communication at all, with anyone. He wouldn't say a word, and he wouldn't look any of us in the eye.
Thanks in very large part to Elaine's efforts, Hai is a completely different child now. He runs about the centre, chattering and playing with stuffed animals like any normal child. And, also thanks to Elaine, our staff are well trained in working with Hai and know how to get through to other children with similar difficulties.
More recently, a little girl has also been coming to the centre every day: Hong, also just 6 years old. She had a wild gleam in her eyes when she first turned up. Her hair was tangled and her clothes were filthy, and her two main emotions were "disengaged" and "angry". The way she lectured and spanked the stuffed toys gave us a fairly good idea of what her home life was like.
But she, too, has undergone something of a transformation. She now smiles widely when she sees the staff; she wants to be picked up and hugged, and she treats the toys now with child-like concern for their welfare. Just like any little girl of the same age.
Having Hong and Hai at the centre made the place much noisier, and the staff have definitely been kept on their toes. But during this last week, our centre suddenly became much quieter.
Hong and Hai have both improved so much in their social skills that they are ready now for preschool. Until recently, no preschool would accept them. They couldn't interact with other children, and needed too much care and attention to fit in.
Remarkably, though, their first week at preschool has been fine, even though the school year is nearing the end. It's still early days, of course, but some early intervention seems to have had a pretty good result.
This might not be what Blue Dragon was set up for, but helping out these two preschoolers has undoubtedly been the right thing to do.
.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Fame and fortune
Well, OK, maybe not really. But here's an article that's just come out in East&West Magazine:
http://east-westmag.com/issue13/84-87-13.pdf
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http://east-westmag.com/issue13/84-87-13.pdf
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Sunday, April 05, 2009
New heights
Blue Dragon's soccer team started in early 2003, long before "Blue Dragon" was even a legal entity. At the time, some of my friends and I were teaching English, maths and art to street kids and the rooms we were using just wouldn't hold any more students. So someone came up with the idea of taking it to the soccer field.
Our very first game was not spectacular: just 3 kids turned up. We played on a dirt field, in bare feet, and had a great time.
Since then, we've played 600 games. Yes, 600! - at least 2 games each week, and in the last 6 years there have only ever been a few weeks that we didn't play at all.
The original idea of the soccer was to offer some recreation to street kids, who don't have many safe or legal avenues to have fun. That's still one of our goals, but today the soccer serves as an outreach to street kids and young people around Hanoi's Phuc Tan area - one of the most socially disadvantaged areas of the city. Some weeks we have to sweep aside the discarded syringes before the kids can play; the area around the field is something of a hot spot for heroin users, some of whom come and join in the games.
From our first Sunday game with 3 kids, we've grown quite a bit. For a long time our record number of players was 64, but last week 75 kids turned up and today the number was around 65. We still play on a dirt field, but these days the kids wear shoes thanks to sponsorship we've had from a couple of organisations, including Catholic Relief Services and Asia Pacific Sports Management in Singapore.
Asking the Blue Dragon staff to turn up at a football field at 7.30am every Sunday hasn't been as much of a problem as you might expect. There's a trio who organise and run the games - Tho, Tung, and Diep - and usually a couple of volunteers turn up to help too. Tho and Diep have even received some training by the British Council's Premier League coaching program, so now the games start with a fun warm up and basic training.
As simple as it all is, the soccer games are fantastic: they let street kids come and meet us on familiar turf, and give working kids an hour of no-strings-attached fun. And if only it was held at a more reasonable hour, I might even get down there more often myself!
.
Our very first game was not spectacular: just 3 kids turned up. We played on a dirt field, in bare feet, and had a great time.
Since then, we've played 600 games. Yes, 600! - at least 2 games each week, and in the last 6 years there have only ever been a few weeks that we didn't play at all.
The original idea of the soccer was to offer some recreation to street kids, who don't have many safe or legal avenues to have fun. That's still one of our goals, but today the soccer serves as an outreach to street kids and young people around Hanoi's Phuc Tan area - one of the most socially disadvantaged areas of the city. Some weeks we have to sweep aside the discarded syringes before the kids can play; the area around the field is something of a hot spot for heroin users, some of whom come and join in the games.
From our first Sunday game with 3 kids, we've grown quite a bit. For a long time our record number of players was 64, but last week 75 kids turned up and today the number was around 65. We still play on a dirt field, but these days the kids wear shoes thanks to sponsorship we've had from a couple of organisations, including Catholic Relief Services and Asia Pacific Sports Management in Singapore.
Asking the Blue Dragon staff to turn up at a football field at 7.30am every Sunday hasn't been as much of a problem as you might expect. There's a trio who organise and run the games - Tho, Tung, and Diep - and usually a couple of volunteers turn up to help too. Tho and Diep have even received some training by the British Council's Premier League coaching program, so now the games start with a fun warm up and basic training.
As simple as it all is, the soccer games are fantastic: they let street kids come and meet us on familiar turf, and give working kids an hour of no-strings-attached fun. And if only it was held at a more reasonable hour, I might even get down there more often myself!
.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
A birthday first
On Monday, we had a real cause for celebration: the very first birthday of Dong, one of the teenage boys living in our Hanoi shelter.
Dong has never had a birthday before. Until late last year, he never had a birth certificate, so our staff member Van travelled around the countryside to work with the police and government officials in order to do the impossible: obtain a birth certificate for a 14 year old boy who has no close relatives in existence.
To settle on the actual date, Dong just had to take a guess. He did have a fairly good idea of the year, though.
And so, what should have been his 15th birthday was actually his first. At last, Dong has an annual milestone to look forward to (or, as those of us on the wrong side of our 20s would say: dread).
It might not seem like such a big thing, but imagine a childhood with no birthdays. Imagine not really being sure of your age, and of having nobody notice that you're another year older.
Dong's party was like all the rest: some terrible singing, some corny speeches, loads of food, and some presents. What a terrific event in the life of this wonderful kid.
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Dong has never had a birthday before. Until late last year, he never had a birth certificate, so our staff member Van travelled around the countryside to work with the police and government officials in order to do the impossible: obtain a birth certificate for a 14 year old boy who has no close relatives in existence.
To settle on the actual date, Dong just had to take a guess. He did have a fairly good idea of the year, though.
And so, what should have been his 15th birthday was actually his first. At last, Dong has an annual milestone to look forward to (or, as those of us on the wrong side of our 20s would say: dread).
It might not seem like such a big thing, but imagine a childhood with no birthdays. Imagine not really being sure of your age, and of having nobody notice that you're another year older.
Dong's party was like all the rest: some terrible singing, some corny speeches, loads of food, and some presents. What a terrific event in the life of this wonderful kid.
.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Don't forget the parents
A very common mistake made by charities is forgetting that street kids have families, too.
Of the 800 girls and boys Blue Dragon works with, most have a parent. Some have both parents. Just a few have none, but even those kids usually have an aunt, or a grandfather, or an older cousin.
To have a lasting impact on the life of a child, getting their family involved can be very important. Over the years, there have been some striking cases of parents who didn't care at all about the welfare of their own children, but I'm glad to say that they are the minority. The problem we see much more often is that of parents who simply don't know how to care.
This is something that Blue Dragon can help with.
Last weekend, we ran a two day workshop for parents on anger management and positive discipline. 22 parents came and joined in, which is pretty good... especially as most had to forego a couple of days of earning money in order to do that. (Most parents of Blue Dragon kids work in markets, or collect scrap on the streets. They can't apply for holiday leave from these jobs!).
The parents went away with some new ideas for dealing with their kids; and it was so well received that another course is already being planned for April. Hopefully the children will appreciate the results of this course too!
.
Of the 800 girls and boys Blue Dragon works with, most have a parent. Some have both parents. Just a few have none, but even those kids usually have an aunt, or a grandfather, or an older cousin.
To have a lasting impact on the life of a child, getting their family involved can be very important. Over the years, there have been some striking cases of parents who didn't care at all about the welfare of their own children, but I'm glad to say that they are the minority. The problem we see much more often is that of parents who simply don't know how to care.
This is something that Blue Dragon can help with.
Last weekend, we ran a two day workshop for parents on anger management and positive discipline. 22 parents came and joined in, which is pretty good... especially as most had to forego a couple of days of earning money in order to do that. (Most parents of Blue Dragon kids work in markets, or collect scrap on the streets. They can't apply for holiday leave from these jobs!).
The parents went away with some new ideas for dealing with their kids; and it was so well received that another course is already being planned for April. Hopefully the children will appreciate the results of this course too!
The photo below is of Mr Hao, a local psychologist from the Institute of Psychology,
working with a group of parents.
working with a group of parents.
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Sunday, March 22, 2009
Open for business
Microfinance has become all the rage in recent years.
Some very well managed programs have sprouted in developing countries and have been so tremendously successful that even private businesses and investors have jumped on the bandwagon to lend money to very poor people. Some investors are turning over a healthy profit from this kind of enterprise.
Blue Dragon has been a bit slower to get involved. We don't have the expertise to run a microfinance program - it's much more than just giving out cash and hoping to get it back later. And there's also the fact that we work with children, rather than adults.
Despite this, we've now helped a few young people to start their own businesses, and the results are fairly good so far.
I've written before about the Gold Dragon Shoe Shop in Hoi An which was started by a former street kid named Nam. Even though Hoi An is struggling with the drop in tourist numbers now, Nam's shop is doing OK and he's continuing to use some of his profits to support the Hoi An Children's Home.
More recently, we've helped two older teens establish mobile phone sales and repair shops. One boy, named Doan, was shining shoes in Hanoi when we first met him. He's had a pretty tough life and has long dreamt of 'making something' of himself. Late last year, he set his mind to opening his own business, and with some backing from Blue Dragon he's done it - and going well.
Another young guy with a business idea was a teenager named Thanh, who lives in the countryside with his three brothers. Their parents died a few years back, leaving them in massive debt and without many choices for the future. With some help from donors around the world, Blue Dragon paid off their debts and Thanh has just opened his own mobile phone stand near a university in Hung Yen province.
For both Doan and Thanh, we have helped out with a small grant, as well as a loan that they need to repay over the coming year. And to make sure they can do it, each boy has to come and meet with our accountant Tra once a month to make sure their record keeping is all in order and everything is under control.
From some very small steps, we've had a huge impact on the lives of these teenagers and their entire families. I don't think we'll ever extend our program to help thousands of kids open their own shops, but it's great to see how effective we can be with just a bit of money and guidance.
.
Some very well managed programs have sprouted in developing countries and have been so tremendously successful that even private businesses and investors have jumped on the bandwagon to lend money to very poor people. Some investors are turning over a healthy profit from this kind of enterprise.
Blue Dragon has been a bit slower to get involved. We don't have the expertise to run a microfinance program - it's much more than just giving out cash and hoping to get it back later. And there's also the fact that we work with children, rather than adults.
Despite this, we've now helped a few young people to start their own businesses, and the results are fairly good so far.
I've written before about the Gold Dragon Shoe Shop in Hoi An which was started by a former street kid named Nam. Even though Hoi An is struggling with the drop in tourist numbers now, Nam's shop is doing OK and he's continuing to use some of his profits to support the Hoi An Children's Home.
More recently, we've helped two older teens establish mobile phone sales and repair shops. One boy, named Doan, was shining shoes in Hanoi when we first met him. He's had a pretty tough life and has long dreamt of 'making something' of himself. Late last year, he set his mind to opening his own business, and with some backing from Blue Dragon he's done it - and going well.
Another young guy with a business idea was a teenager named Thanh, who lives in the countryside with his three brothers. Their parents died a few years back, leaving them in massive debt and without many choices for the future. With some help from donors around the world, Blue Dragon paid off their debts and Thanh has just opened his own mobile phone stand near a university in Hung Yen province.
For both Doan and Thanh, we have helped out with a small grant, as well as a loan that they need to repay over the coming year. And to make sure they can do it, each boy has to come and meet with our accountant Tra once a month to make sure their record keeping is all in order and everything is under control.
From some very small steps, we've had a huge impact on the lives of these teenagers and their entire families. I don't think we'll ever extend our program to help thousands of kids open their own shops, but it's great to see how effective we can be with just a bit of money and guidance.
.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Bowled!
Some happy news from Hanoi... a group of school students from Maine dropped by and organised to take some of our kids with disabilities to 10 pin bowling last weekend.
Teenagers from the Blue Dragon center joined in to help out... a terrific afternoon for everyone. I'll let the photos tell the story...
Teenagers from the Blue Dragon center joined in to help out... a terrific afternoon for everyone. I'll let the photos tell the story...
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Newsletter
It's time for the biggest publication of the quarter - the Blue Dragon Newsletter!
If you haven't received a copy, send an email to Amy at info@bdcf.org. This edition features an article on how the global financial crisis is impacting Vietnamese families, as well as stories on the kids at Blue Dragon.
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If you haven't received a copy, send an email to Amy at info@bdcf.org. This edition features an article on how the global financial crisis is impacting Vietnamese families, as well as stories on the kids at Blue Dragon.
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Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Developments
Although I'm in Sydney now, the team back in Vietnam has been taking care of things (as usual!) and it's a great relief to know the kids are in good hands.
A couple of important updates...
- Although we couldn't locate the 4 missing children from Hue last week, we have some new information about which factories they might be in. A local journalist, who has been following this case, and some police will be following up these leads in a day or two. We're really hopeful that this matter will be resolved soon.
- The very first trafficked child we ever rescued, Ngoc, is starting this week as a kitchen hand at Pane e Vino restaurant in Hanoi! Ngoc is still at school, but as his classes are only in the afternoons he's been studying cooking at a vocational training college and now he's ready to start earning some money. We're all really proud to see Ngoc taking these steps to independence.
- There are several Blue Dragon kids about to start in apprenticeships or training courses - ranging from hairdressing courses to mobile telephone repair to English classes at Language Link. At the same time, we're speaking to our older kids who are thinking about university. This August we're expecting to have at least 5 of the Blue Dragon teenagers applying to uni and college.
- And I'm getting ready for a big fundraising dinner in Cabramatta this Saturday night. The Vietnamese Australian community is putting on a special evening to raise support for the victims of trafficking who we have been helping. If you're in Sydney and want to find out more, contact the organiser, Vuong, on vuongkevin@gmail.com. It will be a great night...
I plan to post another blog in a day or two - sorry for the recent silences!
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A couple of important updates...
- Although we couldn't locate the 4 missing children from Hue last week, we have some new information about which factories they might be in. A local journalist, who has been following this case, and some police will be following up these leads in a day or two. We're really hopeful that this matter will be resolved soon.
- The very first trafficked child we ever rescued, Ngoc, is starting this week as a kitchen hand at Pane e Vino restaurant in Hanoi! Ngoc is still at school, but as his classes are only in the afternoons he's been studying cooking at a vocational training college and now he's ready to start earning some money. We're all really proud to see Ngoc taking these steps to independence.
- There are several Blue Dragon kids about to start in apprenticeships or training courses - ranging from hairdressing courses to mobile telephone repair to English classes at Language Link. At the same time, we're speaking to our older kids who are thinking about university. This August we're expecting to have at least 5 of the Blue Dragon teenagers applying to uni and college.
- And I'm getting ready for a big fundraising dinner in Cabramatta this Saturday night. The Vietnamese Australian community is putting on a special evening to raise support for the victims of trafficking who we have been helping. If you're in Sydney and want to find out more, contact the organiser, Vuong, on vuongkevin@gmail.com. It will be a great night...
I plan to post another blog in a day or two - sorry for the recent silences!
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Friday, March 06, 2009
From afar...
I'm in Australia now, here to attend some events for Blue Dragon. Strange to be here - everything seems so quiet, and clean, and well organised... I really feel out of place!
Back in Vietnam, our staff are working out how to locate the 4 missing children who I wrote about in the last 2 blogs. We're not going to give up on them. We are getting some information through our networks - we know they're safe, at least, which is something. But they need to be home with their families, not slaving away in factories against their will.
And a quick note: we've created a new webpage for Blue Dragon. Go check it out here - www.streetkidsinvietnam.com - and let us know what you think. (Oh, and drop us a line if you see any errors! It really is brand spanking new!)
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Back in Vietnam, our staff are working out how to locate the 4 missing children who I wrote about in the last 2 blogs. We're not going to give up on them. We are getting some information through our networks - we know they're safe, at least, which is something. But they need to be home with their families, not slaving away in factories against their will.
And a quick note: we've created a new webpage for Blue Dragon. Go check it out here - www.streetkidsinvietnam.com - and let us know what you think. (Oh, and drop us a line if you see any errors! It really is brand spanking new!)
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Tuesday, March 03, 2009
It's bad news
This morning I wrote that Blue Dragon staff are looking for kids who seem to have been kidnapped from their families in Hue. We had some potential leads, but they've all fallen through.
We haven't found them.
But this is not the end - we just need to get creative. The traffickers have lied to the families about where the children are, and they've also lied to government officials who contacted them by phone to ask for their address.
Seems to me that the traffickers are digging themselves a deep hole. It's bitterly disappointing that we have not located the 4 kids, but we will. We're not giving up on this.
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We haven't found them.
But this is not the end - we just need to get creative. The traffickers have lied to the families about where the children are, and they've also lied to government officials who contacted them by phone to ask for their address.
Seems to me that the traffickers are digging themselves a deep hole. It's bitterly disappointing that we have not located the 4 kids, but we will. We're not giving up on this.
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Kidnapped?
There's a new and frightening twist to my tales of child trafficking here in Vietnam...
For some years now, Blue Dragon has been rescuing trafficked children and doing our best to disable the trafficking rings. We've had some good success although it's been long, slow work. Our focus has been children from Hue, in central Vietnam, who have been taken to Saigon to work on the streets or in garment factories.
Up until now, the traffickers have simply relied on deceit to get parents to hand their children over. They've promised training, an education, a free flow of money... all lies, but very persuasive. The families they target live in extreme poverty, often in tents or shacks erected on sand.
Things are different now: the families and communities are fully aware of the traffickers, they know about their lies and they refuse to sell their children. The traffickers don't have such an easy job any more.
In response, the traffickers appear to have suddenly started something new: taking the children without anybody's knowledge or permission.
There are 4 families in Hue, all living in terrible conditions, who each lost one child on one day about 2 weeks ago. The parents went out fishing on the sea, and when they returned their child was gone. No explanation. But now there are reports that the 4 children have turned up in Saigon, working in a garment factory...
I hesitate to call this kidnapping, because I don't have all the facts yet. There's not much chance that the children ran away: they wouldn't have the resources to travel 600kms and then find a factory! But maybe they agreed to go with the traffickers - which is still a dubious explanation. They're all under 16, so the traffickers knew that they'd need the parents' consent.
I'm not sure how this story is going to end. Too much doesn't make sense yet. Our lawyer, Van, is in Saigon now looking for the children, and we do have reason to hope he will find them. But Saigon is a large city... And the traffickers are not going to be happy to see him.
I hope to have some news tonight or on Wednesday. Here's hoping it's good news.
.
For some years now, Blue Dragon has been rescuing trafficked children and doing our best to disable the trafficking rings. We've had some good success although it's been long, slow work. Our focus has been children from Hue, in central Vietnam, who have been taken to Saigon to work on the streets or in garment factories.
Up until now, the traffickers have simply relied on deceit to get parents to hand their children over. They've promised training, an education, a free flow of money... all lies, but very persuasive. The families they target live in extreme poverty, often in tents or shacks erected on sand.
Things are different now: the families and communities are fully aware of the traffickers, they know about their lies and they refuse to sell their children. The traffickers don't have such an easy job any more.
In response, the traffickers appear to have suddenly started something new: taking the children without anybody's knowledge or permission.
There are 4 families in Hue, all living in terrible conditions, who each lost one child on one day about 2 weeks ago. The parents went out fishing on the sea, and when they returned their child was gone. No explanation. But now there are reports that the 4 children have turned up in Saigon, working in a garment factory...
I hesitate to call this kidnapping, because I don't have all the facts yet. There's not much chance that the children ran away: they wouldn't have the resources to travel 600kms and then find a factory! But maybe they agreed to go with the traffickers - which is still a dubious explanation. They're all under 16, so the traffickers knew that they'd need the parents' consent.
I'm not sure how this story is going to end. Too much doesn't make sense yet. Our lawyer, Van, is in Saigon now looking for the children, and we do have reason to hope he will find them. But Saigon is a large city... And the traffickers are not going to be happy to see him.
I hope to have some news tonight or on Wednesday. Here's hoping it's good news.
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Thursday, February 26, 2009
Go, Oscar, go!
How cool is this...
UNIS school in Hanoi has organised a walkathon on Friday 27th to raise money for the Blue Dragon kids.
One of the keenest walkers, a 4 year old named Oscar, has posted a movie on YouTube to appeal for sponsorship. (Well, OK, I think his mum helped with some of it).
Check it out here!
We'll be cheering for you, Oscar!
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UNIS school in Hanoi has organised a walkathon on Friday 27th to raise money for the Blue Dragon kids.
One of the keenest walkers, a 4 year old named Oscar, has posted a movie on YouTube to appeal for sponsorship. (Well, OK, I think his mum helped with some of it).
Check it out here!
We'll be cheering for you, Oscar!
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Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Long time coming
A small but significant milestone this week...
For well over a year, Blue Dragon has wanted to build a house for a particular family in Hue. They've been living in this bamboo hut on stilts above a swamp:
... and in case you're thinking "well, that looks quite sturdy", here's a shot of the floor inside:
The fact that there were 5 children living in a house that was on the verge of collapsing was not the only reason we wanted to help. Their eldest son, Ky, was one of the first children we rescued from child traffickers and reunited with his parents. At the time we took him home, we promised him that his life would be better now; we needed to make good on that promise.
So we appealed for donations and had some promises of support. The Hanoi International Women's Club came good with $1000; Marc Gold from 100 Friends offered another $1000; and three individuals - Eva Bengtsson, Amy Ha and Quyen Trang, donated a few hundred more.
Enough to build the house!
But... there was quite a long delay in securing land for the family. The local government was committed to granting a block of land on which to build the house, but no land was available until early this year.
However - it's done! Finished! Het roi, as they say in Vietnam.
The Red Cross, who helped us with the building, organised an Opening Ceremony for the house... although they wanted to delay it until I could get there, or one of the Blue Dragon staff from Hanoi could attend. Our answer: No more delays! Have the ceremony and let the family move in!
I can't wait to see it for myself. The parents so happy to have a house that won't blow down in a storm... And I'm glad to say that we could finally prove to little Ky that things really are getting better for him and his family.
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For well over a year, Blue Dragon has wanted to build a house for a particular family in Hue. They've been living in this bamboo hut on stilts above a swamp:
... and in case you're thinking "well, that looks quite sturdy", here's a shot of the floor inside:
The fact that there were 5 children living in a house that was on the verge of collapsing was not the only reason we wanted to help. Their eldest son, Ky, was one of the first children we rescued from child traffickers and reunited with his parents. At the time we took him home, we promised him that his life would be better now; we needed to make good on that promise.
So we appealed for donations and had some promises of support. The Hanoi International Women's Club came good with $1000; Marc Gold from 100 Friends offered another $1000; and three individuals - Eva Bengtsson, Amy Ha and Quyen Trang, donated a few hundred more.
Enough to build the house!
But... there was quite a long delay in securing land for the family. The local government was committed to granting a block of land on which to build the house, but no land was available until early this year.
However - it's done! Finished! Het roi, as they say in Vietnam.
The Red Cross, who helped us with the building, organised an Opening Ceremony for the house... although they wanted to delay it until I could get there, or one of the Blue Dragon staff from Hanoi could attend. Our answer: No more delays! Have the ceremony and let the family move in!
I can't wait to see it for myself. The parents so happy to have a house that won't blow down in a storm... And I'm glad to say that we could finally prove to little Ky that things really are getting better for him and his family.
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Sunday, February 22, 2009
Dragon of the River Banks
A big event last night - the launch of a photography book, Dragon of the River Banks, produced by Blue Dragon Children's Foundation.
Our kids have studying photography over recent months with an English photographer named Darren Zlatareff. The end result is a collection of photos of the Long Bien bridge, a major landmark in Hanoi and also the place where many street kids live and work.
The whole project was sponsored by ArtAction (previously ArtVenture) in Singapore and last night's launch was at Hanoi's Bookworm.
Below are some pics of the launch, but click here to see some samples of the photos taken by the children. They really are impressive...
The Bookworm was packed...
... so the crowd took over the street!
Some of the photographers receiving a copy of the book.
The photographer, Darren, is holding up a book beside one of the kids whose work
is included in the book.
The launch gave the kids a great chance to shine. They were so proud to see people buying the book, and ordering prints of their photography - and people weren't just being charitable. Their photography was exceptional!
Good on ya, Blue Dragon kids...
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Our kids have studying photography over recent months with an English photographer named Darren Zlatareff. The end result is a collection of photos of the Long Bien bridge, a major landmark in Hanoi and also the place where many street kids live and work.
The whole project was sponsored by ArtAction (previously ArtVenture) in Singapore and last night's launch was at Hanoi's Bookworm.
Below are some pics of the launch, but click here to see some samples of the photos taken by the children. They really are impressive...
The Bookworm was packed... 
... so the crowd took over the street! 
Some of the photographers receiving a copy of the book. 
The photographer, Darren, is holding up a book beside one of the kids whose work is included in the book.
The launch gave the kids a great chance to shine. They were so proud to see people buying the book, and ordering prints of their photography - and people weren't just being charitable. Their photography was exceptional!
Good on ya, Blue Dragon kids...
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Thursday, February 19, 2009
Not getting through
It's come to my attention that a lot of emails to my bdcf.org email account have been disappearing into the ether - perhaps for over a month now.
If you've emailed me and I haven't responded, chances are I didn't get your message!
Get me at bluesep @ gmail.com... and apologies if you're wondering why I never write back...
.
If you've emailed me and I haven't responded, chances are I didn't get your message!
Get me at bluesep @ gmail.com... and apologies if you're wondering why I never write back...
.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
All rice
Rice is being delivered!
The families gather at a rice distribution point...
This is Viet, who was trafficked a few years ago to work on the streets of Saigon. He's living with his family now and doing really well at school.
BIG THANKS to those people who respond to my blog last week and came through with the money to make this happen. (Scroll down to "Paradise for some" if you're not sure what I'm talking about!) Thanks to you, these 20 families won't be going hungry...
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The families gather at a rice distribution point... 
This is Viet, who was trafficked a few years ago to work on the streets of Saigon. He's living with his family now and doing really well at school. BIG THANKS to those people who respond to my blog last week and came through with the money to make this happen. (Scroll down to "Paradise for some" if you're not sure what I'm talking about!) Thanks to you, these 20 families won't be going hungry...
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Tuesday, February 17, 2009
All rise
One heartbreaking part of my work at Blue Dragon is being able to foresee the 'destiny' of individual children, but not being able to do anything about it.
It's heartbreaking, because I can often see where the kids are headed, but nothing I say or do can get them off the path they are on. These are the kids who are constantly on the edge, pushing the boundaries, running risks - and most times, their families are already in prison, or living with addictions. It doesn't take a fortune teller to predict where these kids are likely to end up.
But on some occasions, I have seen kids change track and surprise everyone. On how many occasions? Well, enough to make me keep working here.
This morning I attended the district court along with one of our teenage boys, who has been charged with stealing a badge from a car.
Tu - not his real name, of course - has been a part of Blue Dragon for almost 3 years. His life story is one of the more fascinating: he's lived in Ho Chi Minh City, he spent over a year working in China, and when I first met him he was surviving by collecting scrap on the streets of Hanoi. There's a lot more to his story, and many details I still don't know about.
He was about 14 years old then, and he's about 17 now - but these are just rough guesses as he has no birth certificate. Tu's family never bothered to mark his birth date. After his parents divorced, he was passed around from family member to family member, and often left to fend for himself.
Tu is a quiet kid, and very bright: when he puts his mind to it, he can easily come top of his class. He says little, and even at Blue Dragon many staff and kids find him something of an enigma.
Tu was arrested in November last year, having ripped the badge off a brand new Ford. Apparently these badges can be resold for a lot of money: lots of street kids in Hanoi fund themselves through this badge theft. The owner of the car, although furious at first, has forgiven Tu and shown considerable empathy toward him. The police, too, were quite compassionate when they learnt Tu's story and realised that he has no family they could call on.
In short, Tu is a good kid in a bad situation. And today he went to court.
There was a lot of information for the court to take into consideration: since his arrest, Tu has been working part time in the Blue Dragon kitchen, as well as going to school, and his behaviour has been excellent. The fact that the victim of the crime forgave him also went in his favour.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Tu was handed a suspended sentence. He's not going to prison (which was a potential outcome) but he has a second chance to get things right.
Based on how he's been going over the past few months, there's every indication that Tu will use this second chance. He's hugely relieved to not have a harsher sentence, and he already has plans to keep on studying and working. Tu knows how fortunate he is to have this chance.
I've known Tu for a few years now, and I've always believed that he would make something of himself, although at times I've been a minority in holding that view. Today I see in him a young man on the rise: he's determined to change his circumstances and make something of his life.
And I really, truly, believe that he will do it.
.
It's heartbreaking, because I can often see where the kids are headed, but nothing I say or do can get them off the path they are on. These are the kids who are constantly on the edge, pushing the boundaries, running risks - and most times, their families are already in prison, or living with addictions. It doesn't take a fortune teller to predict where these kids are likely to end up.
But on some occasions, I have seen kids change track and surprise everyone. On how many occasions? Well, enough to make me keep working here.
This morning I attended the district court along with one of our teenage boys, who has been charged with stealing a badge from a car.
Tu - not his real name, of course - has been a part of Blue Dragon for almost 3 years. His life story is one of the more fascinating: he's lived in Ho Chi Minh City, he spent over a year working in China, and when I first met him he was surviving by collecting scrap on the streets of Hanoi. There's a lot more to his story, and many details I still don't know about.
He was about 14 years old then, and he's about 17 now - but these are just rough guesses as he has no birth certificate. Tu's family never bothered to mark his birth date. After his parents divorced, he was passed around from family member to family member, and often left to fend for himself.
Tu is a quiet kid, and very bright: when he puts his mind to it, he can easily come top of his class. He says little, and even at Blue Dragon many staff and kids find him something of an enigma.
Tu was arrested in November last year, having ripped the badge off a brand new Ford. Apparently these badges can be resold for a lot of money: lots of street kids in Hanoi fund themselves through this badge theft. The owner of the car, although furious at first, has forgiven Tu and shown considerable empathy toward him. The police, too, were quite compassionate when they learnt Tu's story and realised that he has no family they could call on.
In short, Tu is a good kid in a bad situation. And today he went to court.
There was a lot of information for the court to take into consideration: since his arrest, Tu has been working part time in the Blue Dragon kitchen, as well as going to school, and his behaviour has been excellent. The fact that the victim of the crime forgave him also went in his favour.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Tu was handed a suspended sentence. He's not going to prison (which was a potential outcome) but he has a second chance to get things right.
Based on how he's been going over the past few months, there's every indication that Tu will use this second chance. He's hugely relieved to not have a harsher sentence, and he already has plans to keep on studying and working. Tu knows how fortunate he is to have this chance.
I've known Tu for a few years now, and I've always believed that he would make something of himself, although at times I've been a minority in holding that view. Today I see in him a young man on the rise: he's determined to change his circumstances and make something of his life.
And I really, truly, believe that he will do it.
.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Paradise for some
Hue, in central Vietnam, is a beautiful place. Hue City was once the capital city of Vietnam, and so is a goldmine of history - tombs, citadels, statues, the lot.
Outside the city, Hue's countryside is idyllic, from the mountain jungles to the white sand beaches.
Every time I visit Hue, and go to see the families supported by Blue Dragon, I am struck by the beauty of where they live. Their homes line the beaches, looking out over the ocean: I often think that a plot of land in a similar spot outside Sydney, or California, would have a price tag starting in the millions.
But these families are not 'real estate rich.' They live where they do because nobody else wants to live there, in the face of typhoons, far from basic services like fresh water and electricity. Their homes face the beach not for the view, but because the water is their sole source of livelihood: fish. Fathers and sons spend 2 weeks at a time out on boats hauling fish. The pay is meager and the dangers many.
The reason Blue Dragon works there is that many families make so little money, they must let traffickers take their children to work in factories just to be sure the family has enough to eat.
In the past 10 days, we've received many requests from the families in Hue for some extra food. Right now, the weather is bad, the fish aren't biting, and families are starting to go hungry. We need to get them some rice!
This is just a short term fix - we have 20 families needing rice for 3 months. The total bill will come to 14,000,000 VND - that's about $835 US, or $1,250 AUD. Twenty families will be fed for 3 months!
If you can help, please email me directly - bluedragon@bdcf.org.
It's hard to imagine in today's world that anybody needs to go hungry. How can it be?
Updates:
Thursday: Alison from ACCV has pledged $400AUD to help - that's enough for about 6 families. Big electronic hugs, Alison!
Friday: Steve - a.k.a Our Man has pledged 50 GBP, and I can't find the "pounds" symbol on my keyboard. Thank you Steve.
Friday again: $100AUD from Rachel Welch. Thanks - we're about half way there!
Tuesday: Vo Minh has donated another $300 US.... so the pressure is off now.
Thanks everyone!!
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Saturday, February 07, 2009
Now for the gold dragon
Here's a link to a story in this week's Vietnam News (in English) about a young man named Nam, from Hoi An town, who recently opened his own shop. It's called The Gold Dragon Shoe Shop.
It's not just any shoe shop, though. Nam used to be a street kid, and he's donating some of his profits to support the Hoi An Children's Home.
The news article tells the whole story... except for the address! 495 Cua Dai Street, Hoi An.
Get on the phone to your travel agent, book your flight to central Vietnam, and get yourself some shoes made!
Or... just enjoy this great story...
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It's not just any shoe shop, though. Nam used to be a street kid, and he's donating some of his profits to support the Hoi An Children's Home.
The news article tells the whole story... except for the address! 495 Cua Dai Street, Hoi An.
Get on the phone to your travel agent, book your flight to central Vietnam, and get yourself some shoes made!
Or... just enjoy this great story...
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Sunday, February 01, 2009
Ain't no angel
I've been writing a lot during recent months about the work Blue Dragon does in rescuing kids who are forced to work for garment factories in Ho Chi Minh City.
Each time I write, I struggle to capture the feelings involved in this work: the hopelessness and misery of the children, as well as the disbelief and extraordinary relief they show when we tell them they are free to go home.
There's a line from Bruce Springsteen's Philadelphia that's been playing through my head lately (yeah, I'm secretly a bit of a Bruce fan):
Ain't no angel gonna greet me. It's just you and I, my friend.
When we meet trafficked children, whether it's on the streets as beggars, or as prostitutes in brothels, or as bonded labor in factories, this is what the look in their eye says. There's no hope that anyone, even an angel, is going to appear; there's just no hope at all. The kids are lucky if they have someone else their age to befriend them.
I have a video - it's just a few seconds - which I have hesitated to post on the blog, but which I think deserves to be seen. The little guy in the clip has just been told by our staff that we're taking him home. He doesn't believe us, so we ring his mother and give him the phone to let him hear it from her.
He's so shocked and overwhelmed with relief that he can't even talk - the nightmare is over, the unbelievable has happened. And in his silence, you can see a shade of what life must have been like for him up until this moment.
.
Each time I write, I struggle to capture the feelings involved in this work: the hopelessness and misery of the children, as well as the disbelief and extraordinary relief they show when we tell them they are free to go home.
There's a line from Bruce Springsteen's Philadelphia that's been playing through my head lately (yeah, I'm secretly a bit of a Bruce fan):
Ain't no angel gonna greet me. It's just you and I, my friend.
When we meet trafficked children, whether it's on the streets as beggars, or as prostitutes in brothels, or as bonded labor in factories, this is what the look in their eye says. There's no hope that anyone, even an angel, is going to appear; there's just no hope at all. The kids are lucky if they have someone else their age to befriend them.
I have a video - it's just a few seconds - which I have hesitated to post on the blog, but which I think deserves to be seen. The little guy in the clip has just been told by our staff that we're taking him home. He doesn't believe us, so we ring his mother and give him the phone to let him hear it from her.
He's so shocked and overwhelmed with relief that he can't even talk - the nightmare is over, the unbelievable has happened. And in his silence, you can see a shade of what life must have been like for him up until this moment.
.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
The disappearance
Hanoi is eerily quiet in the post-Tet peace that sets in every year and lasts just a few days...
While all the staff are on holidays, I'm supervising the few kids who are left behind in our shelter, with no family to go home to. They're good kids, and don't need much in the way of supervision, so I have plenty of time to reflect on the past year and all that has happened.
Over the past 12 months, the saddest development on the streets has been the increase in the number of kids who get caught up in gangs and drug dealing. Mostly the gangs steal fruit from markets and re-sell it, then use the money to play games and eat through the next day. But more and more, they are breaking into houses, stealing car parts, and selling heroin. And then there's the fighting, which always involves knives.
There's a group of boys who live on the edges of these gangs; they have one foot on the streets, and one foot in Blue Dragon. Some have lived in our shelter, where I am now staying, then returned to the streets when the lure of fast money and the thrill of the chase became too strong.
Many of those same kids are now in prison or detention centres.
Each time one of our kids is arrested, my feelings are badly torn. I am filled with grief to see them start down the inevitable path of institutionalisation, and with fear for how they must feel in those first days and weeks of incarceration, before they find friends and small comforts in their new world. But I am also relieved, in a guilty kind of way, that the other Blue Dragon kids - those who are tempted to go back to the streets but have chosen not to do so - can see that they have made the right choice. Their envy of the teens with motorbikes and pockets full of cash soon evaporates when they hear of them landing in prison.
But then there are the kids who simply disappear. This does not happen often, but it worries me sick when it does. And it's just recently happened to a 15 year old named Hung.
I won't post a photo, but many volunteers and visitors will know Hung: he has an angelic face, he's shy, but he argues like a lawyer and seems to always be around when there's trouble. As one of our staff recently said: "He's just a typical teenager with a bad attitude."
I like Hung. I've met his family, who care for him but are unable to understand his needs and desires. He's bright, but leads from behind. He shuns the spotlight but ever since I met him 2 years ago I have learned that he knows what's going on and, 9 times out of 10, he's involved.
Hung did manage to come off the streets for a whole year, and he was doing really well but in September things started to go badly for him and he returned to the streets. We tried renting a small room for him, we tried sending him to school and training, but nothing seemed to work. Still, he'd come back to us every day for lunch, and sometimes come to hang out for dinner as well. Whenever he got picked up by the police our staff would go down to the station to sit by his side and talk things through with the officers.
About 2 weeks ago, though, something happened. Some of our kids saw Hung sitting in an internet cafe when a man came in, declaring himself a policeman, and handcuffed Hung. He lead him away, and nobody has seen him since.
Our local police know nothing about this. The district level police stations claim the same. Hung's family knows nothing either. We've been watching for Hung to log on to his chat service, but it's been silent. It's as though he has just disappeared into the winter fog, and no explanation makes any sense.
Maybe he's fine; maybe in coming weeks we'll find out where he is and what has happened. My past experience tells me not to panic. But deep down inside I fear that he's not OK.
Wherever Hung is, I hope that he knows someone is thinking of him.
.
While all the staff are on holidays, I'm supervising the few kids who are left behind in our shelter, with no family to go home to. They're good kids, and don't need much in the way of supervision, so I have plenty of time to reflect on the past year and all that has happened.
Over the past 12 months, the saddest development on the streets has been the increase in the number of kids who get caught up in gangs and drug dealing. Mostly the gangs steal fruit from markets and re-sell it, then use the money to play games and eat through the next day. But more and more, they are breaking into houses, stealing car parts, and selling heroin. And then there's the fighting, which always involves knives.
There's a group of boys who live on the edges of these gangs; they have one foot on the streets, and one foot in Blue Dragon. Some have lived in our shelter, where I am now staying, then returned to the streets when the lure of fast money and the thrill of the chase became too strong.
Many of those same kids are now in prison or detention centres.
Each time one of our kids is arrested, my feelings are badly torn. I am filled with grief to see them start down the inevitable path of institutionalisation, and with fear for how they must feel in those first days and weeks of incarceration, before they find friends and small comforts in their new world. But I am also relieved, in a guilty kind of way, that the other Blue Dragon kids - those who are tempted to go back to the streets but have chosen not to do so - can see that they have made the right choice. Their envy of the teens with motorbikes and pockets full of cash soon evaporates when they hear of them landing in prison.
But then there are the kids who simply disappear. This does not happen often, but it worries me sick when it does. And it's just recently happened to a 15 year old named Hung.
I won't post a photo, but many volunteers and visitors will know Hung: he has an angelic face, he's shy, but he argues like a lawyer and seems to always be around when there's trouble. As one of our staff recently said: "He's just a typical teenager with a bad attitude."
I like Hung. I've met his family, who care for him but are unable to understand his needs and desires. He's bright, but leads from behind. He shuns the spotlight but ever since I met him 2 years ago I have learned that he knows what's going on and, 9 times out of 10, he's involved.
Hung did manage to come off the streets for a whole year, and he was doing really well but in September things started to go badly for him and he returned to the streets. We tried renting a small room for him, we tried sending him to school and training, but nothing seemed to work. Still, he'd come back to us every day for lunch, and sometimes come to hang out for dinner as well. Whenever he got picked up by the police our staff would go down to the station to sit by his side and talk things through with the officers.
About 2 weeks ago, though, something happened. Some of our kids saw Hung sitting in an internet cafe when a man came in, declaring himself a policeman, and handcuffed Hung. He lead him away, and nobody has seen him since.
Our local police know nothing about this. The district level police stations claim the same. Hung's family knows nothing either. We've been watching for Hung to log on to his chat service, but it's been silent. It's as though he has just disappeared into the winter fog, and no explanation makes any sense.
Maybe he's fine; maybe in coming weeks we'll find out where he is and what has happened. My past experience tells me not to panic. But deep down inside I fear that he's not OK.
Wherever Hung is, I hope that he knows someone is thinking of him.
.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The match
Last weekend, Blue Dragon held a friendly match of soccer against trainees from KOTO, a hospitality training restaurant here in Hanoi.
Blue Dragon kids play soccer every Sunday morning, but a match or a tournament is always something extra special.
It was a great game (how could it not be?) and all the kids had a terrific time. Some pics below from the wonderful Amy...
Isn't this guy too little to be goalie?
Action! The Blue Dragon kids are wearing the blue shirts.
Nam, pictured in blue, was a shoeshine boy but is now
a chef at a fine restaurant.
Break time...
Some fruit to keep the bodies going...
The Blue Dragon staff really enjoyed the break!
... and the final score was 3-2 to Blue Dragon!
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Blue Dragon kids play soccer every Sunday morning, but a match or a tournament is always something extra special.
It was a great game (how could it not be?) and all the kids had a terrific time. Some pics below from the wonderful Amy...
Isn't this guy too little to be goalie? 
Action! The Blue Dragon kids are wearing the blue shirts. Nam, pictured in blue, was a shoeshine boy but is now
a chef at a fine restaurant.
Break time... 
Some fruit to keep the bodies going... 
The Blue Dragon staff really enjoyed the break! 
... and the final score was 3-2 to Blue Dragon! .
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
That time of year
Christmas and New Year raced by in a blur, but here in
The last few weeks have been incredibly quiet on the email front (my inbox has slowed right down from the usual 30-40 emails I normally get each day) - so I am guessing that most of the world is blissfully in holiday mode. But here, preparations for Tet have been quite consuming - hence my silence in recent weeks!
Blue Dragon is working in 4 locations in
The Hanoi Tet Awards Night is our biggest celebration, as we recognise the children's individual achievements. This year, about 230 kids were invited to the night, which was held in the ballroom of the
Chinh and Uyen gave the opening speeches at Tet Awards...
Food time!
... and of course, everybody wanted their photo taken.
It's hard to put into words, but this is a very special event: an outside observer would never know the incredible hardships that these children have been through over the past year. My blog only contains a fraction of the stories that could be told... but Tet Awards is the night to say farewell to the difficulties of the past, and welcome the new year with dancing, singing, and lots and lots of presents.
Hoi An, in
Up in
The kids gathered outside the ancient Hue Citadel
Lunch included a quick game with pipe cleaners!
And finally, the 350 children we send to school in Bac Ninh province, north of
So what's the point of all this? Isn't this just fun for the sake of fun? Yeah, it is. Blue Dragon has a statement of beliefs that starts off with the words: "All children have the right to be children." This really struck me at the
What could be more worthwhile than that?
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Tuesday, January 06, 2009
A link
Here's a link to an article that's been written about our work getting kids out of factories in Ho Chi Minh City:
Thanh Nien article
And yes, it calls us Green Dragon - a small translation error...
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Thanh Nien article
And yes, it calls us Green Dragon - a small translation error...
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Sunday, January 04, 2009
A great ending followed by a terrible beginning
The final weeks of 2008 marked a major milestone in our work with the victims of child trafficking. Until now, we have been taking kids a few at a time off the streets and out of factories and reuniting them with their families. This has been powerful work: often moving, sometimes frustrating, but always worthwhile.
At the same time, though, we've been trying to land a punch at the belly of the trafficking rings. We have been aiming to put this topic of trafficking and exploitation into the public arena, where Vietnamese people and their government representatives can have their say about what's going on.
Finally, we've done it. The leading newspaper in Vietnam, Tuoi Tre, has run a series of 6 articles, as well as publishing reader's comments and some editorial pieces. Each article in the series has taken a different angle, but each has basically been about the very same issues that we've been working on since 2005.
The icing on the cake is that the minister for Social Affairs has met with the newspaper's chief editors to discuss their articles, and also instructed the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs to get involved and to put a stop to child labour in garment factories.
Things are suddenly looking a whole lot better for thousands of children...
But in a reminder that laurels are not for resting on, our return to work at Blue Dragon after the new year holiday has been pretty awful. Four kids we know and work with have been arrested over 2 separate incidents, both of which are fairly serious. Another of the boys from our main home in Hanoi started off the new year in hospital with an apparent case of pneumonia AND measles.
Not a promising start to 2009 - but then again, that's why we're here...
At the same time, though, we've been trying to land a punch at the belly of the trafficking rings. We have been aiming to put this topic of trafficking and exploitation into the public arena, where Vietnamese people and their government representatives can have their say about what's going on.
Finally, we've done it. The leading newspaper in Vietnam, Tuoi Tre, has run a series of 6 articles, as well as publishing reader's comments and some editorial pieces. Each article in the series has taken a different angle, but each has basically been about the very same issues that we've been working on since 2005.
The icing on the cake is that the minister for Social Affairs has met with the newspaper's chief editors to discuss their articles, and also instructed the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs to get involved and to put a stop to child labour in garment factories.
Things are suddenly looking a whole lot better for thousands of children...
But in a reminder that laurels are not for resting on, our return to work at Blue Dragon after the new year holiday has been pretty awful. Four kids we know and work with have been arrested over 2 separate incidents, both of which are fairly serious. Another of the boys from our main home in Hanoi started off the new year in hospital with an apparent case of pneumonia AND measles.
Not a promising start to 2009 - but then again, that's why we're here...
Sunday, December 28, 2008
More than 100 Friends
The way Blue Dragon usually works with disadvantaged children in Vietnam is by making plans for the medium to long term and then providing ongoing support. We don't normally just give handouts or do 'quick fix' charity work.
But over recent months, one staff member at Blue Dragon has had a burning desire to send some help to a very poor province where poverty is rife. Images from the local media had burned an impression into his mind and he just had to do something to help.
The province is called Cao Bang; it's way up in the north along the border with China, far from the rapid development that's taking place in other parts of Vietnam. It's one of these parts of the country that tourists rarely see; it doesn't have much in the way of resources but its people somehow get by.
One of our 'old' friends, Marc Gold, was visiting us during his trip through Asia. Marc runs the 100 Friends foundation, which distributes support to many developing countries including Vietnam. When Marc and the Blue Dragon staff got together, a plan was hatched: Marc would provide the funds for a journey up to Cao Bang, where they would distribute support among students at one school.
Once they got up there, they realised that they also needed to give something to the teachers. It was Teachers' Day (a very big event in Vietnam) and quite clearly the teachers at this school could use some support themselves.
About $1000 was spent on winter coats, stationery, and other school supplies for 90 children... as well as some soccer balls, and gifts for 15 teachers. There were 5 very special cases that received attention, too, including an elderly tribal woman who lives alone and a handicapped girl who has been unable to go to school.
All up, the trip spread some cheer and left plenty of smiles on faces. It didn't solve the world's woes, but it just might have made an impression. If nothing else, the school community is left knowing that they have friends far and wide that they never even knew existed.
Some pics below...
One of the recipients clutching his bag of gifts.
This photo gives you an idea of the living conditions in the area.
.
But over recent months, one staff member at Blue Dragon has had a burning desire to send some help to a very poor province where poverty is rife. Images from the local media had burned an impression into his mind and he just had to do something to help.
The province is called Cao Bang; it's way up in the north along the border with China, far from the rapid development that's taking place in other parts of Vietnam. It's one of these parts of the country that tourists rarely see; it doesn't have much in the way of resources but its people somehow get by.
One of our 'old' friends, Marc Gold, was visiting us during his trip through Asia. Marc runs the 100 Friends foundation, which distributes support to many developing countries including Vietnam. When Marc and the Blue Dragon staff got together, a plan was hatched: Marc would provide the funds for a journey up to Cao Bang, where they would distribute support among students at one school.
Once they got up there, they realised that they also needed to give something to the teachers. It was Teachers' Day (a very big event in Vietnam) and quite clearly the teachers at this school could use some support themselves.
About $1000 was spent on winter coats, stationery, and other school supplies for 90 children... as well as some soccer balls, and gifts for 15 teachers. There were 5 very special cases that received attention, too, including an elderly tribal woman who lives alone and a handicapped girl who has been unable to go to school.
All up, the trip spread some cheer and left plenty of smiles on faces. It didn't solve the world's woes, but it just might have made an impression. If nothing else, the school community is left knowing that they have friends far and wide that they never even knew existed.
Some pics below...
One of the recipients clutching his bag of gifts. 
This photo gives you an idea of the living conditions in the area..
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Santa comes to football
In an unannounced visit to Hanoi's Long Bien football field on Sunday, Mr S. Claus revealed that all Blue Dragon children have been especially good this year...
.
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Monday, December 22, 2008
In the Christmas Spirit
... and now for a refreshing break from my anger and outrage of recent posts.
Check this out! The Blue Dragon kids made this!
Blue Dragon Christmas Card made entirely by the kids
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Check this out! The Blue Dragon kids made this!
Blue Dragon Christmas Card made entirely by the kids
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Friday, December 19, 2008
Conditions
I've written a lot about the child trafficking that Blue Dragon has confronted; here are some images to show what I've been talking about.
Here's a very short clip of the inside of a factory. Apologies for the low quality - footage is not easy to obtain.
This is where the kids and other workers sleep - right on the floor beside the sewing machines. The boy in the dark blue shirt looking towards the camera is 13 years old; he's one of the kids we took home.
And here are the 11 children we took back home by train. The man in the blue shirt at the end is the Deputy President of the local government area that all these children came from.
Here's a very short clip of the inside of a factory. Apologies for the low quality - footage is not easy to obtain.
This is where the kids and other workers sleep - right on the floor beside the sewing machines. The boy in the dark blue shirt looking towards the camera is 13 years old; he's one of the kids we took home.
And here are the 11 children we took back home by train. The man in the blue shirt at the end is the Deputy President of the local government area that all these children came from.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Rolling home
A quick update on our trip to Saigon to take trafficked children home...
As I write, Blue Dragon staff and 11 children (3 girls and 8 boys) are heading home on the train to central Vietnam. Another 3 girls have already gone home, bringing the total to 14. All of the children are aged under 15; most are 13 years old.
Frankly, we are disappointed that we couldn't take more. We encountered a new problem this time around: the traffickers were aware of what we were doing, so they warned the children that we were child traffickers. Some of the traffickers even rang the children's families in Hue province to tell them that they shouldn't let their kids go with us. Even though we were accompanied by an official from a commune People's Committee and a staff member from the Red Cross, the children were worried enough that some refused to leave the factories. Better the devil you know, I suppose.
But this is by no means the end. We are now well armed with facts, addresses, and names, so our next step will be to work with the police on ending this child exploitation.
And one bright note: we made the pleasant discovery that one of the trafficked children, a 13 year old boy named Tu, is an exceptionally talented artist. The garment factory where he worked was near a wood carving shop, so in every spare moment he had Tu would go and work alongside the local wood carvers. Tu's backpack is almost empty of clothes and personal items, but full of statues and models that he has carved out. It's almost unbelievable that such a little guy could produce such art! I guess we'll be getting him some art and craft supplies for Christmas...
.
As I write, Blue Dragon staff and 11 children (3 girls and 8 boys) are heading home on the train to central Vietnam. Another 3 girls have already gone home, bringing the total to 14. All of the children are aged under 15; most are 13 years old.
Frankly, we are disappointed that we couldn't take more. We encountered a new problem this time around: the traffickers were aware of what we were doing, so they warned the children that we were child traffickers. Some of the traffickers even rang the children's families in Hue province to tell them that they shouldn't let their kids go with us. Even though we were accompanied by an official from a commune People's Committee and a staff member from the Red Cross, the children were worried enough that some refused to leave the factories. Better the devil you know, I suppose.
But this is by no means the end. We are now well armed with facts, addresses, and names, so our next step will be to work with the police on ending this child exploitation.
And one bright note: we made the pleasant discovery that one of the trafficked children, a 13 year old boy named Tu, is an exceptionally talented artist. The garment factory where he worked was near a wood carving shop, so in every spare moment he had Tu would go and work alongside the local wood carvers. Tu's backpack is almost empty of clothes and personal items, but full of statues and models that he has carved out. It's almost unbelievable that such a little guy could produce such art! I guess we'll be getting him some art and craft supplies for Christmas...
.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The real danger
As I write this, Blue Dragon staff are in the process of rescuing children as young as 12 from garment factories in Ho Chi Minh City. Most of the kids are from central Vietnam; some are from northern provinces. All have been taken by child traffickers who promised their families a chance at a better life, but instead were put to work up to 16 hours a day for no pay. The role of Blue Dragon is to demand the release of the children, take them home, and support them to live again in their communities.
The big question we get asked all the time is this: Isn't this work dangerous?
Certainly this work is not a ride in a fun park. There are plenty of people who get upset by what we do, most of all the traffickers and factory owners. Even some NGOs are unhappy about it. From 2005 to 2007, we worked hard at busting up a trafficking ring that was taking kids to use on the streets. Some big NGOs had developed programs aimed specifically at working with those children - but not to take them home. The programs were just teaching them English, so that they could make even more money for their traffickers. People would be shocked if they knew which organisations were so stupid. And they weren't thrilled when we took away their entire beneficiary group and returned them to their mothers and fathers, either.
So our work doesn't make everyone happy. This afternoon, a Blue Dragon staff member was surrounded by traffickers armed with sticks, threatening violence. Fortunately, the police came - and arrested my staff! The traffickers walked away having won the battle... (... but not the war, fellers!)
So yes, there's definitely an element of danger. But there's another way to look at this.
Why are the traffickers prepared to resort to violence? What is so precious that they have to protect? And if this is how they deal with other adults, how do you think they deal with the children?
We are yet to meet a child in a factory who doesn't want to get out immediately. Nobody's having a good time there. There ain't no bonus system for those overtime hours, but there are plenty of beatings for children who fail to keep up with the work.
All of this leads me to one conclusion: rescuing trafficked children is indeed dangerous work; but the real danger is in not rescuing them at all.
I hope to have an update on Monday - and if all goes well, there'll be a train-carriage load of happy children on their way home by then.
.
The big question we get asked all the time is this: Isn't this work dangerous?
Certainly this work is not a ride in a fun park. There are plenty of people who get upset by what we do, most of all the traffickers and factory owners. Even some NGOs are unhappy about it. From 2005 to 2007, we worked hard at busting up a trafficking ring that was taking kids to use on the streets. Some big NGOs had developed programs aimed specifically at working with those children - but not to take them home. The programs were just teaching them English, so that they could make even more money for their traffickers. People would be shocked if they knew which organisations were so stupid. And they weren't thrilled when we took away their entire beneficiary group and returned them to their mothers and fathers, either.
So our work doesn't make everyone happy. This afternoon, a Blue Dragon staff member was surrounded by traffickers armed with sticks, threatening violence. Fortunately, the police came - and arrested my staff! The traffickers walked away having won the battle... (... but not the war, fellers!)
So yes, there's definitely an element of danger. But there's another way to look at this.
Why are the traffickers prepared to resort to violence? What is so precious that they have to protect? And if this is how they deal with other adults, how do you think they deal with the children?
We are yet to meet a child in a factory who doesn't want to get out immediately. Nobody's having a good time there. There ain't no bonus system for those overtime hours, but there are plenty of beatings for children who fail to keep up with the work.
All of this leads me to one conclusion: rescuing trafficked children is indeed dangerous work; but the real danger is in not rescuing them at all.
I hope to have an update on Monday - and if all goes well, there'll be a train-carriage load of happy children on their way home by then.
.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Ethical shopping
I've been contacted recently by people who want to know about any businesses supporting Blue Dragon - and I've never done much in the way of promoting those businesses that help us, so it's about time I write a blog about them!
Here are some companies that donate to our work...
PhotoBox
This is a company based in England that's helped us in various ways over the years. Through PhotoBox you can buy greeting cards online, and nominate Blue Dragon to receive a percentage of your purchase amount.
Together in Life
Health and beauty products that would even make me look good! These are the same kinds of products that you buy elsewhere - the only difference is that part of the price is a donation to Blue Dragon. This is an Australian based business.
Little Smarty's
This company, based in Australia, goes by the motto: "Smart stuff for little people." Their quilts and teddy bears are produced in Vietnam guided by Fair Trade principles, and a part of every purchase goes to Blue Dragon.
FrancAustralia Education
A French company that helps students apply to study in Australia, FrancAustralia Education makes a donation to Blue Dragon every time a student fills in an application form.
Intrepid Travel
People traveling through Vietnam with Intrepid sometimes have the chance to visit Blue Dragon; and Intrepid's charitable Foundation matches donations made by passengers dollar for dollar.
Wide Eyed Tours
This is a travel company that was started by some Australians living in Vietnam. They've set out to be a bit different, and one way they achieve that is by allowing travelers to design their own 'charity challenge' or visit areas where Blue Dragon works.
So... when you're spending your money, give a thought to these businesses!
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Here are some companies that donate to our work...
PhotoBox
This is a company based in England that's helped us in various ways over the years. Through PhotoBox you can buy greeting cards online, and nominate Blue Dragon to receive a percentage of your purchase amount.
Together in Life
Health and beauty products that would even make me look good! These are the same kinds of products that you buy elsewhere - the only difference is that part of the price is a donation to Blue Dragon. This is an Australian based business.
Little Smarty's
This company, based in Australia, goes by the motto: "Smart stuff for little people." Their quilts and teddy bears are produced in Vietnam guided by Fair Trade principles, and a part of every purchase goes to Blue Dragon.
FrancAustralia Education
A French company that helps students apply to study in Australia, FrancAustralia Education makes a donation to Blue Dragon every time a student fills in an application form.
Intrepid Travel
People traveling through Vietnam with Intrepid sometimes have the chance to visit Blue Dragon; and Intrepid's charitable Foundation matches donations made by passengers dollar for dollar.
Wide Eyed Tours
This is a travel company that was started by some Australians living in Vietnam. They've set out to be a bit different, and one way they achieve that is by allowing travelers to design their own 'charity challenge' or visit areas where Blue Dragon works.
So... when you're spending your money, give a thought to these businesses!
.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Preparations
Winter is rapidly approaching in northern Vietnam. The cool days are starting to feel cold and everyone is hoping that we don't have another dreadful winter like last year!
As the seasons change, loads is happening at Blue Dragon...
In coming days, our staff will be traveling between Hue in central Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in the south to rescue up to 20 girls and boys who have been trafficked to work in garment factories. A lot of preparation needs to go in to this - we can't just walk from factory to factory in the hope of finding the children - but so far we've been able to gather quite a bit of specific information. Perhaps the saddest case we know of, and will definitely intervene in, is of a small factory that bought a girl over 12 months ago for 4 million Dong - that's a little over $200 US. After working 16 hours per day, 7 days per week, the girl was able to get a message out that she wanted to escape. An adult friend tried to help, but all he managed to do was arrange to replace the girl with her younger brother, who now has to put up with the same conditions but equally wants - and needs - to get out. He will. Barring some unforeseen intercosmic calamity, he'll be free by Sunday.
Blue Dragon staff are also preparing for our first court case. We have long hired 2 young Legal Advocates who work with the police and with kids in trouble with the law, but this is the first time that one of our boys will have to front up in court. The boy has definitely done wrong - he badged a Mercedes! - but we're hoping that the penalty won't be too severe. It's a tense time as we get ready for the case, although I must say that the police have been supportive and helpful to both us and the boy throughout the whole process.
And preparations of a much happier nature... Christmas and Lunar New Year (Tet) are coming, and in 2009 Tet is unusually early. We're planning parties and celebrations, including our annual Tet Awards Night where all the kids receive certificates and gifts. It'll be a blast - it always is!
.
As the seasons change, loads is happening at Blue Dragon...
In coming days, our staff will be traveling between Hue in central Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in the south to rescue up to 20 girls and boys who have been trafficked to work in garment factories. A lot of preparation needs to go in to this - we can't just walk from factory to factory in the hope of finding the children - but so far we've been able to gather quite a bit of specific information. Perhaps the saddest case we know of, and will definitely intervene in, is of a small factory that bought a girl over 12 months ago for 4 million Dong - that's a little over $200 US. After working 16 hours per day, 7 days per week, the girl was able to get a message out that she wanted to escape. An adult friend tried to help, but all he managed to do was arrange to replace the girl with her younger brother, who now has to put up with the same conditions but equally wants - and needs - to get out. He will. Barring some unforeseen intercosmic calamity, he'll be free by Sunday.
Blue Dragon staff are also preparing for our first court case. We have long hired 2 young Legal Advocates who work with the police and with kids in trouble with the law, but this is the first time that one of our boys will have to front up in court. The boy has definitely done wrong - he badged a Mercedes! - but we're hoping that the penalty won't be too severe. It's a tense time as we get ready for the case, although I must say that the police have been supportive and helpful to both us and the boy throughout the whole process.
And preparations of a much happier nature... Christmas and Lunar New Year (Tet) are coming, and in 2009 Tet is unusually early. We're planning parties and celebrations, including our annual Tet Awards Night where all the kids receive certificates and gifts. It'll be a blast - it always is!
.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Sam and Viet - doing fine
A few weeks back I told the story of Sam, a kid who came to Blue Dragon after running away from a pagoda to look for his father.
Since then, Sam has gone back to live with his family and is doing fine. He's about to go back to school to repeat the 2nd half of Grade 2, as it's too late in the school year to start at Grade 3. Sam has been coming to hang out at the Blue Dragon centre from time to time; he seems much happier now than he ever was before.
At about the same time that we met Sam, we also met another runaway boy, named Viet. Although Viet is 4 years older than Sam, they're about the size - Viet has grown up in rather severe poverty and hasn't received much in the way of nutrition.
Viet stayed at our shelter for a few weeks before opening up about himself and agreeing to return home. He had been living with his mother in the countryside, and desperately wanted to go to school. At age 14, he'd never had the chance to study. But his mother just wanted him to work as a shoeshine boy in the provincial capital so that she could live off the earnings. Even before we took Viet home, we knew this would be a tough case.
We did reunite Viet and his mother, but Viet ran away again - within hours of going home. His mother was insisting that he get back to work, and had no intention of letting him go to school.
So Viet is back living with us, and studying in Grade 1. He's happy and lapping up every opportunity for study and play.
Things have worked out well for both Sam and Viet, although life is very different now for each. Viet will spend the next few years in the care of Blue Dragon, while Sam returns to family life.
We hope that for both of them, the future brings better fortune than they've had in the past.
.
Since then, Sam has gone back to live with his family and is doing fine. He's about to go back to school to repeat the 2nd half of Grade 2, as it's too late in the school year to start at Grade 3. Sam has been coming to hang out at the Blue Dragon centre from time to time; he seems much happier now than he ever was before.
At about the same time that we met Sam, we also met another runaway boy, named Viet. Although Viet is 4 years older than Sam, they're about the size - Viet has grown up in rather severe poverty and hasn't received much in the way of nutrition.
Viet stayed at our shelter for a few weeks before opening up about himself and agreeing to return home. He had been living with his mother in the countryside, and desperately wanted to go to school. At age 14, he'd never had the chance to study. But his mother just wanted him to work as a shoeshine boy in the provincial capital so that she could live off the earnings. Even before we took Viet home, we knew this would be a tough case.
We did reunite Viet and his mother, but Viet ran away again - within hours of going home. His mother was insisting that he get back to work, and had no intention of letting him go to school.
So Viet is back living with us, and studying in Grade 1. He's happy and lapping up every opportunity for study and play.
Things have worked out well for both Sam and Viet, although life is very different now for each. Viet will spend the next few years in the care of Blue Dragon, while Sam returns to family life.
We hope that for both of them, the future brings better fortune than they've had in the past.
.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Smiles in Hue
My silence over the last 2 weeks has simply been because of all the busy-ness of Blue Dragon... so I will start off with some happy news!
One of the Blue Dragon staff, Van, has just been in Hue (in central Vietnam) where we work in 3 villages that have been the source-site of child trafficking for some years. Our work involves taking the kids away from the traffickers, getting the kids home, and helping them return to a normal life.
Last week, while Van was visiting the families and finding out about any kids who have recently been trafficked, he had the pleasure of distributing some donations that were given to us by Crocs in Singapore. Dozens of kids received Crocs shoes and shirts - and they sure looked happy about it!
Some pics below to tell the story...
This young guy lives in a tent on the beach. We rescued him from a factory in Ho Chi Minh City a few months ago.
The entire community came to see what all the excitement was about when Van was distributing the shoes and clothes.
Some very happy girls and boys showing off their new possessions!
.
One of the Blue Dragon staff, Van, has just been in Hue (in central Vietnam) where we work in 3 villages that have been the source-site of child trafficking for some years. Our work involves taking the kids away from the traffickers, getting the kids home, and helping them return to a normal life.
Last week, while Van was visiting the families and finding out about any kids who have recently been trafficked, he had the pleasure of distributing some donations that were given to us by Crocs in Singapore. Dozens of kids received Crocs shoes and shirts - and they sure looked happy about it!
Some pics below to tell the story...
This young guy lives in a tent on the beach. We rescued him from a factory in Ho Chi Minh City a few months ago. 
The entire community came to see what all the excitement was about when Van was distributing the shoes and clothes. 
Some very happy girls and boys showing off their new possessions! .
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