Chua La Orphanage is part of Chua La Pagoda located in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). It was built in 1996 when the Head Monk, Thich Truyen Tu, returned to the countryside and sold his parent’s land, in order to purchase 2 hectares of muddy land, in order to build a pagoda in Nha Be town. At first the pagoda was named Huyen Trang, but due to the roofs linking together with coconut leaves it got its name Chua La, meaning Leaf Pagoda. Today, in this peaceful and quiet space in the outskirts of HCM city, the Leaf pagoda is bringing up orphan children and helping old people in need. At the moment, there are about 40 children of ages 4 to 17 years old. In addition, there are 20 elderly people in the Leaf Pagoda, with most of them coming from the surrounding countryside in the South, where they have had a difficult life. Children have had opportunities to learn and speak foreign languages, with English being the most studied. They can also speak some Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. The standard of living here is low, almost all of their food is donated, and they only buy tofu.
Work:
Volunteers will spend time with the children and help improving their English, organising games and other activities for them. Volunteers will also help redecorating the houses and classrooms, planting vegetables, and cleaning the area. Volunteers will get closer to the children’s life and try to build up a broader horizon for the children, and encourage them to learn more for a brighter future.
Age:
18+
Study Theme:
Disadvantaged children in Vietnam.
Accommodation:
VPV’s Dormitory in Saigon. Shared rooms. Sleeping on floor. Showers and toilets available. Food prepared by volunteers with support from local people.
Location:
District 12, Ho Chi Minh City (or Sai Gon – southern part of Vietnam).
Travel:
Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN).
Qualifications:
Interest and motivation working with children in difficult situations.
Leisure Activities:
Vietnamese Day, International Day, self-organized city tour and excursions, etc.
Thuy An Orphanage was founded in 1979, with the aim to provide good shelter and care for orphans and children with disabilities. At this moment, there are about 150 children who are abandoned, or who are from very poor families, that cannot afford caring for the treatment of disabilities. The orphanage is providing housing, education and basic care for the children, as well as providing vocational training, with the hope that they can stand on their own feet, and obtain a job in the future. VPV is working with the orphanage to start up an organic garden, with the aim to provide extra food for the children, and at the same time provide opportunities for labor rehabilitation for them.
Work:
Volunteers will help with taking care of the children and organising social activities for them. There will also be some manual work, such as clearing the site, preparing soil, weeding, planting vegetables and fruit trees, moving bricks for construction, collecting garbage and playing with the children or exchanging with local volunteers or staff. [In VPV37-10, volunteers will also help to organise Christmas and New Year festival for the children in the orphanage].
Age:
18+
Study Theme:
Disadvantaged children in Vietnam.
Accommodation:
Shared rooms in project site. Sleeping on floor. Showers and toilets available. Food prepared by volunteers with support from local people.
Location:
Thuy An, Ba Vi, Ha Noi.
Travel:
Hanoi Airport, 2 hour drive to the west.
Qualifications:
Interest and motivation working with children in difficult situation.
Leisure Activities:
Vietnamese Day, International Day, self-organized city tour and excursions, etc.
« The organisation of the camp community was fantastic! The group was great and we bonded quickly, language was always going to be a tricky one, but everyone attempted English and Indonesian so it made the whole experience fun and educational. »
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