May 2026 Newsletter
We hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and a great Tet Celebration. Your fund has been busy with quite a few tours happening, fundraising at Booster Sports Bar with our chocolate wheel, which we have since changed over to be the raffle ball.
We are still conducting our Poker Runs where we go and visit some Vietnamese bars a bit out of town where people don’t normally go to. It is a fun day out and the best poker hand ends up with a pretty big handful of Vietnam Dong. We have had some significant donations from a very kind and generous sponsor that has allowed the Fund to purchase mattresses for some of the children at the Phu My orphanage. These children were sleeping on a tiled bench. The mattresses are very substantial, wellmade and waterproof. At about the same time we purchased 30 little lockers for each individual child that gives them somewhere to keep personal items under lock and key.
Mattresses being delivered.
Lockers showing the tile benches before the mattresses go down.
During Tet the fund delivered parcels to both the orphanages that we assist. To the large one at Phu My, we delivered 100kg of rice, boxes of noodles, cooking oil, fish sauce, eggs and other foodstuffs, plus goodies for the children. The smaller orphanage received 50kg of rice plus the same sort of extras. This is of course ancillary to our monthly cash contributions to both orphanages.
Receiving Tet Gifts
We had arranged with the visiting doctor at Phu My to acquire a ping pong table for the children. Initially the doctor and the fund were going to go halves in the table. Once completed the doctor informed us that the manufacturer kindly donated it. The Fund then picked up the purchase of the net, bats and balls. 100 balls were delivered with the Tet package so we will see how long they last. Anyone coming over that would like to donate some balls would be much appreciated.
The fund is looking at another orphanage that looks after small babies from birth up till age 22. At time of writing, we have ordered a package of food, baby formula, nappies, etc. to be delivered and will meet with them and see what they need. Further: There are 91 children. We have arranged food, baby needs, cleaning aids etc. to be delivered monthly. Their admin team will send us a list of requests, up to 10 million VND per month, and we will arrange to have it supplied and delivered. We are also looking at some IT equipment for the older school children as what they are using now is outdated, and there is not enough of them. The Fund has also purchased a ping pong table, bats balls and badminton equipment for this orphanage.
The committee has informed the Peoples Committee that we intend to build another house. We have stipulated that this one should be for a single/widowed/deserted woman with children in a rural area. We have since found two contenders. One is a deserted wife with 2 children 7 and 10 years old, mum works as a part time cleaner during school hours. Second is another deserted mum with 2 children and one on the way. Eldest son works to support his mum and 7-year-old sister who goes to school. The Fund decided to build both these deserted women a house and they were completed recently. During the handover we included some household good and some furniture.
That about rounds it up for now. Anyone coming to Vung Tau please give us some notice and it will be our pleasure to show you around. Many thanks to all who support the Fund, you are helping to change the lives of many children and underprivileged people.
Best Regards, Chris Blacket.
