Friday, December 23, 2011

Christmas wishes & gratitude...


 What a year it’s been! 

We’ve enjoyed some amazing high’s and some very sad lows, but overall it’s been a very good year for ACCV. Our students are doing so well at their classes and their English Club at British Council is flourishing. A huge thank you to all involved.


Our Christine Edith sponsorship program is now supporting over a hundred children. I still find it quite remarkable that a small amount of money can completely transform lives, yet it does.  We’re humbled at the support we receive to help these families. Thank you.

I’d like to offer a special thank you to Mai and the staff in our Hanoi office, they have really been amazing this year. They care very much about the people we are helping, this often willingly extends to outside of work hours. Thank you Mai, Huong, Phuong, Toan, Khanh, Thu, Dat & Hong, you do a wonderful job.

Without dedicated staff, committed volunteers and generous supporters, ACCV simply can not reach those who need our help most. We genuinely appreciate all the support that we have received, whether time, money or gifts in kind. It makes a difference.

We’d like to extend our best wishes for a happy & safe Christmas and New Year to all. We look forward to your continued support in 2012

Kind regards
Alison, Rose & the ACCV team



(please drop us a quick email so we can acknowledge your kindness)



Saturday, December 17, 2011

A helping hand, not a hand out...

This has always been our main objective. We want to help people to help themselves, and it's lovely when it works. My favourite type of letter is one that tells us that someone we have been supporting has found the means to stand alone. It really means alot... 

I recently received such a letter from Hien  a delightful young lady who has shown amazing strength and character in the face of challenges her family has faced. When we met Hien in 2008 she desperately wanted to stay at school, but with two terminally ill younger brothers, the families resources were stretched beyond compare. ACCV been supporting her since, and she's been doing very well.


 Dear ACCV,
My name is Hien, one of the children receiving ACCV support during the high-school period in Bac Ninh. My family and I greatly appreciate your help as thanks to this support, I overcame the difficult circumstance and achieved a positive educational result.

 I am now learning at a vocational training school and I will complete this course as an accountant in the next two years. Currently, I not only focus on studying, but also doing some extra jobs as I would like to cover the school fees by myself. I am quite busy everyday, I go to school in the morning, go to work in the afternoon and study at home in the evening. Now, my situation has certainly been improved so I would like to share with the other disadvantaged students by withdrawing from ACCV sponsorship.

 Again, My parents and I would like to thank ACCV for your help for me over the pass three years. I wish that ACCV will further develop in order to bring the happiness to many many disadvantaged children in Vietnam.  Thank you very much
Hien

Well done Hien, we're very proud of her! And we're very pleased that we were able to help.

Once again I would like to extend our thanks, we could not possibly help young people like Hien without your generous support.


Kind regards
Alison & Rose

(please drop us a quick email so we can acknowledge your kindness)

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Home is where the heart is....

Over the past few years I have mentioned Quan's mother to you a few times. Duyen is honestly one of the nicest people I have met. And she really does it tough.

It is always a joy to go up and visit the remote village where she lives. We don't get there very often, but it's a highlight to our trip when we do. Although a very poor area, it's such a beautiful part of the country.

Duyen is so proud of the wonderful progress Quan has made and the nice life he has built for himself. She is always so happy to see us, and we're given a very warm welcome (granted, we do have Quan with us).  This visit Duyen had quite a houseful, we had staff, friends and family with us, it was a fun crowd.


Duyen takes so much pleasure from visits from Quan and his friends. She loves watching him mix with everyone, and she just beams when he chat's to us in English, you can see the pride on her face. It's so nice to be part of it all, they're very close.


We had a lovely chat that afternoon, she was telling us how hard it was when Quan first went to live in Hanoi, she cried every day. When you think about it, it was such a leap of faith for her to let him leave with us. But she did, and they've never looked back. She again told us how thankful she is for the help we have given to Quan.

Now we would like to help her....


This is Duyen's family home. It's a small timber shack and as you can imagine, it's boiling hot in summer and it's freezing cold in winter. When Quan goes home for New Year in February, the cold plays havoc with his arthritis. There is just no escape from the elements.

We'd really like to change that.

For less than $1,500.00 we can build a solid concrete little building where Duyen and her invalid husband can live.

If you would like to donate towards a secure home for Quan and his family this Christmas, please make a donation and simply mark it  "Quan's home"

Hoping all is well in your world.

Kind regards
Alison & Rose

(please drop us a quick email so we can acknowledge your kindness)



Sunday, December 4, 2011

Winners, grinners & raffles....

Thank you so much to those who attended the Vidotto Group charity event on Friday evening. And to those who purchased raffle tickets.

It was a lovely evening and we raised over two thousand dollars- enough to fund the hospital treatment for little baby Huyen!
 Huyen recently suffered kidney failure as a result of undiagnosed diabetes. She has spent time in intensive care and while she is not out of the woods she has been doing very well with treatment.

Her parents are very young farmers living in poverty. They simply do not have the resources to pay for their child’s medical care. Yesterday we notified them that ACCV will finance the ongoing expenses related to Huyens hospital stay. We will also endeavour to find a sponsor for her ongoing medical costs.

Huyen’s parents were both delighted and relieved at receiving this news. They have asked us to pass along their sincere gratitude.
Thank you! Thank you! .... Lou, Alison & all at Vidotto Group (& of course baby Huyen and her parents :)
kind regards 
Alison & Rose


If you would like to sponsor a child...



(please drop us a quick email so that we can acknowledge your kindness)


Every dollar donated goes directly to the children of Vietnam - all administrative costs are covered by the Vidotto family