Last, but not least ...

    Some weeks ago now we interviewed the Hope school students we support. The school is a school for hearing impaired children.

We not only needed and interpreter but also someone who knows sign language. Diep, the vice principal helped us out, and some of the teachers joined in as well.  

Most students to have hearing aids, but they need to update them every so often. Some of the students NEED new, upgraded hearing aids, which are expensive ~ $2000 !!! Can you HELP ??? Please consider.

                          Click on photos to enlarge and view in slide show.

Anh expressing herself ...

  It was interesting to witness the different levels of understand including lip reading and their speaking ability. A good quality hearing aid makes all the difference. Some of our students need hearing aids or upgrades to a different level of hearing aids.

Typical Lienh ... always funny and direct

Teacher explaining ... also using sign language.

Dung ... speaking and sign language

Cat and teacher ... hands on ... practicing pronunciation. It must be oh so difficult.

Show & Tell @ Hope school

  After another taxi trip back to school we all went to the meeting room. Everyone unpacked what they bought. Now it was time for SHOW & TELL !!!
It is interesting to see what the students bought. Previously some girls bought cosmetics for their mum. Boy bought hats and shoes. This time was a little different; mainly food itmes were on the table. Some had a shopping list while others just wondered around looking for that special item to take home.

A colourful selection ... mainly food

                 CLICK on a photo to enlarge and view in a slide show, thanks.

Lienh bought a Minion ...

Anh ... food !!!

Milo and body care products

Thu and Trang ... food, milk, pan cake mix and tea

Duc got meat balls, chilly and tomato sauce

  Anyway, we checked it all out. The next question was: How much money have you got left??? Some kids spent it all, others just had small change left.

No money left Trang !!!

   Everyone got up and thanked us for a great shopping experience. Then we asked the obvious question: "Shall we do it again next year?" All hands went up in the air. YES PLEASE !!!

   Now it was time to say our good byes for another year. Happy to come again. See you then. 

 

Hope school shopping spree

  Last week, on Wednesday the 27th of September we went back to the HOPE school for hearing impaired children. Like the years before we took the kids / teens shopping.

The twins Trang and Thu

            CLICK on a photo to enlarge and view in a slide show, thanks.

  Twenty kids, two teachers and us in three Grab taxis. Grab is like Uber, you order a car by using your smart phone. Drivers check where you want to go. Grab sets the price ... Driver clicks OK and comes to pick you up.
  So many kids in the taxi is fun ... and I took some funny shots. They do not usually use taxis, motorbike is their way of transport. 

                 Below the twins in the mirror of my sun visor!!!

  When we arrived Uli had the honors to hand an envelop with VND 250.000 to each of the students. AUD ~ 12.50. 

Cam on ba ... thank you very much is what Nhu is saying to Uli.

Every student thanked Uli for the money.

  Then it was time to let them GO. Teacher told them: "You have One hour, then come back here". Off they went ...

Checking the price and adding up what they want to buy so there are no surprises at the cash register.

  Once grocery shopping was done everyone went upstairs to see if they had enough money left to by shoes or clothes.

Nice shirt matey ... teacher helping out !!!

Lienh ... sour face, Ha laughing !!!

Cat checking out the specials ...

Will that fit me ??? Is it nice ???

One hour is nearly gone ... better hurry downstairs.

  Everyone came back downstairs. Some still had some money left. Off they went and bought more goodies like Milo or biscuits. Time to go.

   Last kids coming down ... but now we all had to wait for the last minute shoppers.

  Lienh always has funny ideas. She started touching the tiny hairs on my arm. That was not enough she thought, why not touching his beard ... and she did !!!

Group photo before we hopped in the Grab taxi again.

Meeting our UNI students

  Over the last seven years we have supported 60 children in the Mekong delta. They received a scholarship to cover their school fees, books, uniforms and insurance. Some of the older students finished HIGH School and were accepted at University. Over the last three years we continued to support those students.All of them study in Sai Gon, away from home. 

  This year we decide to meet the uni students in Sai Gon, they did not have to travel 4 hours by bus to meet us.

  For some time we were looking / thinking about a venue. The last 10 years we stayed at the same hotel in the backpacker area in Sai Gon. However, this year "OUR" hotel has changed. It is now run by a hotel group in Ha Noi. By the way, they are doing a marvelous job. To cut a long story short, the hotel manager Mr Tuan stated that he would be more than happy to support us if we needed help. Ok, we asked him if we could use the upper floor of the GARLIK restaurant one afternoon. "Of course ... and we provide bottled water as well" was Mr Tuan's reply. Wonderful, but we also need a translator ... and An, who also works at the hotel volunteered immediately. 

  All set, we invited the students ... and six of them came. It was great to catch up with them. We interviewed them and some were really nervous and shy. All went well, two hours later we said our good byes for another year.
            CLICK on a photo to enlarge and view in a slide show, thanks.

OUR girls, Kim Ngan, Thao and Nhi

The boys, Da Lit, Minh and Luan

It was great to hear their stories and what the are actually studying. We previously had some translations, but that was sometimes far from what they actually studying. Kim Ngan for instance told us she studies fashion, the translation was "industrial clothes manufacturing".

Yes, we enjoyed it, it was very informative and we will do it again next year. SURE, we will support them as much as we can. Lap top's was one important item here.

Group photo with An La, our INTERPRETER.

BYE BYE ... IN THE RAIN ...

  Again we would like to thank Mr. Tuan, CCentral Hotels for his help and support as well as An La for her translations.

 

Back at Company of Grace

  We went back to CoG just before we left for Australia. It was good to see the new oven. Now the girls can bake 200 muffins for the "MID AUTUMN FESTIVAL" in one go. The older ovens did not do a good job. 

New PROFESSIONAL baking oven.
CLICK on a photo to enlarge and view in a slide show, thanks.

Old ovens ... did not work or took too long !!!

  A new project at CoG is to start baking classes and teach people how to bake western style cakes and muffins. Also there are five girls with disabilities who are learning how to bake. Once the have a good knowledge then they will start baking muffins and the boys will distribute them to shops in the area, thus earning money. 

This all sounds very promising and we had no hesitation to donate the NEW bakers oven to CoG.

A piece of PASSION-FRUIT CHEES CAKE

  We were lucky to taste a piece of freshly baked cheese cake when we arrived to inspect the new oven. It was delicious ... moreish as the Australians would say. We met with Peter and Paul and had a great morning discussing future projects and what today are still pipe dreams, but who knows ...
Please see below the advertising of classes offered, not just for kids, adults are most welcome too.    

Peter and Paul ... enjoying the cheese cake

Ready for the Mid Autumn festival

CoG offer music classes

CoG offer painting classes

CoG offer English classes

CoG offer Computer classes