My visit to HCWF in Vietnam

Visiting the HCWF foundation in person had been one of my most beautiful experiences in life. More than a year on the road, I was raising funds for those kids in Vietnam. I collected money through donations, charity events, lectures, video presentations and by selling some of my favorite pictures to people I met during my trip. Never will I ever forget the smiling faces of the children when I arrived to Ho chi Ming City and handed over the donation box of more than $7000 (includes donation made until end of 2014). With the money, I was able to buy toys and cookies but more importantly, it can provide medical assistance to all of 79 children for the following years to come! I could not have done this without all my donors!

Thank you!

The kids were so grateful that they prepared a very lovely reception to welcome us, me and my blue little artic traveler friend, Pingo Kim. They also prepared traditional dance. Highlight has been the picture and video presentation Pingo Kim and I prepared about our common travel experience. They all watched with great interest and laughed often. Right there, I relieved my adventure again with my lovely friends from HCWF.  

A very emotional moment has been meeting 7-year-old ‘Chups’ who tested HIV positive and lost both of her parents to the disease. She had been refused by public schools and abandoned by people she knows. Today she lives with her grandmother, the only relative who is willing to care for her. However, as her grandmother is ill and poverty prevents her from seeking proper medical help. I learned that while HCWF Foundation was able to provide education to ‘Chups’, she still lacks the ability to get healthcare assistance. I felt compelled to act, which made me to become her donation guardian, by continue raising funds for her, an activity remained till today.

If you have spent some time reading my story, or followed by journey, please take a minute to make a donation. All donations are going to terres des hommes Germany, which is the reputable charity organization behind HCWF and therefore honored with a Donation seal by the DZI (more infos about terres des hommes you will find below)

Here you will find all necessary info: Donation Support

Please be generous and please be kind. Every penny you donate means a great deal to those kids in HCWF. On their behalf, I thank you for your kindness and generosity.

Please watch this touching video of my visit to HCWF in Vietnam: Watch video (in China, click here) or see pictures!

Why the Ho-Chi-Minh City Child Fondation (HCWF)?

When I selected one central project to support with this bike trip it was clear to me that it had to be something that helped the most vulnerable of the many in need – children. I also wanted to support a project which I could personally get involved in. The Ho Chi Minh City Child Foundation in Vietnam was not only on my cycling route that enabled me to visit the children personally, but the Foundation also agreed to develop an interactive format of communication with me that allowed the children themselves to take part in my fund raising effort. See my interactive Travelogue with the children: link

A final reason for choosing HCWF was that it showed parallels to a project that I have been closely involved in during my civil service in an underprivileged Paris suburb. I was there for 18 months as an educator and mentor for children and young adults who had come into conflict with the law. This was largely due to the social circumstances they were faced with and the very limited opportunities they were offered. It was the aim of the institution I worked for to prevent the youngsters from choosing a life of crime and violence and to offer them a second chance.

Though coaching the children was always challenging and sometimes frustrating I do not want to miss the experience and insight gained during this time in Paris. I felt that I learnt many valuable lessons for life myself by experiencing the perspective of the grossly underprivileged who had been made “social outcasts”. It instilled a great sense of fairness and justice in me which I learned are commodities that are especially hard to come by for the ones who need them most. I have great respect for people who dedicate their lives to helping others as the founders of the Parisian project did and I admire the way they always tried hard to make the most of the often very limited resources they have.

The Ho Chi Minh City Child Foundation (HCWF) is doing fantastic work and is – due to much stretched state support – relying more than comparable organizations in the Western World on donations.

As I was mostly on my bicycle I could not get closely involved in the management of the project and the coordination of the fundraising. After much research and personal consultation at the German Central Institute for Social Issues (DZI) the decision for the needed project management felt on terres des hommes Germany, which is a reputable charity organization and therefore honored with a Donation seal by the DZI.

Terres des homes coordinated the donations and sent the funds directly to the Ho Chi Minh City Child Foundation (HCWF) in Vietnam.

See Website terres des hommes Germany: link

The Idea behind: Doing „something good“

Everybody in the western world is well aware of the poverty, injustice and daily tragedies in this world. As we are bombarded with apocalyptical news many people feel a sense of resignation and helplessness – it seems too much is going on in this world that would deserve immediate and urgent attention, yet the resources for an adequate response will never suffice. I decided not to despair and accept and embrace the fact that I can only do little – but I want to do SOMETHING.

Already during my international business studies and the subsequent professional life, I had the opportunity to live abroad. Consciously, I decided to spend time in countries of the developing world to get a realistic impression of the life and cultural wealth you find outside the occidental world. There I learnt through a number of powerful experiences how even little acts of kindness can make a big difference in another person’s life. I will never forget the eyes of a little boy in Brazil who drummed on empty trash cans to make a living, when I bought him a real drum.