December 2007/January 2008
Nguyen Thi Seo $3.00/month.
Miss Seo, age 87, is the newest addition to those receiving monthly help from us. She is too old to work and her adult children do not help her. The $50,000 Vietnam Dong that we give her each month is enough for rice.
Nguyen Van Tri $13.00/month.
Tri’s wife has abandoned him and the two boys. He still works for the fruit wholesaler and as he is severely disabled he is happy to have this steady work. Although living under very difficult circumstances, Tri always has a ready smile and the children look well cared for.
Vo Van Tan $10.00/month
Tan says that he thinks the government might give him a small pension in 2009 and if this happens he will no longer need our help.
Le Quang Son $13.00/month.
Son quit his electric appliance repair course and is working in a coffee shop. His income is $28 per month. Miss Be, our helper in Hue, will talk to him about studying something that will give him a better income.
Ms. Hien $10.00/month.
Tram, the younger daughter, is now in Grade 12.
Trang, the older daughter, has expanded her bookkeeping course to two years and has one and a half years to go.
Cho Family $13.00/month.
The oldest boy failed the university entrance exam again and is now studying electric appliance repair. The family sold one cow for income and still has three. This is the first family for which we bought cows – back in September, 2001 – and raising and selling them has served this family very well.
As usual, funds are distributed to these families monthly by Mr. Son, our volunteer assistant in Ben Tre province, and by Miss Be, our volunteer assistant in Hue. We left enough money for January through August, 2008.
March/April 2007
Nguyen Van Tri. $13.00/month.
Tri’s situation has not changed and we continue to help him.
Vo Van Tan, $10.00/month.
Tan’s situation has not changed and we continue to help him.
Le Quang Son, $13.00/month.
Last November Son started a two and a half year course to learn how to repair electrical motors and instruments. He lives with his mom who earns about $30 a month doing whatever work she can find. His younger brother quit school and does not have work.
Ms. Hien, $10.00/month.
Trang is now taking an eight month bookkeeping course. When finished, she will look for work at hotels, restaurants and other businesses. Tram is still in grade 11. Ms. Hien sells duck eggs in the evening and makes about $1,25 a day unless it’s raining. An average month gets her $20 – 25. The family barely has enough to eat but is getting by. Their standard of living should be improved if Trang finishes her course and finds work.
Cho Family, $13.00/month.
The oldest son failed the university exam and is now studying to take the exam again in June. The youngest is an average student in grade seven and the middle child has quit school and does not help the family. As expected, two of the cows died from hoof and mouth disease. Fortunately, the two others were isolated in time and did not get sick. Also, there are two new calves so they now have four cows again. The mother, chronically ill, is able to plant vegetables and cut grass for the cows.
As usual, funds are distributed to these families monthly by Mr. Son, our volunteer assistant in Ben Tre province, and by Miss Be, our volunteer assistant in Hue. We left enough money for April – December 2007.
July/August 2006
Nguyen Van Tri, $13.00/month.
Tri still works for the fruit wholesaler, earning about sixty three cents a day. Because of his disability and his wife’s inability to work, his situation hasn’t changed and we continue to give him monthly assistance.
Vo Van Tan, $10.00/month.
Mr. Tan has finally completely retired as his eyesight has deteriorated and he can no longer see well enough to cut hair.
Le Quang Son, $13.00/month.
Son finished high school this summer. He has taken the university entrance exam but does not yet know the result.
Ms. Hien, $10.00/month.
Since Trang failed the university entrance exam last year, she decided to repeat grade 12. Tram, her younger sister, is now in grade 11.
Cho Family, $13.00/month.
This family continues to have misfortune. Two of their four cows have hoof and mouth disease and will die. They have isolated the other two and hope they will not become sick as well.
As usual, funds are distributed to these families monthly by Mr. Son, our volunteer assistant in Ben Tre province, and by Miss Be, our volunteer assistant in Hue.
January/February 2006
We have added two new families and now give monthly support to five families, two in Ben Tre and three in Hue. Mr. Son, our volunteer assistant in Phuoc My Trung, and Miss Be, our volunteer assistant in Hue, distribute the money each month.
Nguyen Van Tri, $13.00/month
We have helped this family before but their circumstances still remain very difficult. (See the Special Assistance project report for June/July 2004 for more information and a picture). Tri’s wife is chronically ill and can’t work. The two boys are now seven years old and have started school in grade 1. Tri has found regular work. He sorts and removes the stems and leaves from small citrus fruits called tac for a wholesaler. Because he can’t ride a bicycle, he walks three kilometers each way to work, and he only earns $10,000 dong a day, about sixty three cents. The family has 1000 square meters of land on which they grow tac, and they earn another few dollars every few months selling them.
Vo Van Tan, $10.00/month
This is another family that we have helped before. (See the Compassion Houses project report for Jan/Feb 2005 for more information and pictures. Mr. Tan, now 86, was in hospital for about a month last summer with a respiratory disorder. He is now back home but is still weak. He is a barber and he makes house calls as he has no shop. He does one or two haircuts a day, sometimes none, and gets about twenty five cents each time.
We continue to help three families in Hue. Miss Be, our volunteer assistant in Hue, distributes the money each month.
Le Quang Son, $13.00/month
Son will complete high school this summer and hopes to go to Teachers College and become an elementary school teacher. He has a new job in a tea shop and has increased his income to $10,000 dong a day, about sixty three cents.
Ms. Hien, $10.00/month
Trang, the oldest daughter has failed her university entrance exam and will try again. You may recall that she dropped out of school after grade 8 but was able to go back and finish high school with our help. Tram, her younger sister, is now in grade 10 and continues to do well.
Cho Family, $13.00/month
The oldest boy has re-entered school and will finish grade 12 this year. The middle child has quit school and the youngest is in grade 6. Another cow has been sold and they now have four. This is the first family for which we bought cows, and without them they would be in even more difficult circumstances than they are.
July/August 2005
We continue to help three families in Hue. Money was given to Miss Be, our volunteer assistant in Hue, to distribute monthly from September 2005 through April 2006.
Le Quang Son, $13.00/month
Son is starting grade 12 in September and is able to stay in school with our help. His family situation remains the same, so he is only able to stay in school with our help. He is unlikely to get into university so we will talk to him about some type of vocational training next year.
Ms. Hien, $10.00/month
Trang, the oldest daughter has finished high school. She has taken the university entrance exam but does not yet know the result. Tram as starting grade 10 and is a good student. She sells duck embryo eggs in the evening and earns 60 to 90 cents a day.
Cho Family, $13.00/month
The oldest boy has quit school after finishing grade 11. The younger boys are starting grades 9 and 6. The mother is chronically ill but continues to be able to raise cows and they now have five.
January/February 2005
We continue to help three families in Hue. Money was given to Miss Be, our volunteer assistant in Hue, to distribute monthly from January through August 2005.
Le Quang Son, $10.00/month
He is now in grade 11 and is able to stay in school with our assistance. His mother has moved to the south to find work and Son shares a room with another student for about $6.00 a month because his father, who occasionally returns home, is abusive. He works in the afternoons at a coffee shop for 30 to 50 cents per day. His 14 year old brother has left home – whereabouts unknown.
Ms. Hien, $10.00/month
Trang, the oldest daughter in now in grade 12 and studies English in the evenings. Her younger sister Tram is in grade 9. Both are good students.
Cho Family, $13.00/month
The oldest boy is now in grade 11 and his younger brothers are in grades 8 and 5. As you may recall, the father was killed in a motorbike accident in February, 2003, and the mother’s health is not good. She is, however, able to take care of the cows and grow vegetables. This family was our first cow recipient and the story has been good. They had six cows but sold two that were not healthy last year for $180 each. This gave them cash for food, clothing and school expenses and they still have four healthy cows which they are breeding.
June/July 2004
Hue
Funds were given to Miss Be, our volunteer assistant in Hue, to distribute monthly from July through December, 2004.
Le Quang Son - He is still living alone, starting grade 11 this fall, and is able to stay in school with our assistance. $13.00/month
Ms. Hien - Her daughter Trang will be starting grade 12 in the fall. She dropped out of school after grade 8 but was able to go back to school with our assistance. Her younger sister Tranh will start grade 9 in the fall. $10.00/month
Cho family - They are still in difficult circumstances as the father was killed in a motorbike accident in February, 2003 and the mother is chronically ill and unable to do much work. The oldest son as staying in school with our assistance and Miss Be's urging, and is starting grade 11 in the fall. We would like to give him some vocational training when he finishes high school so he can find work to support his family. $13.00/month
Mekong Delta
Mr. Trung - $32 to buy fertilizer for his orange trees. He only has 1000 square meters of land but the trees are starting to bear fruit and he should have some income from them by next year.
