Update on Rose Charities

I just got an email from Jan at Rose Charities, the amazing woman who coordinated our volunteer experience in Cambodia for us. She and her husband Bill are intimately involved with a Rose project in Vietnam. A few friends and family members have been asking our opinion about places to donate money, and this would be a good one. Here's the email:

April is the kindest month

Rose Charities Vietnam's projects had fallen upon hard times. The dwindling support from the Canadian community in Ho Chi Minh City was keenly felt, and with the desperate needs of Haiti and Japan fund raising became increasingly challenging. However, our fortunes have changed.

Early this month we received a very welcome and wonderful surprise ... the CanCham (Canadian Chamber) in Saigon voted to donate $15,000 to our projects in Hue. Because Rose Vietnam is run entirely by volunteers 100% of our donations go to our projects.

These funds will support the construction of a small medical clinic on donated land in a village where medical attention is non existent ($6,000); a vocational training school ($2,500); scholarships for poor students who would not be able to attend school without financial help ($2,500); and on-going support for the Rose Vietnam school for blind adults ($2,000). The remaining $2000 will build a house for one of our blind students.

Rose VN has committed to building ten homes for our poorest students, to date we have built 4. These houses typically accommodate 25+ family members! Rose VN is very grateful for the support we have received from PEB Steel for this project.

And there is more ... Jack Davis, a high school student in Bellingham, WA has pledged to raise $2000 for house #6, and the Canadian Women of Ho Chi Minh City have donated $2000 for our 7th house. These wonderful women have also contributed time and materials to our skills development programme at Be Tho orphanage. Oliver Bonas, a very generous supporter of Be Tho through Rose VN, purchased three professional standard sewing machines for the older girls who had expressed a desire to learn how to sew as a means of supporting themselves when they leave the orphanage. The Canadian ladies quickly stepped in to offer weekly instruction, guidance and fabric. The results are impressive and will help to ensure the long term sustainability of this programme at Be Tho.

All this generosity has encouraged us to believe that our projects are on safe, if not solid, ground and that we will indeed complete the housing project this year (only three left to build).

For more information about Rose Vietnam – or to donate to the building of a house, or to any of our projects, please see http://www.rosecharities.info/roseviet

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Jan Johnston
Rose Charities

jan@rosecharities.com