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Published: November 8th 2007
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THANH, NO & TRANG
No family sedan here........nevertheless Thanh and No are thrilled with their new bicycle which helps them get to work. Baby Trang sits in a little seat at the front of the bike. Lifestart Foundation purchases bicycles for disadvantaged families and students in Vietnam.
School and work are more often than not a long way from home for families supported by Lifestart. Many school children travel a long distance to attend school. Those who are poor and without may, at times, be able to hitch a ride with a friend ... if they are lucky.The unlucky ones will walk many kilometers to and from school every day.
In addition to relieving school children of their long walk, families for whom a bicycle is purchased will often use it to get to the market to buy rice and food. For Lifestart-supported families, a refrigerator is a luxury item. I know we consider refrigerators to be necessities in our homes, but having a refrigerator would truly be a luxury for many of these people. Because refrigerators are expensive, as is electricity, it is unlikely that any of these families will ever own a refrigerator. Instead of refrigerated and stored food, daily supplies are purchased at the local market; fish are caught fresh from the river -- in some respects, healthier than our packaged, frozen and processed alternatives…
A bicycle also enables parents to
LUAN
Luan waits patiently for the adjustments to be made to her new bike. Luan works during the day and attends Lifestart Foundation Free School at night. She lives on a tiny boat on the river and stores her bike at a friends in the evening. travel to work. Many parents need to look far from their immediate surroundings in order to get work, making the acquisition of a bicycle a very valuable and appreciated gift.
Good-quality bicycles are purchased new with a guarantee, basket and lock. The cost ranges from $60 to $100 aud. As you can imagine, all of the families are very grateful when they receive a means of transportation.
Lots of Love from
Karen
www.lifestartfoundation.org.au
HERE ARE A FEW OF THE RECIPIENTS OF BICYLES FROM LIFESTART FOUNDATION.
If time permitted I would write a blog on each and everyone of them as they all have extremely difficult lives and a story worth telling.
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Eva Haddad
non-member comment
Again Karen, I don't know what to say. You are one of a kind. Keep the hard work and the spirit, you are making such a difference to a lot of people's lives. And it does take a special person to achieve what you have achieved so far. I only wish there were more people like you around who will get of their comfort zone and help the underpriviledged. I wish you all the best and great health. Eva