HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR
and
WELCOME TO HEARTS FOR HUE’S 2019 NEWSLETTER
Hearts for Hue would like to send our warmest greetings, best wishes and express our sincere thanks for your support of disadvantaged people in Vietnam. In 2019, Hearts for Hue has accomplished a lot that we are incredibly proud of.
Here is a brief overview of 2019, followed by highlights from December.
2019 Wrap Up
Disability Support Programmes
- People with Mental Illness in the Thua Thien Hue Social Centre
The Hue Social Centre provides live in care to over 500 people with mental health illnesses. Supported by DOVE Fund, Hearts for Hue provided a flock of 15 goats which the Social Centre have bred and now have a healthy stock of 28 goats! Learning to raise goats provides residents the skills to support themselves in the wider community and is an ongoing income source for the Social Centre.
- Chicken Program for Disadvantaged and People with Disabilities
Vinh Thai’s Chicken Raising Club will provide livelihood support for 150 families with a person with a disability in Vinh Thai. To date, the project has been rolled out to the first two groups of 50 families each (thanks to delegates from Club sponsor Rotary for their hands on assistance), and only three families have experienced unusually high chicken mortality rates. In the coming weeks, the first group will be selling their now mature chickens – watch this space!
- Improving Livelihoods of Victims of Agent Orange in A Luoi
Hearts for Hue worked with 20 families suffering from the effects of Agent Orange in the A Luoi mountains, to provide small scale pig raising opportunities. Unfortunately African Swine Fever disrupted pork markets worldwide and Hue was not spared. In January 2020, these small scale farmers voted to transition to goat raising which Veterans for Peace are generously continuing to support.
International Service Programmes
- Bamboo Tours Service Programme
The year gone saw 14 Bamboo Tour groups volunteer their time and labour in marginalised households in Hue. They funded and built chicken coops, toileting facilities, cemented living room floors and other household essentials.
Fourteen groups is more than any other year and we hope the programme continues to grow.
- Singapore Universities Support H4H
University holidays allow Singaporean students to volunteer in Hue, which they have generously done since 2013. In Singapore’s May holidays, Singapore Management University (SMU) spent three weeks in Hue while in the December holidays, SMU and the Singapore Institute of Technology volunteered for the entire month! Over these two periods, the Singapore students supported six rural schools, constructing green libraries, exterior fencing and teaching English to the students.
- Wide Eyed Tours Service Programme
A new member to the Hearts for Hue family in 2019, Wide Eyed Tours brought six high schools from Australia and Hong Kong to do service work in Hue. They worked in disadvantaged kindergartens, primary and high schools in Hue province, constructing green libraries, hand washing stations and computer rooms. Each of these projects brought construction work and other spill over benefits to local communities.
Microfinance
Our microfinance programme continues to provide disadvantaged women the capital to begin or expand their own businesses and is performing exceptionally. In 2019, our VESAF sponsored programme has over 100 additional borrowers, our DOVE sponsored programme has over 50 new borrowers and neither had a single borrower default.
Scholarships
- Ngay Mai Scholarships for Children
“Ngay Mai” means tomorrow, and in 2019, these scholarships of between USD $45 and USD $90 helped form a brighter tomorrow for 61 primary and secondary school students in the mountainous Xuan Loc commune. As Mr Agustin, patron of the Ngay Mai scholarship programme explains, these scholarships are equally about increasing academic performance as decreasing school dropouts in young children.
- Hue University Scholarships
Thirty two high performing Hue University students from disadvantaged, rural backgrounds received scholarships of USD $300 to support them to live and study in Hue city for the 2019 academic year. Thank you to the Vietnam Educational and Social Assistance Foundation (VESAF) for supporting this initiative.
December Updates
- Rotary Visits Hearts for Hue
On January 8th, a delegation from Rotary District 3310 visited Hearts for Hue. Rotary is a long standing supporter of various Hearts for Hue projects, and this year, visited our Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project in A Luoi and our Chicken Raising Club in Vinh Thai.
- Twenty Years of DOVE Fund
On the 6th and the 7th of January, 2020 Hearts For Hue in collaboration with Huong Xuan People welcomed a delegation to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of DOVE Fund in Vietnam.
- Community Service Program in December 2019
In December 2019, Hearts For Hue was very proud to partner with Singapore Management University and Singapore Institute of Technology to conduct community service projects with more than 60 international volunteers in Hue, Vietnam.
Happy Tet Holidays to the Hearts for Hue Family and see you all again next year.
Hearts for Hue Team.
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