Ho Chi Minh City

In Ho Chi Minh City we will be staying at a guesthouse and working at Phu My Orphanage, and it is intended that our project will benefit the wider, general population of Ho Chi Minh City. Phu My Orphanage or The Handicapped Orphans Protection Centre is in the Binh Thanh District of Ho Chi Minh City. The purpose of the orphanage is to care for abandoned children with mental and physical handicaps, to educate them to the fullest extent of their capabilities, both physical and intellectual, and to help them, as far as possible, towards independent living.

Since 1875, Phu My has been a refuge for the homeless, the aged, those suffering from incurable illness and orphans. It has only been since 1976 that the centre was redesigned as a home exclusively for the education and care of abandoned handicapped children. Currently there are over 400 children at the orphanage, and even with a large staff the orphanage still does not have an adequate staff/child ratio considering that 150 of the children are permanently confined to their beds. The orphanage has a number of facilities: a physiotherapy area, and infirmary, laboratory, 12 classrooms, a sewing workshop, and a domestic science classroom.

Starting in 1998, Phu My has been able to accept 180 handicapped children from the community into a daycare program. This service is a great help for families with handicapped children, as the children are able to make fast progress and the parents are free to work without the anxiety for their children. The daycare program is also aimed at reducing the number of handicapped children who are abandoned by their families.

 

K’Long

K’Long is a small village located 300km approx. to the north-east of Ho Chi Minh City. The town is located very close to the regional centre Dalat. We will be traveling by bus from Ho Chi Minh City to K’long and we will be staying in a retreat centre which is owned by the Salesian brothers. The retreat centre is located on the outskirts of K’long.

The project that we will undertake in K’Long will be to assist a group of local tradesmen in creating and refurbishing housing infrastructure for the people of K’Long.