2010 VIET Fellows // Browsing posts in 2010 VIET Fellows
Humanity
First steps, first word, first laugh. These are all milestones that parents look forward to for their child. But for Thuy and her mother, those moments of celebration may never come. Working at the Social Network for People with Disabilities (SNPWD), one of the initiatives of East Meets West, I witnessed the potential of investing […]
Changing and Helping
Saigon feels like it was a lifetime ago. Though our service week has concluded and all has been said and done, I do not feel like I am a different person now than I was before. I was outside of my comfort zone for several days and I have seen sights and thought ideas that […]
From Scraps to Scale: A Week of Service at the East Meets West Foundation
In my last post, I talked about the efforts of one individual whose dedication to helping people with disabilities provided for those with the least in society. However meaningful and impactful his work might have been, it certainly has yet to lead to the kind of game-changing outcomes that higher-capacity organizations can achieve. In this […]
The Dance of Hoa Tuong Vi
It’s my second day at Thi Nghe Orphanage. As soon as I met her, I wondered if her parents had named her for the same reason that my parents had named me Tuong Vi. But then, I wondered if it was even her parents who had named her at all. She was born 4 years […]
Snot and Drool | Playground
July 18, 2010 Last Wednesday marked the beginning of my week of service with my partner, Vi, at Thi Nghe Orphanage in Saigon. So far we have worked three days at the center, and I am preparing for our upcoming week. If the piece below seems at times disjointed and even random, it’s because that […]
Scared, Anxious, Apprehensive, and Hopeful
As I embark on my service week, I feel: scared, anxious, apprehensive, and hopeful. I’m scared because I am not sure I will be able to handle what I’m about to experience. Along with Sandy, I’ll be helping at DaNang City Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (DAVA). Most days, we’ll be helping at Co […]
A Little Good Goes a Long Way
Eliminating poverty. Eradicating preventable disease. Empowering the poor and sick to live dignified and fulfilling lives. These are the kinds of noble goals that people who work in nonprofits believe in and work toward achieving. They do so, not out of a naïve sense of idealism or utter disinterest in today’s reality, but because of […]
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