HIV Clinic and Another Orphanage For Children With Disabilities

We travelled outside of the city centre to visit an HIV Care Clinic. In Vietnam, people with HIV are commonly abandoned by their families and end up they living in this clinic to get treated for their illness and to feel a sense of belonging. There are about 20 children at the clinic who have acquired HIV from birth. The children are told that they have a sickness which could potentially lead them to go to heaven early and be with their parents. I can’t imagine having to explain this to a child. The children at the clinic lead very normal lives – they have classes during the day and they spend their afternoons playing. If I wasn’t told the children had HIV I wouldn’t have even known they were sick!!

On the way home we spent a few hours at another orphange for children with disabilities. The children were very excited to see us and we kept them laughing the entire time. They thought we were absolutely hilarious!

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August 16, 2009 - Posted by christiesvietnamtrip | Volunteering

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About This Trip

Back in September, B Wyze presented their employees with a competition for a Social Responsibility Vacation. One employee would be given the opportunity to volunteer in a third world country for up to 3 weeks. I was fortunate enough to be this individual.

I will be volunteering in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for two different programs: an Orphanage for Children with Disabilities and a Shelter for Street Children.

The Orphanage For Children with Disabilities cares for abandoned children with mental or physical disabilities as well as children who are victims of agent orange. The orphanage helps to educate them to the fullest extend of their capabilities, both physical and intellectual. Finally, the orphanage helps them to learn to live independently. There are about 400 children at the orphanage.

Volunteers can talk and play with the children, help the physiotherapists when they do the therapies for the children, feed the children and teach some children to feed themselves and take them on their wheel chairs for a walk in the orphanage’s front garden.

The shelter for street children provides accommodation, education, recreational activities and opportunities for street children and orphaned children so they can get a job when they grow up and go back home to integrate with their own families or build their own live. There are 20 children at this shelter from the age of 6 years old. Volunteers at this project offer valuable support and education to the children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. I will be teaching conversational English to the children and offer support to the children while being a positive role model for the children.

A very special thank you to the CO-CEO’s of B Wyze, John Towsley and Rick Beaudry for giving me this opportunity!

Christie's Social Responsibility Adventure

Volunteering in Vietnam