The Village of Hope Needs Your Support

What is the Village of Hope?

Established in 1993, the Village of Hope is a home for about 100 orphaned, hearing-impaired, and other at-risk children, ages 6 to 18, from Danang and Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. Most of the VOH children attend the local public schools. The hearing-impaired children, however, receive their education on-site from experienced, well-trained teachers because the public schools do not have classes for children with special needs. The Village of Hope enhances children's education by offering extra classes in math, science, English, and computer skills to supplement the instruction given in the overcrowded public schools. The Village of Hope also provides extracurricular and vocational activities, such as tailoring, embroidery, cooking, woodworking, art, dance, music, and sports. The children are divided into families of about 10, each family having its own dormitory room. Besides the approximately 100 children who reside at the Village of Hope, the VOH provides some financial support for about 25 severely disadvantaged children living with their families in the local community. Several hundred children have grown up at the Village of Hope since its founding and have gone on to stable, independent lives, maintaining rewarding jobs, being good citizens, and contributing to society.

Devastating Impact of COVID 19 on Vietnam

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected countries around the world, including Vietnam. Throughout Vietnam, authorities often took strict measures to limit business activity, public transportation, large gatherings, and in-person classes.

Over about 25 years, Vietnam built a robust tourist and hospitality industry, which employed, directly or indirectly, countless Vietnamese. The pandemic decimated that industry. According to the East Asian Forum, tourism declined by 95% after 2019. In the first quarter of 2022, Vietnam lifted numerous restrictions on foreign arrivals, which will help resuscitate this once vibrant economic sector, but restoration of tourism will take time.

Vietnam’s annual growth in GDP in 2020 and 2021 was less than half of its pre-pandemic rate of 6-7%. The World Bank expects that economic growth will rise to 5.5% in 2022, from 2.6% in 2021. While this is encouraging news, the country faces many challenges.

Adverse Impact of COVID-19 on the Village of Hope Children

The pandemic has hurt the Village of Hope’s children. Schools were closed intermittently in 2020, and they closed again on April 30, 2021. Until a few weeks ago, only about half of the VOH children lived in the Village of Hope during the current school year. Now most of the children, including those who are hearing-impaired, have returned to the VOH. Schools have reopened, except those for the primary grades. Primary grade VOH children must continue to stay at home with their next-of-kin, where the structure of VOH rules and routines is not maintained. Online learning, though available, has been new and difficult for children, especially those in the early grades and whose families often lack the time and technology to support their children in remote learning. Moreover, young children generally find it hard to focus, listen, and sit for a long time in order to study online.

Throughout much of the pandemic, the VOH hearing-impaired children were taught online by teachers who ordinarily teach these children on-site at the VOH. The hearing-impaired children studied well and attended classes consistently and on time.

While children were with their next of kin during the pandemic, the VOH provided their families with some modest financial support.

Calamitous Impact of COVID-19 on Funding for the Village of Hope

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically diminished funding for the Village of Hope, causing the VOH to deplete its reserves. The number of organizations and individuals supporting the VOH has decreased. Domestic companies and organizations facing their own challenges due to the pandemic have curtailed support, and longstanding major funders have reduced their support. Before the pandemic, foreign tourists often stopped by the Village of Hope and made a donation while there. Foreign tourism, however, vanished for two years, and it will take time for it return to pre-COVID-19 levels.

My Personal Commitment

I have been involved as a volunteer for the Village of Hope since 1995. I have visited almost every year since then; however, the wide-ranging effects and restrictions resulting from the COVID pandemic prevented me from traveling to Vietnam in 2020 and 2021.

Having seen several hundred children grow up at the Village of Hope, I can personally attest to the dramatic impact the VOH has on children’s lives, allowing them to develop their full potential and move on to happy, fulfilling, responsible adult lives. I can attest to the integrity and dedication of the Village of Hope staff, as I have worked side by side with them for more than 25 years.

As in prior years, donations made to my GoFundMe campaign will go to my bank account. I will then transfer all donations periodically throughout the campaign to the Village of Hope’s bank account. I will pay for all transfer fees. No donations will be used to pay for such fees.