Gettin' our hands dirty

Meet 13 year old Duong. He lives with his father (pictured) and mother in a little house in suburban Hanoi.

Duong has an intellectual disability, so Blue Dragon supports him to attend a special school called Vo Thi Sau.

As well as being disabled, Duong has the double disadvantage of growing up in a family that is quite poor. His dad is not well enough to work, so his mother is the sole breadwinner: she works, when work is available, as a housemaid for her neighbours.

Some of our social workers came up with a plan to bring some cheer to a gloomy situation: Paint the house!

Yesterday, a team of social workers, uni students, and 4 street kids from our center spent the day scrubbing, painting and rebuilding. That's the group below, with the exception of Mr Hai who took the photo. This is the 'after' shot - notice the difference!

The nice new look for the house was intended as more than a paint job. It was our way of showing this family that we care for them. It also gave some of our street kids, who receive a lot of help from us, to give back to the community.

A happy day for all. I hope we'll be doing more projects like this soon.

Something old, but new

I first travelled to Hoi An, in Central Vietnam, as a backpacker in 2000. At that time, I had no idea that I'd eventually live in Vietnam and work with street children.

With Hoi An, I had no 'love at first sight' experience. One of the first things I did there was book a ticket to leave. The town itself struck me as being beautiful, but somebody tried to rob me (inside my hotel room!) and some of the street vendors were driving me crazy.

But something changed: I met a family. "Big Nam", the head of the household, was selling ceramics in front of his shabby, run down house. He was very poor, but had taken in a street kid - "Baby Nam" - and was raising him as a son. This family was so warm and welcoming that I changed my mind - and my ticket - very quickly. My love affair with Hoi An had begun.

I've been back there at least 20 times since. It's where I spend my holidays, and my favourite place to go to the beach. Hoi An is very quiet, with its own pleasant pace of life and a very relaxed attitude.

While I'm there, I usually visit a children's center, called Cahors. About 30 girls and boys live together under the supervision of the elderly Mrs Diep. She's been there since the center opened, about 12 years ago. The kids are orphans, or from extremely poor families in the districts around Hoi An.

As a Center, there's obviously a welfare aspect to Cahors. The children live there, eat there, and grow up there. But the real reason that the kids are at Cahors is to go to school. Without the Center, they'd be street kids.

Cahors is a great place, but has been seriously under-resourced for some years. Different groups have pitched in to help - NGOs, local associations, and individuals - but Mrs Diep and the kids never know how their next set of bills will be paid.

Over the last few days, I have been in Hoi An again. This time, I was not on holiday. This trip was about Blue Dragon getting involved in the running of the Center, to help out with the long term needs.

Blue Dragon has been involved at the Center for some years already. A few months back, when the roof blew off the building, I posted a blog and some good friends sent some money to get the place fixed. Long before that, I've been visiting the kids, providing bicycles at times, and helping out with small needs here and there. So our involvement there is nothing new: but we're about to start working in a new way.

If all goes to plan, Blue Dragon will begin working there on a permanent basis, starting in April. We'll be taking our unique social work and psychology program to the kids, which means individual planning and a 'whatever it takes' approach to getting kids out of poverty.

The really great part to all this is that the Center's children will be the winners. They come from difficult backgrounds, which for various reasons mean that they can't go on living with their families. Living at a children's Center is only a second best solution. Our goal is to make it worthwhile and fulfilling for everyone there.

I'm off

Time to head south...

Today I'm heading out of Hanoi with some key members of Blue Dragon to work on our project in Hue. On Tuesday we'll head to Hoi An to talk with officials there about supporting a street children's program.

Will write an update when I return!

He's in!

Our first day back after the long weekend started with some GREAT NEWS.

One of our kids, a boy named Ky, has been accepted into the KOTO training program.

Ky was a shoeshine boy for some years, and turned up at our weekly football game one Sunday in early 2005. His background is tougher than many of the kids we have met, and he's had a really difficult time over the last year and a bit. When we first knew him, his behaviour was kinda unpredictable, but we were patient and forgiving... and expected him to improve. So he did.

This latest milestone sets him on a path to develop his vocational skills over 18 months, preparing him for a career as a chef or a waiter.

Being accepted into KOTO is an accomplishment in itself. KOTO is a foreign-owned training restaurant, with limited placements and a reputation for high quality. It's almost certainly the best hospitality training organisation in Vietnam. Only one Blue Dragon kid has been accepted into KOTO before today.

And so, Ky is moving on... but never leaving. He'll move out of our residence in coming weeks, as KOTO trainees have their own accommodation. But he will still be part of our family, and I guess I'll be going to eat at KOTO more often now.

Newcomers

It's May Day!

This is a long weekend in Vietnam, so the pace at Blue Dragon has slowed for a few days.

Over the last 2 weeks, we've had some newcomers to Blue Dragon who are still settling in as part of the family.

Hung arrived first; he has lived in Hanoi for a few months, working as a shoeshine and living under bridges. I accompanied him home on Thursday last week to reunite with his family; but the final outcome was that he should return to the city to live and study.

Next came Cuong... One of the quietest street kids I have ever met. He's been on the streets for 3 years, and we still have a bit to learn about what he's been through. Seems to be a great kid, though.

And today's newest arrival is Bear! Some of the Blue Dragon kids returned to their countryside over the weekend, and this morning one boy, Nghia, arrived at 7am with a pup. My own dog, Wheels, isn't quite sure what to make of this new situation, but it looks like Bear is here to stay. (That's Nghia holding Bear).

Turn around

Procrastination! Drug of the nation... It's been far too long since I blogged, and my list of excuses is long but totally uninteresting.

Unlike events this week - which have been hugely interesting.

ON WEDNESDAY, I travelled to Bac Ninh to meet the province level Red Cross and chat about the progress of our sponsorship program. All very good and well. Then in the afternoon I went to see some children who had previously run away to Hanoi, and we helped them return to their families.

One of the children was a boy named Duong, about 12 years old, who we met in Hanoi just last month. His father beats him badly - and often - so even though Duong went home, we are worried about what will come of him.

The father clearly had mixed feelings about me and my colleague turning up to tell him how to raise his son. So we were relaxed, and won him over with some smiles before giving some friendly advice about how to deal with 'young people these days'. I won't fool myself into believing we've solved all of that family's problems, but I hope that we had a bit of an impact.

THIS MORNING saw another moving case to deal with. In January last year, I was blogging about the many children in our program who were mugged and robbed in the lead-up to Lunar New Year.

Each time one of our kids was mugged - often in daylight, once with a knife - my staff and I would try to track down the robber and get the money back. We were usually successful.

One of the muggers came to see me today to ask for help. He has a heroin addiction, and is desperate to get off. A few years ago he spent 8 months in rehab, but before long he was back with a needle up his arm.

He happens to know Binh, who we helped through rehabiliatation last year, and came asking if we could do the same for him.

After a very long meeting - it's on. He flies to Saigon on Saturday, he's said goodbye to his family already, and we have a rough plan for what to do when he gets out in a year or so.

It's going to be an expensive process; the cost will be somewhere around $2000, which is about 3 times the national GDP. But then, it's only a small amount to give somebody back their whole life.

Medical Mission

This is a message especially for readers based in Vietnam!

Vietnam Family Medical Practice (with branches in Saigon, Danang and Hanoi) are organising a medical mission to rural Quang Binh Province. This is a charitable act that they undertake on their own goodwill, but it's also a great opportunity for others to make a contribution.

They are calling for donations of medication, rice, food, personal hygiene products, eg shampoo, soap, toothbrushes/paste, children clothing and toys - or the money to buy them. They're also hoping to be able to provide some pigs to villages, to address protein shortages. (Any pigs out there who want to volunteer?)

If you can help - contact the Practice on: kien@vietnammedicalpractice.com.

Must be something in the stars

There's a U2 song I like called "Some days are better than others."

Around Blue Dragon, a more suitable title would be "Some days are stranger than others."

Yesterday was one of those days. For absolutely no reason I can see, it was simply destined to be more bizarre than usual.

From the start of the day to its very late end, we dealt with 7 runaway boys. Some have been living in Hanoi for months or even years, but come out of the shadows from time to time, covered in filth and oozing from open wounds. They always refuse medical help, but are happy to have a hot shower and sit about chatting and munching chocolate before disappearing again down the alleyways.

There were some 'new' runaways as well. One boy, named Duong, was from nearby Bac Ninh province. He'd had an argument with his dad and wanted to punish him by running away for the day. But Duong caught the wrong bus, and didn't arrive at his uncle's house in the next village; he found himself at Long Bien market in Hanoi, with no money to pay the return fare home.

Of course, when he met us, he didn't tell us all this straight away. When we first started helping runaways, it would take up to 2 weeks for them to open up to us like that. These days it's much quicker - Duong broke down and told his life story in less than 6 hours. But that was an emotion-packed 6 hours, and as I said, he wasn't the only runaway with us.

While the staff and I were talking to these boys, another of our kids rushed in to warn us that a young man had been acting suspiciously outside; he'd been pacing the street for at least 15 minutes, and had also been sitting watching our center from a distance. I hopped on to a motorbike straight away and scoured the streets, but our mystery man was gone - it's very easy to vanish in the thousands of narrow alleys of our suburb.

A few hours later, as I was walking home after dinner, I ran into a young guy we know who has a bit of a weird history with Blue Dragon. He mugged one of our kids once, in broad daylight, and when I found out where he lived I made his family pay back the money he had stolen. (We even got a note of apology!) This guy is a drug addict, about 20 years old, and last night he was floating in the clouds when I met him. Putting 2 and 2 together, I worked out that he was probably the man who had been watching our house earlier - and yep, the kids confirmed that it was him for sure.

But there's a twist to the tale: it seems that the young guy might be trying to ask us to help him go to rehab. That's definitely not what he was asking for when I spoke to him, but some of our other kids have told us that he's been sounding them out about the possibility. Nothing is ever straightforward. Looks like I'll have to pay another visit to the family, but this time will be a much friendlier occasion than the last.

So we all finished the day pretty exhausted. We still have kids down with the chicken pox (C'mon guys, who's next?) and in the midst of it all our two lawyers, Van and Hong, are preparing their wedding - for this weekend!

It's a satisfying feeling to see the Blue Dragon team dealing so well with such complexities. But I am hoping that the next few days are just a little more sane.

Back to Nam

The last couple of weeks have gone by in an incredible blur.

Early in March, I headed to Australia to see my family, attend a fundraising dinner, and spend time with young Quan, who went to Brisbane for surgery on his face. It was an extremely busy three weeks, but all with good results.

Quan is out of hospital already and relaxing in the home of his host family. His mother has been very stressed, but she can now see the outcome: the neuro-fibroma is gone, and soon the swelling and pain will be gone too. Quan should return to Vietnam in about 10 more days.

The fundraising dinner, organised by the Vietnamese community in Sydney, was spectacular - over 700 people attended, including my niece and nephews! (Aren't I a proud uncle?) The money we raised will be used to support more children in central and southern Vietnam.

While I was in Australia, our kids in Hanoi were hit by a chicken pox epidemic, which also laid up some of the staff. Ouch. Our center has also been affected by the rolling blackouts that are hitting the whole city... although the electricity has been fine since I got back. Fingers crossed that the problems get sorted out.

Our next big challenge is to find a new center in Hanoi where we can all fit in. Our current building is way too small for the number of kids who visit us each day, and we never seem to have enough classrooms. The search for a new home has already begun, but I imagine it will take a while. I look forward to the day I announce our big move.

A few other interesting things have been going on... I will get back to regular blogging now, and write more in coming days.

On another street

Many of Blue Dragon's friends and supporters around the world know - or at least know about - a 15 year old boy named Quan, who has a benign but very large tumour growing on one side of his face. Just recently, I wrote about Quan here.

Quan is in Brisbane now; only a 10 hour flight, but a world away from his home in Hanoi. His mother, Trang, has come as well, and they are preparing for surgery this Saturday at Brisbane's Martyr Hospital. If all goes well, the tumour will be removed and Quan can get back to a normal life.

It's truly amazing how many people around the world have pitched in to help Quan. Some friends from Catholic Relief Services in America have donated money; Operation Smile in Australia has organised the doctor and the use of the hospital; and an Australian-Vietnamese family has provided free board and lodging for Quan and Trang for 6 weeks.

Over the last few days, some Vietnamese newspapers in Australia have written about Quan's journey and treatment. Since then, he has been approached by complete strangers, Australians of Vietnamese descent or origin, who want to help. I heard one story today of a man who saw Quan in a shop and tried to give him $20; he cared so much that his first instinct was to give. I know that Quan tried to refuse the money, but I am not sure who got their way!

A Blue Dragon volunteer, Skye, who has finished her volunteering assignment with us, is accompanying Quan and Trang on their trip. Even though she's exhausted after 12 months of intense work at the Blue Dragon centre, Skye is hanging in there for a couple more weeks to ensire that Quan and his mother are well taken care of.

What do Quan and Trang make of all this? I can't imagine. Such an outpouring of concern and compassion must be overwhelming, at the very least. Sadly, they are more used to discrimination and rejection than to random acts of kindness.

The above pic is of Quan and Skye, taken by a great friend, Alison Vidotto.

Get out of here, Spielberg

... Because the Blue Dragon kids are taking over!

Late last year, the Irish Embassy in Vietnam donated funds for us to start up an IT center. Among other subjects, our kids have been learning to make movies.

Here's their very first movie!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l88P1GR_LpI

It's HUGE, I tell ya

A couple of months ago, some great volunteers, Kai and Nate, created a short film about the work of Blue Dragon Children's Foundation.

At long last... here's the link. It's about 5 minutes, and features Chinh (a former shoeshine boy), Phuong (a female social worker) and me (Brad Pitt wannabe).

Take a look - but look at Nate and Kai's other films, too. They are two highly talented guys...

http://hugeinasia.com/2-8-07.html

One at a time

One of my usual boasts is that Blue Dragon's work in Vietnam is unique. Our trademark approch, which differs from everybody else's in the country, is that we do case work: we develop IAPs (Individual Assistance Plans) for each of the kids in our program.

This is very effective, but the downside is that our programs are relatively more expensive than other charities in Vietnam. And with very limited funding, we always face the issue of whether we should reduce the level of support we give each child by moving to a more standard, 'one size fits all', approach.

In short, though, it's not going to happen. The kids we deal with have very different needs. Two cases that we've been working on lately highlight this.

The first is the case of a 13 year old boy who was born in prison, where he spent the first five years of life. He's never been to school, and seemed to be illiterate. He is unable to write anything, even numbers, and he's the first child I've ever met who cannot write his name.

But - and this is a big 'but' - he chats online.

My own training is as an English teacher, and I've sure never come across anything like this before. When you put this boy in front of a computer, he can type away for hours. There's nothing he can't do. It's just that he's never been taught to read and write on paper.

The second case is of a 16 year old runaway boy who we met last week. He was brought to us by another street kid, who saw him sleeping on the street and invited him to our center. It turned out that the boy had run away some time ago - I'm not sure exactly how long, as you'll soon understand - and had just come out of a detention center, so had no money or resources at all.

After getting to know the boy, Blue Dragon staff convinced him to make contact with his family, and he subsequently decided to go home. All pretty usual stuff. One of the staff members joined him for the 4 hour trip home to make sure the reunion went well.

And it did... but (here we go again) there was one obstacle to get through. The mother did not recognise her own son. She was so uncertain that the boy standing on her doorstep was really her son that she demanded to see some identification or proof. Once she was convinced, the tears started to flow - from both mother and son. And my staff helped sort out a few of the problems that had led the young guy to running away in the first place.

One size fits all? I just can't see how it would work. I'd rather spend some more and make sure we get results.

Ready to fly

A big day is approaching fast...

One of our young guys, named Quan, is flying to Australia mid next week with his mother.

Quan has a growth on his face that is totally harmless, health-wise, but has left him with a terrible disfigurement that is embarrassing and has already been a hindrance to him being accepted into schools.

Within coming weeks, doctors at Martyr Hospital in Brisbane will remove the growth and restore Quan's face to the way it should be.

This is hugely exciting for Quan and his family; a chance for life to get back to normal!

The photo below is of Quan and his mother with the Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, Bill Tweddell, and his wife Chris. (Oh yeah, I'm in there too, along with Blue Dragon Social Worker Phuong, and volunteer Skye).

We had afternoon tea at the Ambassador's residence as a way of marking this great step forward in Quan's life. He and his mother were treated like royalty, and left the residence with extra confidence for the journey that lies ahead.

Soon they'll be flying, for the first time in their lives, and spending the next 6 weeks in Brisbane. Skye will accompany them on the flight, and I'll meet them in Brisbane shortly after the operation.

And when we all get back: another afternoon tea with the Ambassador's family. Can't wait to blog about that one...

Sinking the traffic

In November 2005, Blue Dragon rescued a young boy from child traffickers who had taken him from his village by the beach in Hue to Saigon, where he was a virtual slave.

Friends around the world who have been following the story will know that Ngoc is now 13, and studying at a special school which uses an accelerated curriculum, as he had never been to school before in his life.

A couple of weeks ago, some friends of Ngoc travelled with us to Hue to visit him in his family home. Jutta and Johann are a German couple who met Ngoc when he was working in Saigon; they desperately tried to help him, but because they never stayed for longer than a few weeks all of their efforts fell flat.

The main reason that Ngoc was originally trafficked is that his family is extremely poor; his father is a fisherman who was earning from $12 - $40 per month. For this, he would be at sea 15 days at a stretch, with a 2 day break at the end to see his family before setting out again.

But no more.

With some help from Blue Dragon staff, Johann and Jutta bought a boat for Ngoc's father. On his first day, he caught $12 worth of fish. And he was only away from home for a few hours.

That's Ngoc below, with Johann and the boat. Now, if only we could do this for all of the families...

Going home

Lunar New Year - Tet - is officially over, and it's now the Year of the Pig. I have no idea what that means, other than it's apparently a great year to have a baby.

Vietnam shuts down for Tet, although the lead-up to the holiday is the most maniacal shopping-spree you can imagine: thousands of people buying trees, flat-screen TVs, and furniture, and carrying it all home on motorbikes.

Blue Dragon didn't really shut down this year. Our Residence closed, but we still had kids with nowhere to go, so they ended up staying at the HQ watching DVDs and riding bikes around town. A few of us worked through, ploughing through piles of admin that have been glaring us in the face for too long.

Tet is the time that everybody goes home to their families, and that mostly means visiting the countryside. For our kids, Tet can be a difficult time, as they don't all have families, or families who will welcome them home.

Shortly before Tet, a 12 year old boy came to our centre and asked for help to go home. He had runaway from home four years earlier, and had not seen his family since. Apart from a few months in a detention centre, this boy had spent the whole time sleeping on the streets, in trees, and under bridges.

We accompanied him back to the countryside and found his family, who were astonished to see him again. They were sure he was dead. But now he's back home, and will return soon to school. Looks like a happy ending.

On the very first day of the Tet holidays, one of our street kids turned up at the centre with a child he had 'found' roaming the streets collecting scrap. The little guy (pictured) is 11 years old, and had run away from home two months earlier. He stayed with us over the new year, and yesterday our laywer, Van, accompanied him back to his family home near the Chinese border.

These runaway cases are always incredibly complex and sensitive. So much could go wrong... And we don't even have funding or staff specifically for this role of working with runaways and reuniting them with their families. But I can honestly say that this part of our work is the most rewarding of all.

Heroes

The past week has had some amazing events...

Last Wednesday we held our annual Lunar New Year celebration for the 160 boys and girls in our Hanoi program: The Second Annual Blue Dragon Children's Foundation Tet Awards Night.

Two hours of presentations, drama by the kids, guitar recitals, and (not too many) speeches.

Tet Awards is an unusual event. People may wonder why getting all the kids together in a hall and handing out gifts and certificates, half-Oscars / half-school-graduation style, would be such an important occasion.

But for our kids, it's the one time of the year that they can be recognised for their achievements. They all have a turn coming on to the stage and being congratulated; some by Ambassadors and special guests. Tet Awards is a fun-filled night, but it's also very emotional and significant for the children.

I promise to post some pics as soon as I get them!

And today, another momentous occasion.

Many readers have been following the story of "Binh", who went into drug rehab last March. This morning, Binh returned triumphant to Hanoi. He's a totally new person: he's all smiles, he's confident, and there's no evidence at all that this kid was ever an addict.

Binh is very special to us here at Blue Dragon, and his return home is a cause for great celebration. Of course, we are not naive, and we know that there may still be obstacles ahead. But we're off to a great start...

I'm a big man, look at me!

Tet is looming... Lunar New Year, the one major holiday in Vietnam that the country really cherishes. Preparations have started, although Day One of the new year isn't until February 17. On the 17th, and for at least a few days afterwards, Vietnam will come to a stand still. It's a beautiful time to be in the country.

But the next weeks will be anything but beautiful. Everyone is madly racing around buying furniture or clothes, renovating their home, looking for the trees people traditionally put in their homes, washing their motorbikes, and visiting the relatives they've been avoiding since last Tet.

Here at Blue Dragon, we had an idea to help out one of our neighbours. Mrs Thanh lives close to our HQ, and gets around town in a wheelchair. Her chair has three wheels, and is driven by a hand-pumping mechanism.

We support Mrs Thanh's two kids to go to school, as the money she earns from selling soft drinks on the street at night is a pittance. She's had a tough life; she lost the use of her legs in a bomb blast during the Vietnam-America war, and has spent all of her life in poverty.

When I first met her, Mrs Thanh lived in a slum that she had built herself. Last year, the local council demolished the entire slum settlement - some hundreds or thousands of homes - and relocated all of the residents. Home owners were given advanced notice, and allocated a fairly generous compensation for their loss of a home.

Except Mrs Thanh.

Somehow, she was overlooked when it came to paying compensation. The money, which would have set her up for the rest of her life, has never appeared. Go figure!

So she's had to move from home to home, renting cheap places with dirt floors and holes in the roof.

On Friday last week, some of us decided to offer a small gesture to Mrs Thanh: an overhaul of her wheelchair. The plan was to wash it, replace the cushions, fix up the brakes and steering, and repaint it.

Step One: Wash it.

At the end of our street is the Group Leader's home. He's elected or appointed to oversee security on the street; it's his job to deal with neighbourhood complaints and report to the police the goings-on of residents and visitors. And he happens to run a small business, washing vehicles.

Some of our kids took Mrs Thanh's wheelchair to him, asking him to wash it. For money, of course, because that's his business.

But - no. He refused to wash the wheelchair.

"But we'll pay you."

"I don't wash wheelchairs."

"Please?"

"No. No wheelchairs."

End of story. It would seem that Tet is not a time for charity.

I still feel confused as to why this guy should refuse a fairly simple job. Some of my staff have suggested that it's because he would feel inferior by washing a wheelchair. He wants to be seen washing a Mercedes, or an expensive motorbike, not a rusty old wheelchair owned by a poor disabled woman.

So, he's a big man, and apparently too big to condescend to such a task.

This week, Blue Dragon is going to use this incident to teach a bit of community spirit to our kids. We're going to ask our kids to contribute a few cents each to pay for new cushions, paint, and any parts needed in the repairs. We're going to wash the bike ourselves.

And we're going to show Mrs Thanh that people do care for her.

Hellooooo Singapore

Time for another plug!

United World College in Singapore is holding its annual fundraiser for charity in Vietnam, and part of their funds will be donated to Blue Dragon.

The students have planned a HUGE night at the Grand Hyatt on Saturday April 28. Everything is organised by the students of UWC - an amazing event. Go there! Have good night!

Their web site has all the details: http://alumni.uwcsea.edu.sg/general/announce.asp

World peace achieved; but so what?

Forget world peace. Something much bigger happened today at Blue Dragon.

Two things, in fact. And I swear I am not exaggerating.

FIRST: Quan and his mum got a visa to go to Australia!

Quan is a wonderful, bright 15 year old boy who lives with a large tumour on one side of his face that grows visibly every month. He's been braver and bolder than most teenagers I have met, but the deformity has certainly held him back from achieving his potential. One school even refused to accept him last year.

In March, however, the tumour will be permanently removed by some BRILLIANT doctors in Brisbane. The final hurdle in this incredibly challenging marathon was obtaining a visa; today, that obstacle has been cleared.

Quan is on his way to a whole new life.


AND SECOND: Blue Dragon's lawyer, Van, travelled to the countryside to reunite a boy with his family, after FOUR YEARS on the run.

The little guy, named Dzung, says he's 14, but he can't be much older than 12. He's tiny, and has spent the past four years sleeping on the streets, in trees, and under bridges. Plus about 13 months in prison.

Tonight, he's sleeping with his family.

And Van is still in the countryside - seems the journey from Hanoi took a bit longer than expected. Or maybe the real reason is in his text message: "It's so hard to say goodbye..."

This has to be the best job on earth.