Lifestart Foundation supporter Christopher Francke held a fundraising event last year to raise money to purchase and modify a three-wheeled motorbike for Hiep. Christopher had read a previous blog about Hiep and his herb farm: Hiep's story touched Christopher, inspiring him to host a fundraiser. The fundraiser was lovely. Christopher held a film afternoon and screened a delightful Vietnamese film called "Buffalo Boy." The small Rado Theatre in Melbourne was filled to capacity, with all who attended eager to help reach the target needed to get Hiep motorized. Thanks to everyo [View Full Entry]

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Twenty-five-year-old Tung was healthy and strong; a hard worker with stable employment as a concreter and bricklayer. He had a girlfriend and he was in love. Life was good, and like so many young people he had hopes and dreams for the future. Unfortunately, that all came to a crashing halt when Tung fell from a ladder whilst working one day... he broke his back. At age 25, he was a paraplegic. During the next three months that Tung spent in hospital, he had many things to come to terms with. Life as he knew it was to change dramatically. [View Full Entry]

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Hello everyone! We'd like to wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year... PLEASE CLICK HERE for Lifestart's 2008 News & Events [View Full Entry]

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Lifestart helpers... [View Full Entry]

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Hello everyone! PLEASE CLICK HERE for the latest news & events for the month of November [View Full Entry]

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The past few weeks have seen the worst floods in fifty years reek havoc in many parts of Vietnam. One of the worst affected areas has been low lying Central Vietnam. Most of Lifestart’s work is concentrated in Central Vietnam, in particular Quang Nam Province . The majority of the families that Lifestart helps live on a flood prone peninsula in flimsy dwellings, or in tiny boats on the annually flooding river. Whilst the families are used to dealing with the annual floods, this year everyone was caught off guard by the timing and enormity of the flood. A week prior [View Full Entry]

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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 [View Full Entry]

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Hello everyone! Just another reminder of what's going on for the month of October. PLEASE CLICK HERE for the latest news & events [View Full Entry]

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Hello everyone! There are lots of new and exciting things happening with Lifestart. PLEASE CLICK HERE for the latest news & events [View Full Entry]

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Born in 1968, Menh doesn't remember her parents and along with many others she contracted polio at a young age. Her father died in the war. Fearing for her life, her mother quickly married again and moved on, leaving young Menh with her elderly grandparents. Typically in Vietnam it is the woman who supports the family, and Menh’s grandmother was the sole income-earner, scratching out a living to support her grandchild. Menh speaks fondly of her grandparents whom obviously cared for her as best they could. When Menh was 11 everything changed. Her grandmother was bitten by their pi [View Full Entry]

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