Update on project work by Vietnam team.

Welcome! Please take a tour of this website and learn more about our very cool project in support of Children in Vietnam with HIV/AIDS.

Jenny and I will run a 1/2 Marathon on November 11 in Tampa, Florida to support our project. Elyse and I successfully completed the first 1/2 marathon on October 19. We thank everyone for their kind and generous support.

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PROJECT UPDATE:

The project team in Vietnam now works with 72 kids and their caretakers. Each of them have unique issues that need to be addressed. I wanted to give you an example of the work done by our team with two sisters THUY and NHU, who lost their parents to AIDS, and who both have HIV. I visited these amazing girls during my January visit.

Thuy and Nhu with picture of their dream house.

These two sisters are now being cared for by their Aunt and Uncle. The caretakers also have two young daughters of their own as well has his mother living in the house. So, the household just increased from 5 to 7 people. The uncle cannot work due do a kidney disease. The aunt is unskilled. The home is made of thatched walls and roof with holes so big a pig could walk though. The floor is dirt, and I’m guessing it’s mud when it’s raining. It is extremely difficult for the Aunt and Uncle to support two new people when they barely have the resources to take care of themselves.

Dan and Hoang with the Family

Here are a couple things our team has done to support the girls and this family.

We gave the aunt a micro-loan to start a new sustainable business to help support the growing needs of the family. With the loan, she started a business where she buys shellfish from the local fishermen and resells them to the local markets. As a result, she is able to make a profit of $2.50 a day (This is a significant amount of money). The micro-loan was in the amount of $50. After they have paid back the micro-loan, we will gift back that money to them.

Inside of house before construction

We are building them a new house! Very exciting! The team worked with the local government and other donors to raise the necessary $2,000 for the house. About ¼ of the funds were from donors in Holland, MI. The house is just about complete and will make a huge difference in the life and security of the family. Here is a photo of the house under construction. I should soon get photos of the completed house and will post when I get them.

House under construction

Thanks to the Vietnam team for the skillful work they have done to improve the condition of this family and kids.

I hope you enjoy this website! Thanks for you kind support.

peace to all

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