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The trip to Hope-Orphanage on 16TH August
2009 was a beautiful sunny day. There were many weddings and cheerful faces on
the way. It was a lovely trip with the participation of H4T voluntary group
members, Nguyệt, Phúc, Thảo , Linh, Chính (Chính became an official volunteer
after this trip). It was especially nice with the participation of Hải Nguyễn’s
father, uncle and grandmother, who is now 84 years old. We also had two special
guests from the Green Dream Group.
We set out for Hope-Orphanage at 07:15. The sight of
fragrant, stretching rice fields and mountains extending endlessly along our
route gave us an inexplicable feeling of joy.
Having been expecting us, Ms. Phương, manager of the
Hope-Orphanage, gave us all a warm welcome upon our arrival. Our coach parked
next to the children’s rooms so that we could more easily unload the desks,
chairs and books we had brought along. The new rooms the children were soon to
move into were very beautiful and well ventilated. We moved the items into
their new home.
We all entered the classroom to play, sing and talk
with the children. We were really moved by the friendliness of the children –
so small and innocent. They didn’t seem to think about the disease they had or
their parents having abandoned them. Guided by the nannies, the children sang
song after song with enthusiasm and passion. We sand and clapped our hands to
the rhythms.
Ms. Phương informed that the kindergarten had
recently received a newborn baby, only 20 days old. It was abandoned in the
maternity hospital and brought in by the nannies. The baby was so innocent and
small; everybody wanted to hold it for a little while. We all wanted to use the
little time we had to show our affection to the children.
The Hope-Orphanage library is finally going to be
completed! 20 children between the 1st and 4th grades are
going to have a place to read and the chance to discover the world through
books. Knowledge of the wide world through simple stories written in a child’s language
is now there for them.
If we closed our eyes for a moment, any one of us could
imagine this. We hope they will love it.
We left Hope-Orphanage - being already so attached –
and stopped by the Thien Son – Suoi Nga tourism area to relax and enjoy the
charming view of Ba Vi. We were all so happy that we could bring some happiness
into the lives of those children.
The “Library for the children” project at
Hope-Orphanage, Ba Vi left me with many unforgettable memories.
Member
of Hope For Tomorrow voluntary
group.
Nguyệt Minh Nguyễn
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