An update from the President

Today I went with Hong to one of our Sister Schools. This is the partner of Tesseract School in Eagan. They have been our most consistent supporter. They raised money to redo all of the school's electrical system and buy notebooks for the children, a very big project. As usual the kids were great and much fun. Some are very aggressive in trying to meet me, some very shy. One class, of about 40, was coming in from exercise class. I stood at the door to their classroom and shook hands with them and said hello. Some were apprehensive but were more in fear of getting out of the line than shaking hands with me. I really had a ball. They then called all of the children, about 400, out of class for a presentation of the notebooks in the yard. They all ran to their classroom and brought out a small plastic chair. They lined them up in straight lines and sat down in order. Amazing! This was a primary school, grades one through six. They are all very smart kids. They start learning English in third grade. I was given lots of letters to take back to their Sister School. Many were written in English. Stand back American children, the Vietnamese are coming.

Last Thursday I went with the CardioStart photographer to Vinh Quynh. He wanted video and pictures of children who have had heart surgery or needed it. One of the children we met was a twelve year old girl. She needed surgery. The photographer wanted footage and we were able to learn much about her. She said that when she was younger her parents thought she was lazy and would not work hard, then they found out she had a heart problem which was causing her fatigue. However, she tried as hard as she could and has managed to keep up in school. She is in the fifth grade with her age group. She says that she would like to be able to play with her friends but does not have the energy to so she spends most of her time at home helping her mother. Her mother does not work and she has a one year old brother. The mother was also filmed on video. She says her husband is now ill and this has complicated their lives. After a few minutes she said she and her husband now fight a lot because of their problems. She tried not to cry but did so. The family lives in a very marginal house, but this in not unusual for this area. As the photographer was filming I was walking around their house, mostly outside. One thing that struck me was that there was a colander next to their small well. It was made of very thin plastic. It had several large holes which were patched with sewn in cloth. The colander could not have cost more than 50 cents but obviously this was more than the family could afford, or at least justify. We were told that the hospital said the girl's surgery would cost $2200. That was a year ago. Not it will cost $2500. The family said they could only afford $300. It is beyond me how this family could come up with $300. I assume it will be borrowed. We are currently seeking funding to support this young girls surgery. As you all know this is a significant expenditure for us but my feeling is if this family can come with $300 we cannot walk away from this little girl. (As a side note, Annetta is forced to walk away from these situations on a regular basis because of a lack of funding. She has a very very difficult job.)

We also visited the handicapped orphanage last week. I don't know how much I have reported on this situation but HSCV has provided considerable support in the past. There are 124 children most mentally impaired, some mildly but most are profoundly handicapped. They have just brought in a new director. The previous one seemed more interested in the funding received than the well being of the children. Twelve of the children go to school. The others have no hope of doing so. Those that go to school are, I think, way below grade level. However, there is one little boy named Be. He is six. He appears to be of normal intelligence and the staff at the orphanage says that is true. But he has massive orthopedic problems. His leg bones seemed as if they were soft at birth and he, in effect, is walking on what should be the front of his shin bones. Although you can see what I think would be his finger bones his hands are really clubs. He is a true orphan, being abandoned shortly after birth. HSCV did arrange for some treatment at the National Hospital for Pediatrics but their assistance appears to be minimal. We would like to get him to the US and are working on a couple of options. Let me know if you have suggestions. This little boy, who has a great personality, has been confined with mentally handicapped children all of his life and we should, and I think can, do something.

Well, that's enough for now. I'm very tired and going to bed. All in all, some good things are happening, some tough things, and mostly tough things. I will try to keep you up to date.

Thanks for your support and concern.

Chuck