Thong ( pronounced "Tom" ) is another member of the Lifestart Foundation disabled group living with Polio. I call him a "can do " kind of man because there is not a whole lot that Thong won't have a go at. Thong walks on his hands, his legs simply do not work. So he puts his sandals on his hands, crosses his legs into lotus position and off he goes...........and by golly he's really fast! Thong contracted polio when he was one year old. He explained to me that Polio took his legs away. His family was very poor, they took [View Full Entry]

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A brief snapshot of Trang's story............Trang a vibrant 25 year old had been living in a small room with three elderly dementia patients for the past four years, she lay awake every night in fear. Trang has polio and it is very difficult for her to walk let alone climb stairs. Her accommodation was on the first floor of an old building. She had access to terrible bathroom facilities down a walk way some distance from her room. Trang had few possessions and what little she had could be put in a plastic bag. Despite this Trang has the sunniest smile [View Full Entry]

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Sherry Berger is from Philadelphia, this is her second volunteering trip to Vietnam for Lifestart. I struggle to find words to adequately describe Sherry, suffice to say I think she is type of volunteer that all NGO's need at least one of and I can't wait for her return. Sherry is one of the most committed, hard working and compassionate human beings I have been fortunate enough to meet ( not too mention she is also extremely talented, super efficient, well organized and has a great sense of humour!!!). She embodies what the ideal volunteer is for me. Sherry works selflessly, [View Full Entry]

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Meet Nguyen. I was introduced to Nguyen about a year ago by one of her former teachers, Miss Chi. At the time I discussed further study options with her and she needed a bicycle which Lifestart was happy to provide. I was unaware that Nguyen was seriously ill. Nguyen lives a long way out of town with her mother and siblings, her father died some years ago.One of her brothers died three weeks ago. Her family is very poor. Nguyen was born with a heart condition, commonly referred to as a “hole in the heart”. In developed countries, this would [View Full Entry]

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It is with much excitement that Lifestart Foundation welcomes TRAN THI THANH and LE QUANG GHI to Melbourne, Australia. Thanh and Ghi are two outstanding young people who are involved in the Lifestart Foundation Jobstart Program. They will arrive in Melbourne on Thursday the 24th. of April and will commence their traineeships with one of Australia's leading wedding dress and couture designers, MARIANA HARDWICK on May the 5th. Thanh has been involved with Lifestart Foundation for a number of years. She originally came to my attention as a young girl who was being extremely exploited at [View Full Entry]

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Back in March I told you about a "mad but thoroughly loveable " Englishman who was attempting to fly across the Yarra River on behalf of Lifestart Foundation. Thanks to all those who left helpful suggestions on hair removal and other ways to improve his aerodynamics! They must have worked as James (aka Birdman!) managed a magnificent leap of 7.5 metres which earned him huge cheers from thousands in the crowd! He also managed to make a big splash for Lifestart - appearing in newspapers in Melbourne and in Vietnam and presenting (in costume!) to children at Carey Baptist Grammar School [View Full Entry]

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Not many Melbournians would jump into the Yarra River! But that's what Englishman, James Everson-Crane is planning to do on behalf of Lifestart Foundation! He will leap from a platform at midday on March 9th as part of Melbourne's famous Moomba Festival! Always optimistic, James plans to soar high above the crowds wearing nothing but a flowing, white gown and a big Vietnamese hat! Last year James and his family were visiting Melbourne during Moomba and happened to watch the Birdman competition. James was eager to comment on all the entries and certain that he could fly further! Without [View Full Entry]

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Lifestart Foundation has been very fortunate to have had the expertise of some wonderful additional volunteers: DR. JOSH SOLOMON, is a board certified internist, pulmonologist and critical care physician from Denver, Colorado. In January he completed the initial assessment on forty members from our disabled group. An added bonus for me is that his notes are in English and for the most part his writing is readable! All of the patients were taken to hospital for rounds of tests and xrays and then had their appointment with Josh. Josh was assisted with translations by voluntee [View Full Entry]

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Dear Lifestart Supporters, My apologies for the lack of contact during the past month. I have just arrived back from my December/January trip to Vietnam. Whilst in Vietnam I am so busy doing the " hands on work" that I find it impossible to summons up the brain space to write anything intelligent by the end of the day. Rest assured that I am back in Melbourne with a "thousand " stories running around in my head that I will now attempt to get into blog format before I return to Vietnam in March. Highlights of Lifestart news and events include: [View Full Entry]

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Lifestart Foundation is very happy to welcome three new student groups for 2008. Five girls who are training to become Buddhist nuns have now joined the student body at the Lifestart Foundation Free School. The girls, TRUYEN, THAO, TIEN, NGUYEN and TAM all live at the Pagoda, just around the corner from the Lifestart School. The girls live at the Pagoda for a variety of reasons. In some cases, it's a choice made by very poor parents in lieu of leaving their child at an orphanage; for others, this is a personal choice made from a deep commitment to their faith. [View Full Entry]

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