Reflections

This is my fourth trip to Vietnam and I always have a range of emotions on my visits. The country is very beautiful, the people are friendly to visitors and the food is tasty and interesting. On the other side of my emotions, I am dismayed by the hard life most people live here and their lack of access to medical treatment. I don’t believe that many people in the western industrialized world realize what daily life is like here – work hard, very little chance for advancement and minimal health care.

That is why the efforts being made to improve the daily lives by various foundations are very encouraging. These groups are targeting disabled adults, disabled children, orphans or very disadvantaged children and indigent people with health problems.

You could look at this and, realizing the enormity of these problems around the world, ask “What is going to be changed by these efforts”. I think the answer is very simple. Ask Mrs Hanh how she feels these days. She has suffered from diabetes for a long time. Josh saw her, put her on the right medications and now she feels great for the first time in many years. Or ask Dieu who had a serious heart problem. The Hoi An foundation diagnosed it and paid for the corrective surgery. Dieu would have died within the next year without this surgery.

There are many individual examples of why this work is important. A few very dedicated, selfless people can make a big difference. People who have left the comfort of their home country to live and work here. People who were born here and want to help the less fortunate.

I feel very honored to know some of these people.











Jess Solomon