I have admired Christina Noble, the children’s rights campaigner, charity worker and writer who founded the Christina Noble Children's Foundation, for a long time. Born and raised in Dublin, her life story and the work she has done for the vulnerable children of Vietnam has always stuck with me.

So, on a bit of a whim, I decided to send her an email. After a lovely chat with her daughter, Helenita, Glenn and I have been invited to visit the Tay Ninh Centre for Visually Impaired Children with the Christina Noble team - something they don’t often do. We feel incredibly grateful for this opportunity. Because of that, we would love to make the biggest donation we possibly can on the day of our visit and so, we need your help!

Tay Ninh was the scene of extensive military action during the Vietnam War and was one of the provinces most heavily sprayed with Agent Orange by the U.S. military. As a result, many children were born with serious eye deformities and blindness. Many of these children also come from families already facing severe economic hardship. Living with disabilities often meant they experienced discrimination, lack of support, and exclusion from both their families and wider society.

Recognising this urgent need, Christina Noble established the Tay Ninh Centre for Visually Impaired Children in 1999 to provide a safe and caring home for these vulnerable children.

The centre provides shelter, food, healthcare, education, rehabilitation, and vocational training, as well as life skills and values that help the children grow into independent adults who can successfully integrate into their communities.

We are hoping to raise funds to donate to this incredible centre when we visit on the 17th of April. Any contribution, big or small, would mean so much. Myself and Glenn will be donating €250 on the day too. Every penny raised will be donated directly to the centre on the day of our visit.

Thank you so much, Holly & Glenn xo

You can see the incredible work of the foundation here:

https://www.cncf.org/