After the monument we were taken to one of the many volunteer orphanages that exist within vietnam... this one was run by a nun who had had the good fortune of being left a substantial amount of land (for a vietnamese woman) and who had dedicated her life to the care of children.. Over the years she has been fortunate to have many NGO's come through and offer ongoing financial and volunteer services.. Consequently she is able to feed and clothe and to some extent educate the children who come into her care... Sonny told me that 40% of the children in this particular orphanage are abandoned by young mothers who ply their trade in the local tourist hotels... I guess the wages of their trade are sometimes more than they expected... Many are left incognito, but also many of the farmers who are unable to support their offspring bring them here to be cared for... Must be heartbreaking in a country that values family above all things... We had stopped off and gotten them a koha of treats, lollies, chips and the like... Due to the nature of the orphanage, ie: private one, the government does not subsidise any of the care so all the food they eat is either grown or donated so they have a very simple vegetarian diet consisting mainly of rice morning glory... A local vegetable that grows like weeds in any available water source... He told me that none of them had ever tasted meat in any form... Not chicken, beef, or any of the seafood that seems to be so plentiful here.
The ones with shaven heads, are given to buddah, but this doesn't mean that as they age they can not choose another life... They can and many do, but most don't... Their education within this orphanage starts at primary going through to a rudimentary college level.... Such bright happy faces and cheeky engaging grins... This was a tough visit though... So badly wanted to bring them all home.. He said there were over 100 and just one of many here... The policy for children is 2 only but that is frequently ignored by the farmers.. But he said that with the increasing urbanisation of Vietnam, many younger ones are having children later and fewer births in order to provide a better standard of living, and within the next decade they will be facing the "aging population" issue that many western nations are tackling with..
Lunch was in a tiny restaurant over the water... No one was particularly hungry as platters of scallops, prawns, steaming bowls of rice, stir fried beef and chicken were graciously placed on the table.. I like to think that it was a momentary reflection of all that we have and take so much for granted in the face of the 100 children we had just left.. I know that as I watched plate after plate of food being bought out, all that was in my mind was the sheer joy and excitement on one little boys face as he bit into a chip.. Haunts me still..
Tutu and Dudu :o)
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