Phuc

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We met a great little mate in Hoi An, his name is Phuc. He is a cheeky little bloke with a tough experior but a heart of gold! We met Phuc on our first day after arriving in Hoi An. He rides around on a pushbike with his plastic bag of goodies to sell to the tourists. We made a friend in Phuc for life. Phuc's family are extremely poor and they live on a small overcrowded boat. His family, consisting of his father, 2 younger sisters and a younger brother, on another small boat lives his grandmother, aunty and cousin. Phuc and his cousin help to support the family by selling postcards, necklaces and tiger balm to tourists. The VND they earn from selling helps his family to afford to eat and live.

Phuc invited us to visit his English school which was a unique experience and one that we were very grateful for being included in. Phuc and his father also welcomed us to his home to see how they live and to share in his life, get to know him and his family and hear all about his education hopes. I can't tell you how much this meant to the three of us and it opened our eyes to just how poor some Vietnamese people truly are but also pointed out how rich they are with love and their tight family bond they have.

n our last day in Hoi An Phuc invited us to his Vietnamese School. We soon learnt that this school was set up for extremely poor, orphaned and illiterate kids. The programe is called Lifestart Foundation and was started by an Australian lady Karen. The program assists children to get an education for free, most of the kids we met had only ever been to school for the 4 months since the program started. They could use more support from anyone whether it be financial or volunteering at the school. Just simply visiting for a couple of hours if thats all you can spare is enough to open your eye and see how even $20 can make a big differenc ein these kids lives.

We provided Phuc's father with sufficient money to cover the next 4months of English School and will continue to write to him and try to continue his support through the Lifestart foundation's adopt a family. We know that this will make a big difference to their lives to have an educated child and to open doors to opportunities for his future. I recommend helping out if you make friends with these kids or even just to buy a necklace or some tiger balm from one of these kids on the streets selling, after all what is $1AUD to us compared to the difference $1AUD can make to their lives!.

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Photos

Phuc
Phuc and his bag of goodies

Lifestart Foundation School
Phuc studying hard at LFS in Hoi An. Phuc is still learning how to read and write Vietnamese as the opportunity to attend school has been limited as he has needed to earn money for his family by selling on the streets.

Phuc's Home
These 2 small boats are where Phuc and his family live.

My A Informatics and Language Centre
This is where Phuc attends English school 2-3 nights per week. Phuc's spoken English is very good, however he needs to pay to attend this school in order to learn how to read and write english, as this will help him to earn money for his family.

Phuc
Phuc