Long Hoa's Orphans enjoy activities presented by Donate For Children Volunteers

Long Hoa Orphanage is located in Ward Phu My, Dstrict 07, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.  The center is administrated by a Buddhist temple and is home to over sixty orphaned boys. The children range in age from five to fifteen years old. Even though they wear battered clothing and walk around in what is barely reminiscent of a pair of sandals, the boys demonstrate a resilient attitude and an energetic spirit.

Long Hoa was one of the first orphanages in Vietnam to receive assistance from Donate For Children (DFC). In 2007, DFC volunteers visited this center three times. In contrast to the girls at Phap Vo Orphange who are a little shy at the beginning of a visit, the boys at Long Hoa aren't apprehensive at all. From the moment DFC volunteers arrive and until their departure, the children constantly cling onto each volunteer's arms and legs.

In its most recent visit, DFC made a food donation of more than two thousand pounds of rice to the children center. In addition, the volunteers had spent a considerable amount of time in preparing gifts for the children. They packaged t-shirts, bath towels, school supplies, and toiletries into a sturdy bag stamped with the DFC logo.

The volunteers also served and joined the children for lunch. The food was actually quite different from what the children were normally used to and something they seemed to really savor. The lunch menu consisted of sweet bread, vietnamese gourmet sandwiches, and milk. Candy was given out at the end of lunch. However, many of the boys were reluctant to eat the candy, as they rarely get to have them and ended up saving them for another day. Afterwards, the volunteers taught the children the song, “I Love You” (theme song of Barney and Friends) and encouraged the kids come up to sing it on their own.

There were a few other activities that got the kids riled up: balloon popping and a slideshow of the children's pictures taken from previous visits. As the boys sat and stared at the projector screen, the volunteers saw the joy and the happiness gleaming from each of the boys' faces, which then reflected onto their's. The volunteers realized their visit and hard work had truly made a difference.