Category: Orphanages

February 4, 2015

February Sales of Operation Babylift to Support Adoptee DC Wolfe

The Against The Grain family’s first members were not only its founders but also the adoptees featured in the award-winning documentary film Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam, directed and produced by our president and co-founder Tammy Nguyen Lee. The poignant film, a 5 year passion project that was completed and released in 2009, follows the personal journeys of the orphans who were were airlifted from war-torn Vietnam to the United States. It was this film that inspired the founding of Against The Grain and our support of poverty-stricken orphanages in Asia.

Executive Producers and ATG Co-Founders Tammy Nguyen Lee and George Lee (center) with several of the interviewed adoptees of Operation Babylift. DC Wolfe is pictured far left.

DC Wolfe, an actor and writer, is one of the adoptees who is featured in the film. Although very private by nature, he openly shared his intimate and painful story to help others better understand the unique situation that adoptees face. He has supported Operation Babylift by attending numerous screenings and even speaking at Asian American Leadership and Educational Conference (AAALEC) panel at Southern Methodist University to discuss the film and his personal story.

The ATG family was saddened to learn that DC is currently battling cancer. In an effort to return the love and support that he has shown for many years in sharing his powerful journey and raising awareness about adoption, Tammy and the ATG Board would like to donate 100% of all proceeds from sales of Operation Babylift DVDs during the entire month of February to help offset DC’s medical costs.

If you would like to show your support, please click here to purchase your own copy of Operation Babylift. As you reflect on the message of love throughout the month of February, we encourage you to share the love and spread the message of hope that is embodied in the film by also considering copies of Operation Babylift for family and friends. We thank you so much for your continued support of our mission and hope that through our programming and community outreach efforts, you are not only enlightened and educated about Asian American culture, arts and issues but also inspired to do your part, in any measure, to make life better for others. #beCAUSE.

Read more Against The Grain posts featuring DC Wolfe and Operation Babylift:

November 19, 2014

Orphanage Update: Cambodia

Thanks to your support, we were able to expand our assistance to orphanages in Cambodia this year! Many special thanks to Rev. Sy Seng Ouk and his wife Mrs. Esther Ky (parents of ATG advisor and long-time friend Thear Suzuki) who recently visited our supported orphanages and gave us the report below. Read more

June 10, 2014

Vietnam Orphanage Update – International Children’s Day 6/1/14

This email was received from Uu Dam, one of ATG’s supported orphanages in Vietnam (which now has more than 60 children) after International Children’s Day. The following is translated from the original Vietnamese email, and names have been abbreviated for their privacy.

———-

Dear ATG Family:

International Children’s holidays returned again this year, warming the spirits of the orphans of Uu Dam. This year as well as the years before, the ATG gave the Uu Dam family a large donation of money for foods and supplies and a generosity of spiritual values. The children are very happy and excited to receive such a meaningful gift, especially this year’s donation that included extra encouragement for those who achieved academic honors in school from 2013 to 2014. Everyone in the Uu Dam family would like to deeply thank the ATG family.

At the request of Ms. Aileen, this afternoon PT went with the children to the supermarket to shop for food, supplies and goodies for the International Children Day (QTTN) celebration of VND 12 million. The remaining VND 3 million PT will purchase awards for the children who achieved the gifted/honor student certificates and also the student at University who scored well. Tomorrow, after the distribution of awards and the QTTN celebration, PT will send you pictures for you to see.

Attached, PT would like to send a few pictures of the youngest members of Uu Dam so Aileen and everyone in the ATG family can see. The children are lovely, innocent and also very smart. The smiles of these innocent little angels of Uu Dam are the gift that PT would like to send to the ATG family during this fun day for the children.

Wish everyone happiness and good health!

June 10, 2014

Vietnam Orphanage Update 6/3/14

In addition to providing aid for basic needs such as food, milk, clothing, educational tools and cultural celebrations, ATG takes it one step further with our supported orphanages in Vietnam. We provide incentives to the orphans to work hard to make a better life for themselves by awarding those who receive an academic achievement certificate from their school district an extra “prize” of new school clothesand school supplies It is our belief that this will continue to give them motivation and inspiration, while also letting them know that someone cares about their future.

This email was sent by one of the workers at one of ATG’s supported orphanages in Vietnam. The original email is translated from Vietnamese, and names are abbreviated to protect their identity.

Dear Aileen!

On behalf of ATG, PT has provided awards for children of Uu Dam who achieved good academic results during the school year 2013 – 2014. Within this group, XT received both certificates for good student and also completed her thesis for four years of University yesterday. She received 9 out of 10 for her thesis. XT was so happy, dear Aileen. This morning, after receiving this meaningful award, she got teary-eyed and asked PT to send her sincere thanks to you, Aivy, and all of the members of ATG. She said that she had to go to school

today to set up the completion of her school, but when she comes back at night, she will write to you all. PT and all of the orphans of Uu Dam will always treasure the love and support from the ATG family. The continuous concern and support that ATG has given to Uu Dam during the past several years has contributed to making our home increasingly happy and boisterous with the laughter of these children.

In these pictures, CH and CT are brothers. Because they had to go back to the countryside for their mother’s memorial, I gave them your awards earlier than to the others. For many years now, both boys have achieved good/honor student status. Their parents died when CT was 2 years-old and CH was 3-years old. Currently, they still have their paternal grandmother, but she is elderly and living out in the countryside under difficult conditions.

Yours,

May 13, 2014

Orphanage Update: Uu Dam

(translated from Vietnamese, names abbreviated to protect their privacy.)

Dear ATG family,

Yesterday afternoon, PT and the children went to supermarket to shop for the necessities and food for the children at Uu Dam. The receipts added up to 10 million VND. The children were very excited. They always appreciate and have profound gratitude towards the ATG family.

This year, Uu Dam did not have any students taking the University entrance exams. However, there will be two students preparing for University next year. The children of Uu Dam are healthy and study hard all the time. They know that the reason they have cozy living conditions is largely due to the love, care, and support from the ATG family members. PT always reminds them to live a good and useful life in order to repay the donors who have loved and nurtured them.

With this email, PT includes pictures of the youngest children (the Three Musketeers) as a souvenir to ATG. The little boy sitting in the stroller, PH, is now 7 months old. He was only a few days old when he came to Uu Dam, and he is currently a healthy and good boy.

Once again, on behalf of the Executive Committee of the orphans at Uu Dam, PT wishes to send the members of the ATG family Health and Peace.

TNPT

January 31, 2014

Banh Chung Banh Day – A New Year Story for Tet by ATG

Long, long ago in Vietnam, there lived an ancient King named King Hung Vuong. He was a wise and thoughtful king who always tried to please his people and consider new ideas, and because of this, he was loved by his people. King Vuong grew old and he knew that soon it would be time to pass his kingdom on to his successor. The only trouble was that the King Vuong had three healthy sons, and he did not know who would be the best choice. King Vuong, being a wise and caring King, thought very hard about this problem, and in due course, came upon a solution.

He called his three sons together. Rising up to his feet, he declared,”Sons you are all wise and strong, but only one of you can rule our precious Vietnam. So, I have devised a plan to determine which of you shall rule after my passing.” All of the members of the court and his three sons listened attentively, because King Vuong was known to be the wisest ruler in the whole of Asia.

King Vuong continued, “I would like each of you to provide for me a dish of food. You must search for the ingredients, make the dish and serve it to me on the last day of this Lunar Month. On the basis of this dish, I will decide who is to be the ruler of our Kingdom.”

Immediately after the words had left this King’s mouth, the attendants at the court began to talk in hushed whispers. They knew that this was a very wise pronouncement of their King, because Vietnam, with its large population and small land area, must always give attention to food production to make sure that each person is well fed and healthy.

The three brothers stared in disbelief, “How could our father suggest such a method of deciding? Why does he not test our strength?” said the first brother. “Why does he not he test our computational skills?” said the second brother, surprised. The third and youngest brother just looked at the court and his father and made no comment.

Within days, the two elder brothers had organized their servants and horses and carriages and were racing all over Vietnam and even to other parts of South East Asia to find the most delectable and delicious ingredients for the dish. One brother took a boat out into the South China Sea to fish for the finest tasting fish. The other brother went into the Khmer Mountains to find the most tender boar meat. Yet, the youngest Prince Tiet Lieu, stayed at home and sat on his front step, pondering his father’s request.

By the end of the Lunar Month, each of the brothers had prepared their dishes and came before the whole of the Vietnamese royal court and their wise father King Vuong to present it. The first brother came to the father and presented a fine porcelain dish of flying fish dressed in a sweet chili sauce accompanied by expensive lotus seeds. A hush came over the court as the father viewed the dish and placed it on the table. The second brother came forward, and he opened a large copper cauldron and presented a dish of boar dressed with wild mushrooms and a rare wild fern sauce. Again, all the court watched the father place the cauldron on the table. Then Prince Tiet Lieu came forward and opened his basket and displayed a large flat rice cake. The court and his brothers gasped! Noone would dare offer such simple fare to the royal King Vuong.

King Vuong said, “Prince Tiet Lieu, tell me why you have chosen to present me with such a simple rice cake.”

Prince Tiet Lieu said, “Rice is the most precious and valuable of all food found in this kingdom, yet it is also the most abundant. I have prepared a dish that represents my love for you and our beautiful Vietnam. I have cooked it thoroughly then molded it into a round rice cake, and called it Banh Day, as it symbolizes the sky we live under. I have cooked a square rice cake, stuffed it with cooked bean paste and ground meat in the middle and called it Banh Chung. This will symbolize the earth we live on.”

As Prince Tiet Lieu spoke, his two elder brothers tried to mask the grandness of their dishes, as they now understood the wisdom of their younger brother in using ingredients that all the people of Vietnam could have access to. Immediately they fell to their knees in front of their father and younger brother and bowed at the same time the whole court bowed to the father and son, as everyone knew that Prince Tiet Lieu would make the finest King to rule after his wise father King Vuong. After that, King Hung Vuong ordered that this recipe be passed out to all people in his kingdom.

As the result, the Vietnamese custom is that every year during the New Year celebration, the Vietnamese people cook Banh Chung and Banh Day and use them as special offerings to their ancestors as well as special gifts to relatives and friends during the Tet celebrations. The Banh Chung is very nutritious, has a unique, tasty flavor and may be kept for a long time. All of its ingredients and materials, from the green wrapping leaves to sticky rice and pork, green beans and pepper inside, are all medicine (according to Oriental Medicine) that act to keep harmony between the positive and the negative, thus helping the blood circulate well and preventing diseases.

Together with Banh Chung Banh Day, the Vietnamese people normally eat Banh Cuon (Fun rolls) and Cha (special meat roll made with pork, or beef, or chicken) during the Lunar New Year—because those are so goods and simply because Cha can be preserved for a while in the cold climate, when the markets are not open during the Lunar New Year period (normally 1-2 weeks after the New Year). In Vietnam, there are almost no commercial activities during New Year and a week after so that everyone who works from far away can come back and celebrate the New Year with their family.
In Vietnam, family members normally gather for the Banh Chung Cookout. After wrapping the Banh Chung, people put them in a huge pot and cook them for 10-12 hours, depending how large the Banh Chung are. During this cooking period, family members normally gather around the pot and sing traditional songs or tell stories.

Today, ATG volunteers brought the Tet spirit to the children of SPC Danang- House 3&4 by feeding them with Banh Cuon and Cha. (We fed the children this dish last Lunar New Year celebration and they asked if they could have that dish again for this occasion). Though Banh Cuon and Cha are inexpensive in the US, they are pretty pricey and are considered out-of-reach for the little budget of the orphanages such as SPC DN-house 3&4. As the volunteers set up the food, the children gathered around the volunteers to sing and chat happily. We also helped the children celebrate the Banh Chung Cookout. A huge pot filled with pre-wrapped Banh Chung was set up outside in the play yard. After the meal, the children gathered around the Banh Chung pot and continue to sing and listened to the story of Banh Chung Banh Day. On a cold day like this, we felt warm with happy thoughts, as we were able to bring the Tet tradition together with hope and happiness to the children. We hope they feel the same!

VIETNAMESE TRANSLATION

Sự tích Bánh Chưng Bánh Dày

Ngày xưa, ở Việt Nam có một vị vua già tên là Hùng Vương. Ngài là một vì vua thông minh và biết quan tâm người khác, Ngài luôn cố làm hài lòng hết thảy dân chúng trong vương quốc và luôn quan tâm xem xét các ý tưởng mới lạ và chính vì lẽ đó mà vua Hùng được mọi người hết mực yêu mến. Vua Hùng ngày một già và đã đến lúc trao ngôi báu lại cho người nối ngôi, vua chỉ băn khoăn một điều là Ngài có ba hoàng tử khỏe mạnh và không biết phải chọn ai trong số họ. Vua rất khôn ngoan và suy nghĩ cặn kẽ về việc này và tình cờ Ngài đã nảy ra một cách giải quyết rất đúng lúc.

Ngài gọi ba hoàng tử của mình đến và đứng dậy phán rằng; “Hỡi các con, các con ai nấy cũng đều thông minh và khỏe mạnh nhưng chỉ một trong các con sẽ là người lên trị vì nước Việt Nam yêu dấu của chúng ta. Thế nên ta đã nghĩ ra kế hoạch chọn người sẽ nối ngôi khi ta băng hà.” Hết thảy quần thần trong triều và ba hoàng tử đều lắng nghe hết sức chăm chú vì ai cũng biết rằng vua Hùng là vị vua trị vì thông minh nhất Châu Á.

Vua Hùng tiếp; “Ta muốn mỗi anh em con phải dâng cho ta một món ăn, các con phải tìm lấy cách làm và thành phần để chế biến và sẽ dâng lên ta vào ngày cuối tháng âm lịch này, và ta sẽ biết để chọn xem ai sẽ là người nối ngôi ta.”

Ngay khi vua vừa dứt lời thì cả triều đình bắt đầu bàn tán thì thầm. Họ hiểu rằng đây là lời phán rất thông minh của Ngài bởi lẽ đất nước Việt Nam nhỏ hẹp với một lượng dân số to lớn như vậy thì chắc hẳn ai cũng phải để ý tới việc sản xuất lương thực để đảm bảo rằng ai cũng được no đầy và khỏe mạnh.

Cả ba hoàng tử nhìn nhau ngờ vực; “Làm thế nào vua cha lại có thể đề nghị cách quyết định này được chứ? Tại sao cha không thử sức mạnh của chúng ta nhỉ?”, hoàng tử thứ nhất hỏi. Hoàng tử thứ hai cũng ngạc nhiên “tại sao vua cha không thử tài tính toán của chúng ta?” Vị hoàng tử út thứ ba chỉ nhìn các quần thần và vua cha mà không nói năng gì.

Trong nhiều ngày liền hai vị hoàng tử đầu đã mang theo xe ngựa và người hầu đi khắp Việt Nam, thậm chí ở cả những khu vực thuộc vùng Đông Nam Á để tìm cho được các thành phần ngon nhất về nấu món ngon cho cha. Một người đã đi thuyền qua tận Hải Nam (Biển Đông) để câu được cá ngon nhất, người khác lên tận vùng núi Khmer để tìm món thịt lợn hấp dẫn nhất. Còn Hoàng tử Tiết Liêu ở nhà ngồi ở bậc thềm trước nhà, suy nghĩ về lời yêu cầu của vua cha.

Vào cuối tháng âm lịch mỗi hoàng tử đều đã chuẩn bị món ăn của mình và dâng lên cho vua cha trước mặt tất cả các quần thần trong triều. Vị hoàng tử đầu tiên dâng cho cha món cá chuồn nấu bằng tương ớt thơm lừng và hạt sen đắt tiền trong tô sứ rất ngon mắt. Cả triều đình im phăng phắc khi vua cha xem qua món ăn và đặt nó trở lại trên bàn. Vị hoàng tử thứ hai lên phiá trước và mở cái vạc đồng dâng lên cho cha miếng đùi lợn nấu với nấm rừng và nước xốt dương xỉ rừng quý hiếm. Lại một lần nữa cả triều đình chìm trong im lặng nhìn vua cha đặt cái vạc trên bàn. Đến lượt Hoàng tử Tiết Liêu bước về phiá trước, mở cái giỏ của mình và bày ra một chiếc bánh làm bằng gạo rất to bằng phẳng. Cả triều đình và hai anh của Tiết Liêu đều há hốc miệng kinh ngạc, chẳng ai dám dâng cho vua cha một món ăn quá đơn giản như thế.

Vua Hùng bảo, “Tiết Liêu, nói cho cha nghe tại sao con lại chọn món bánh gạo đơn giản như thế để dâng lên cho cha?”

Hoàng tử Tiết Liêu tâu, “Gạo là thứ ăn quý giá nhất trong vương quốc này, và gạo cũng là thực phẩm dồi dào nhất. Con đã chuẩn bị một món ăn để có thể bày tỏ tình yêu của con đối với cha và cả đất nước Việt Nam xinh đẹp của chúng ta nữa. Con đã nấu chín gạo và đúc vào trong khuôn bánh tròn, và gọi là Bánh Dày để tượng trưng cho bầu trời mà chúng ta đang sống đây. Con cũng nấu một chiếc bánh gạo vuông vức, ở giữa có nhân đậu chín và thịt băm nhỏ được gọi là Bánh Chưng. Đây tượng trưng cho trái đất mà chúng ta đang sống.

Khi Hoàng tử Tiết Liêu nói xong thì hai người anh của chàng cũng cố che đi vẻ to lớn của các món ăn của mình vì giờ đây họ đã hiểu ra sự khôn ngoan của em mình khi dùng những thành phần chế biến thức ăn mà tất cả người Việt Nam đều có được. Ngay lập tức họ quỳ xuống dưới chân đức vua cha và hoàng tử út đồng thời toàn thể triều thần cũng cúi đầu trước vua cha và Hoàng tử Tiết Liêu vì tất cả đã biết rằng Tiết Liêu sẽ là một vì vua tốt nhất sau vua cha. Sau đó, vua Hùng truyền lệnh cho công thức làm bánh này phổ biến cho hết thảy mọi người trong vương quốc của Ngài.

Vì thế, Việt Nam có phong tục là hằng năm cứ đến Tết là người Việt nấu bánh Chưng và Bánh Dày và dùng như món đồ cúng đặc biệt dành để cúng tổ tiên và là món quà đặc biệt dành tặng người thân và bạn bè trong dịp Tết. Bánh Chưng rất bổ dưỡng, có hương vị thơm ngon độc đáo và có thể giữ được trong một thời gian dài. Tất cả các thành phần và nguyên liệu dùng để làm bánh, từ lá gói xanh tới gạo nếp và thịt heo, đậu xanh và tiêu bên trong nhân, tất cả đều là các vị thuốc (theo đông y) có thể giữ cân bằng âm dương giúp máu lưu thông tốt và ngăn ngừa bệnh tật nữa.

December 13, 2013

Orphanage Update: A Substitute Mother

By Aileen Nguyen

I have a friend who lives in Da Nang, my hometown. We met three years ago through an acquaintance of mine while I visited Da Nang for distributions to the orphanages there. Hong-Phan is very tall for a Vietnamese woman. She often gets mistaken for a movie star or a model when she walks on the streets of Da Nang because she is very tall, very pretty and well-dressed. However, that is not the reason that I want to write about her in this article. I want to talk about her dedication to the cause that ATG has been relentlessly pursuing in support of the orphans, whether they come from the streets, live in orphanages, live by themselves, or live with relatives in remote locations. Like ATG, Hong-Phan wants to give these children the hope that there are people who care for them, who would come often to comfort and look after them. Then, these children will be encouraged to try harder to study, so that they can escape the vicious cycle that has life has bestowed upon them.

Even with having a family of her own and also a job that requires a lot of her time and effort, Hong Phan has been instrumental to ATG’s aid activities in Vietnam during the last three years. With her presence on the ground, ATG has been able to extend its support from the orphanages in the cities to those in remote locations. We also were able to extend our support to orphans who lost both parents or one parent, but still live with extended families and have exemplary school achievement and good behaviors.

Hong-Phan normally comes to visit the orphanages with a SUV loaded with food and supplies purchased with the funds from ATG. However, since Phan doesn’t own a car, she normally has to borrow the vehicle from friends or relatives so that ATG doesn’t have to incur transportation costs.

The children from the orphanages have been seeing Hong-Phan often enough that they always break out in a loud cheers when they see her. They call out “Co Phan den, Co Phan den!” (Auntie Phan is here. Auntie Phan is here!) and rush to the car to help unload the goodies.

Here you see the children from the House 3 and 4 of SPC Danang (this center takes street children and raise and trains them until they turn 18) unloading the food and supplies during Hong Phan ‘s visit this past week.

Hong-Phan doesn’t come to visit the children with just food and supplies. She often thinks of the children’s needs and talks to me about their mental and psychological needs. She often talks to these children to comfort them and encourages them to do well in school, to care for each other and to continue to keep up their good behavior. When she visits the orphanages, she goes directly into their kitchen to observe what they eat and would buy things that they didn’t often have, like meat or milk and fill up their refrigerator with those items.

She has also organized to feed the children their favorite hot meals, such as Mi Quang (a specialty noodle dish in the Danag area) and make sure that everyone has received a satisfying portion of these delicious meals. On her recent visit this month, each of the children had at least two bowls of Mi Quang, to the point that they forgot to leave a bowl for their Guardian Director (they normally remember to do that as a courtesy).

Beside Uu Dam, SPC Danang, Thanh Tam Center for Disable Children, Redcross Danag, Hoa Khanh Center, Quan Chau orphanage. Hong-Phan also helps us to work with the local school districts and local PTAs in the areas with extreme poverty to identify orphans/children in need and provide them with support from ATG. Together, we have donated 100 bicycles to those children in Da Nang who are without one or both living parents and in extreme poverty, but have achieved good grades and has demonstrated good behavior. We also provided scholarships to the orphan students of NTH Highschool. We are in the process of distributing 20 more bicycles and 100 of warm jackets to the orphans/children in the Huong Thuy District (in the outskirt of the city of Hue.) Hong Phan works with the local RedCross, local PTA and School Board of the districts to select qualified children to receive the aids. I, as a member of ATG, also review the list to ensure fairness and appropriation of the selection process. Together, we want to bring the children the care, love, hope and support that normally would come from their own mothers, now made possible by ATG via Hong –Phan. She really cares for these children.

For that, I often called Hong Phan a substitute mother….

December 2013

October 21, 2013

Planting Hope and Magical Outcomes will Harvest

PLANTING HOPE AND MAGICAL OUTCOMES WILL HARVEST.

I was born in a remote countryside and grew up in perpetual hardship. The images of the tattered thatched roof and the people’s suffering lives in poverty have become part of my childhood memory. Back then, everyday, we used studying as a means to escape poverty. I studied to become a middle-school teacher and came to Da Nang to work – This is a fairly young, energetic and vibrant city for me to to excel, so I thought…

During the first few years in my teaching career, I recognized the difference of the living conditions of the children in this city with those in our lives before. The difference is so great, as one side is the poor country side with the substandard living conditions from more than ten years ago; the other side is the exciting bustling liveliness of a busy, growing city. Having the spirit of a young teacher, I put all of my passion into my job with the belief that “My students are the young children who have all of the conditions to study. Thus, they will be able to come to school with a clear mind to receive new knowledge. They will not worry about a thing. Nothing will be in their way to stop them from soaking up the magic of education…” Each time having experienced the real life of my students, especially after I personally visited some of the ones from our school, that belief has gradually changed as I lived a little longer in the city.

We sometimes visited the students in the evening, after classes were over. Perhaps the changing light between day and nightfall has made the places where our students live seem more empty and cold. One unforgettable evening in February, when it was raining cats and dogs, a few other teachers and I were on the way to visit one of my students. Holding the address, we confusedly walked back and forth in the small and muddy alley, asking and searching for my student’s home. Her house was less than 2 km from our school, but it took us almost one hour to find it. Her father passed away long time ago. Her mother has had to go far away to earn a living for her family since my student was only 2 years-old. During the last thirteen years, she was able to see her mother only a few times. My student has been staying with her maternal grandmother, who is almost 80 years-old, an uncle, his wife, other aunt and their children. Nine people live in a little house with a dirt floor and a rusty tin roof full of holes that could not prevent the rainwater from dripping through. At the brightest corner of the house, there is an old wooden table with a 45-watt lamp – perhaps the studying corner for the children. On the wall around that corner, there are many certificates of achievement of the children. It was not difficult for me to recognize the certificates with my student’s name, because she has continuously thrived as an excellent student during the last nine years. Everyone in the family greeted us with the simple, but no less sincere, blend with a little concern. Her grandmother kept crying from the moment we arrived, the type of cries without sound, only tears coming down from her old blurry eyes. My student kept sitting behind me, even though I tried to hold her hand and pulled her to my side so that she would have more confidence in sitting with us. I recognized that her hand trembled, her back pulled back as she wanted to shrink. Perhaps she was not used to receiving visitors like us at her home.

That moment filled me with emotions. Many similar visits had changed my original perception, as I realized that not all children of the big city can happily go to school. Their routes to schools still have many barriers because of the lack of the necessities in material, emotional and spiritual support. Even then, I still maintain my original belief that “It doesn’t matter how difficult it is, nothing will stop the children from understanding.” Therefore, though they don’t have a clear vision of the efforts and related rewards of education, all of my students always promised me that they will study so that their future will have less suffering,… so that one day they can help cure the illness of their mother… or to help their father raise their siblings, etc…All of those dreams and realizations help push the children to want to live and give them the energy to excel. Their living conditions may be different levels from one another, but their eyes always look forward to the future, and their feet will march forward with strong conviction.

At the beginning of this school year, our school received happy news that those students who have overcome difficulties and achieved strong academic performances that would be given a chance to receive 11 scholarship/grants from the ATG family, comprised of 11 new bicycles. The ATG group also supported us during the school year of 2012-2013 with 20 scholarship/grants, also new bicycles. This year, the ATG family again provided us with these meaningful grants to help the children come to school each day so that their family no longer had to worry about finding the means for them to commute to school. The bicycles, just like wings, will provide a tremendous support for the children to make their routes to school become shorter and further their abilities to advance in their life ahead. The greatest outcome of this generous action is that it has helped these children to understand that people care about them and are willing to share. With your support, the children will have a stronger belief in their studying and their daily life.

My dear students — just keep walking forward toward your future ahead. We need to accept the differences that came to us in the past. However, the opportunities of the future can be shared with those who value their life and work hard to achieve them.

Pham T. Thuy Loan (Teacher of Nguyen Hue Middle School)