DFC Brings Christmas Holiday Spirit to Hoc Mon Unfortunate Children -Dec 23, 2007
(Based on Quy Huong & Quy Lam's article "Mang Giang Sinh Cho Tre Thieu May Man" published at http://www.sggp.org.vn/SGGP12h/2007/12/137120/.
Donate For Children (DFC) was unaware of its visits were being monitored by the Vietnamese Government. However, the article has indicated the Vietnamese Government's acknowledgement of DFC's humanitarian and charitable activities).
On morning Dec. 23, more than 70 children at HCM City Vocational Training Center for Orphaned and Disabled Children were excitedly awaiting. They had been informed that Santa would join them to celebrate Noel 2007 with lot of Xmas gifts.
At exactly 9am, the gate bell rang, not did Santa show up, but there were more than a dozen volunteers from Donate For Chidren (DFC) arrived. They brought with them lots of gifts and food, including a full truck of rice, noodle, salt, sugar, and cooking oil for the center.
Nguyen Van Ut, sitting and observing from his wheel chair, opened up a big smile, "This is the second time in my life I could find some happiness during the Noel Holidays. I have been admitted into this training center for over a year now. Last year, DFC volunteers did come and celebrated Noel with us and gave us lots of gifts including toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, notebooks, pens and pencils, ... that lasted almost a year..."
Ut's hometown is Kien Giang. He has 9 brothers and sisters. Ut was born with both legs shrunk and unable to walk. Ut thought he would never have the opportunity to leave his hometown. Fortunately, he was introduced into this vocational training center and is now pursuing a career in making wood art. He has mastered the skills after a year and is now able to make living on his own. Ut was very sincered, "I am old enough to know Santa is unreal, but our instructors and our good friends like DFC volunteers always concern about us have kept us to continue believe in that holiday spirit."
The Special Noel Gifts
Similarly, Nguyen Thi Le Tuyen, who's with both legs disabled, was also very happy because she was one of the nine children on that day each receiving a brand-new pair of crutches in stainless steel. Being born disabled in a poor family, Tuyen wished there would be a miracle that could heal her legs overnight so she could walk and run like others.
Getting older, Tuyen's wishes became more realistic, she dreamed to have a light-weight, decent-looking pair of crutches to walk. Since her admission to this training center, she had been loaned a wheelchair. But today, she was actually given a brand-new, shinny pair of crutches among eight others. DFC volunteers told her and the others that the crutches were donated by Nathan Chu and Dean Do, both are R & D managers at a Nokia division located in Mountain View, California, USA. Tuyen was holding the pair of crutches passed to her by a DFC volunteer. She could not hold her emotion, she cried happily and thankfully.
Besides the special gifts above, Donate For Children, Inc. also donated to the center 1,000kg of rice, 100kg of salt, 100kg sugar, 50kg of sweeten-cooking powder. There were also more than 100 gift bags filled with toiletries and school supplies for each student, and meals were provided to everyone at the center during lunch time. Tran Phuoc Loc, Regional Manager of DFC in HCM City, told us, "These gifts are not dolls, chocolate, nor party cakes, but we believe they are the very realistic Noel gifts that would warm our young friends here during this holiday season. Our gifts content our wishes to everyone for a happy Christmas and prosperous New Year."