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Recently I explained how Lifestart hoped to help a group of disabled people to help themselves. In the long term we hope to offer training, seedling grants, medical assesment and assistance - together with help with mobility and transport. For many of us it is hard to imagine life with a severe disability. It is virtually impossible to imagine being disabled in Vietnam where there is no financial or medical assistance available. In an attempt at greater understanding, some Lifestart supporters, "TheEversonFamily" from the UK have been visiting some of the disabled group in Ho [View Full Entry]

Vietna mum - Karen Leonard | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
932 Words | 2 Comment(s) | 6 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: June 8th 2007 | 556 Views | [diary=166896]

Hoa
Hoa's girls
Thu and Thuong

Art Class
Art Class
Sarah with the children, even Co Chau one of our teachers was engrossed in the project!
Earlier this year, we were fortunate to have a very enthusiastic volunteer who came to Hoi An to run an art program with the children at the Lifestart Foundation Free School. Sarah, a teacher from Melbourne, came to Hoi An armed with bags of art materials purchased through the donations of her friends and family. The materials she brought were really good quality, which were a joy for the children to work with. Sarah was keen to set up a “beautiful” space for the children to explore their creative time. She went to great lengths to decorate the designated art [View Full Entry]

Vietna mum - Karen Leonard | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
570 Words | 1 Comment(s) | 11 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: June 7th 2007 | 363 Views | [diary=166761]

NGA
MOVING MANNEQUINS
ART DISPLAY

HAPPINESS IS ANOTHER YEAR OF SCHOOL GUARANTEED
HAPPINESS IS ANOTHER YEAR OF SCHOOL GUARANTEED
Linh, Thanh, Ha and Huong are all thrilled that they can attend school for another year. The girls all attend primary school in Hoi An.
In addition to supporting students of the Lifestart Foundation Free School, Lifestart supports many students who are studying at government schools, paying for their annual school fees, uniforms, and books for one year. In some cases, if the child has to travel a long distance to school, Lifestart provides a bicycle. Some of the students we support have been at risk of being forced to leave school, nearly always for economic reasons. If you already struggle to feed your family, finding money to pay for school fees, uniforms, and books is impossible. Once children leave school, despite th [View Full Entry]

Vietna mum - Karen Leonard | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
1141 Words | 1 Comment(s) | 10 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: August 10th 2007 | 429 Views | [diary=164674]

BROTHERS, TRONG AND LUC
EIGHT YEAR OLD MY
NHON & A

“Clean Up The World Day.” was a great opportunity for the students of Lifestart Foundation Free School and as many Lifestart families as possible to learn more about looking after their immediate environment. Hoi An’s project was “Clean Up The River Day.” The designated day was going to be a very hot one, so an early start was advisable. Some 600 children and adults marshaled on the peninsula where most of Lifestart Foundation’s work is consolidated at 6 a.m. We were divided up into groups and given stretches of the river to clean. People power is an [View Full Entry]

Vietna mum - Karen Leonard | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
406 Words | 2 Comment(s) | 6 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: May 22nd 2007 | 343 Views | [diary=160994]

The various groups line up .
The Lifestart Team.
Clearing the river bank.

With just a little support and a relatively small amount of money, Hiep is well on the way to achieving his dream...
With just a little support and a relatively small amount of money, Hiep is well on the way to achieving his dream...
Please leave me a comment below if you have any ideas how we can help others in the disabled group to support themselves.
I have just returned from a frantic trip in Hoi An. I apologise if I have not yet been able to reply to your emails. I’d like to share with you the amazing story of one member of the Disabled Group - Hiep - the charming man who dreamt of becoming a herb farmer….. His family were very poor farmers who always worked hard, but struggled to survive. Hiep tells how, when he was young, he dreamt of being successful so that he could help his parents. Sadly he contracted polio when he was seven years of age and his [View Full Entry]

Vietna mum - Karen Leonard | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
922 Words | 2 Comment(s) | 12 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: May 14th 2007 | 429 Views | [diary=158129]

Lemon Balm out to dry in the hot Vietnamese sun!
Here I am with Hiep and Nhat (Vice President of the Disabled Group)
Here's Hiep's mother - she will benefit too!

A HOME VISIT
A HOME VISIT
No matter how many times I visit these families who live on the river and try as I might, I will never really understand how difficult life is for these people.
Them and her son Quan live on the Thu Bon River in Hoi An. Them’s husband deserted her and Quan six years ago, leaving them without land or a house. Them had a small boat to use for fishing; she had to borrow a boat for her and her son to sleep in. They have been sleeping on the river, in a boat measuring one metre by three metres, for the past six years. Life on the river is as tough as it gets. The boats are cold and damp in the rainy season and extremely hot in the summer [View Full Entry]

Vietna mum - Karen Leonard | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
362 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 7 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: March 21st 2007 | 414 Views | [diary=140686]

A HOME ON THE RIVER
WASHING DAY
A NEW BIKE

I'm busy preparing for my imminent trip to Hoi An, but before I go I want to tell you about an exciting new project involving Song and his friends! So I’ve asked Rachel, a supporter from England, to write up this blog for me, she was in Hoi An on my last trip and met many of those involved. Basically this is the story of the most lovely group of people you could ever hope to meet! They all live in or near to Hoi An and they are all disabled in some way - some through accidents, some through cerebral [View Full Entry]

Vietna mum - Karen Leonard | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
1387 Words | 8 Comment(s) | 16 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: August 16th 2007 | 589 Views | [diary=140070]

Hoa makes handmade cards
Hanh knits scarves lying on her back in bed
Trang shows her silk embroidery work

Rin is a 23-year-old widow. Her husband died one year ago at age 29. Rin has two children: a son, Kin, age six and in grade one at school, and Thao, her two-year-old daughter. Since her husband’s death, Rin has had to return home to live with her parents. The Vietnamese poor commonly die of treatable illnesses because they cannot afford medical treatment or medicine. You have to pay for everything at a Vietnamese hospital—and I mean everything; nothing is free. For example, if you need a drip, you need to buy it. If you need a plastic bowl to bathe [View Full Entry]

Vietna mum - Karen Leonard | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
551 Words | 1 Comment(s) | 6 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: March 14th 2007 | 439 Views | [diary=137503]

Thao, Rin and Kin having their family assessment
Rin standing in the bedroom they all share
The kitchen that everyone shares

Thuy is a hard-working woman, spending her days hauling sand and bricks. Her husband, Duc, is a river fisherman. They have two children, 13-year-old Truyen, who has Cerebral Palsy (CP), and 6-year-old Tay. Thuy, like most mothers I meet who have disabled children, has a permanent look of worry, sadness, and strain on her face. When you are poor in Vietnam, it is difficult (bordering on impossible) to access medical advice and treatment. I think most poor people with children who are sick or disabled have a lot of unanswered questions. In many cases, they don’t know who to ask or [View Full Entry]

Vietna mum - Karen Leonard | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
796 Words | 2 Comment(s) | 7 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: August 16th 2007 | 746 Views | [diary=137509]

Thuy is such a hard working woman
Six year old Tay in his new school uniform
Duc in his newly built boat with its almost new motor

Song's New Motorbike!
Song's New Motorbike!
This specially adapted, three wheel motorbike was bought with donations from travelblog readers - Thank You!
At the end of November, I asked if you could help me buy for Song the "Best Ever Christmas Present!" - A present that would change his life! Well thanks to your amazing and instant generosity - here it is! Song is the proud owner of a brand new, specially adapted, three wheel motorbike! Born with polio, Song has spent his entire life confined to a wheelchair. He lives with his mother, a long way out of town and has had to propel himself to work and back by lifting and lowering the handle on his rickety old wheel chair. Now, [View Full Entry]

Vietna mum - Karen Leonard | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
449 Words | 7 Comment(s) | 5 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: March 10th 2007 | 630 Views | [diary=136502]

Song and his Uncle
Song proudly shows me his new scooter!
Song's New Three Wheel Scooter!



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