This is a family that I saw on a motorbike! Yes, there are 4 people on a motorbike!
For my last couple days I got to spend some time at an orphanage in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam, where I was supposed to be initially. This orphanage (unlike the other one) gets absolutely no help from the government and solely depends on donations. This orphanage has about 60 children that range from ages 0-22. They have many babies that are sometimes just left on the doorstep. This is a Catholic based orphanage (which I didn’t hold against them! Haha! Just joking!). I found it interesting that they have children there age 22 but I found out that they will never kick the kids out and that they can stay as long as they want.
About 3-4 weeks before I went to the orphanage I decided that I could maybe raised a little money from home to help donate to the cause. I anticipated maybe a few hundred dollars. As the days got fewer and fewer before my departure I got more and more donations! Total I raised $1, 175!!! I was absolutely overcome with joy! I was set up with another young gal to help me during my time in Saigon, Thuong. She took me on her motorbike (which is about the scariest thing one can do in Saigon! I’m not sure how I’m still alive!), to this big bulk store, kind of like the Sam’s Clubs we have in America. There we filled 4 huge carts overflowing with goods including toilet paper, food, milk and vitamins, formula for the babies, bowls, towels, clothes, pillows, diapers, soap, shampoo, toothpaste and brushes, shoes, pencils, paper, and on and on! When we checked out, the lady said she had never seen a receipt so long! The remaining money I gave to the head lady of the orphanage so she could buy medical supplies and fresh food from the markets for meals. Part of me considered giving the money towards a building project that they are doing, in which they need $5000 more. Bringing all the goods to the orphanage and seeing the look on the children’s faces and the head mistress’ face was quite rewarding!
My last day at the orphanage, December 23, the kids had a sort of Christmas celebration in which they all had little santa hats to wear and were given a small “gift bag” that had a bottle of milk, crackers and a few pieces of candy. To us that seems like nothing to get excited about, but to these kids it was something special! There was one little girl who was attached to me from the second I came until the moment I left! I almost took her with me!
It was quite sad to be up at 6am on Christmas Eve and spend the first 10 hours of the day alone at the airport, flying back to Thailand and getting a bus back to Singburi. It was nice to finally get back to spend Christmas with a few friends!
On the bus back to Singburi I got a bit choked up because I heard an older Thai man whistling Silent Night. It definitely was quite a year!!!
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This planet needs more people like you. You are a true living Angel on this place we call Earth. I did visit VN and each time I would make it a point to visit orphanages and senior homeless temples. It's heart breaking but what we give is only a small portion of what we enjoy, abuse, or use daily. So to go out of your way for these children is something I admire more than what a person makes or have in their bank acct. It's sad that our society is becoming more and more materialistic and not about loving each other and helping each other out.Your story is amazing and I hope more people would see this and think about what they should do to help others. Btw...what is the name of the orphanage? I would love to visit if I ever return to VN.
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