Kids Without Borders HumaniTour Viet Nam

Kids Without Borders founder Son Michael Pham led another successful mission to Viet Nam in November 2012. You can view stories and photos from the 17th HumaniTour Viet Nam via KWB Facebook Page

Miracle Baby Pays It Forward

AMERICAN PHILANTHROPISTS ORGANIZE RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY

FOR CHILDREN IN VIET NAM

Hanoi (Vietnam) and Bellevue, Washington (USA) - June 15, 2012

Greig Craft, president of the ‘Asia Injury Prevention Foundation’ in Viet Nam, and Son Michael Pham, founder and director of the charity organization ‘Kids Without Borders’ in Seattle, Washington, have organized a pilot project in Viet Nam. This project will offer groundbreaking (xxxxxxx) reconstructive surgery for young boys and girls victim to either traumatic injury or birth malformation; and in some cases related to the harmful health effects associated with Agent Orange.

With the participation of internationally renowned surgeons, the operation will begin next week at the National Hospital of Pediatrics in Hanoi, Viet Nam. “Aside from the transformational life-changing nature of these surgeries, we also intend to transfer the technology and train Vietnamese surgeons, who can then expand the program—that so many children now have the chance for the semblance of a normal childhood is truly miraculous.”, says Craft.


Craft’s original motivation to pilot this project stems back to an event in 2006, relating to his involvement in the rescue of an infant abandoned at birth in the central highlands of Viet Nam. Animals devoured the ...  read more ...

(Uncle) Son Michael Pham and Miracle Baby

Thien Nhan (Hanoi, May 2012)

Viet Nam Miracle Baby

ROCK OUT FOR A GREAT CAUSE in Saigon


This Saturday March 3rd, from 3-6pm, the HCM City Hard Rock Café is hosting a fundraiser to support Thien Nhan (Viet Nam Miracle Baby) and Friends.


Advance tickets (sold at Hard Rock and at various international schools) cost VND100,000. On March 3rd, tickets will be sold at the door for VND150,000. Please help sharing this announcement and join us.

About Thien Nhan, Viet Nam Miracle Baby:
After being abandoned at birth in Central Vietnam, a baby boy was mauled by a wild animal. Miraculously, he survived and some local monks named him Thien Nhan, which means "Good Person". read more ...

Viet Nam Miracle Baby

An update on our Viet Nam Miracle Baby Thien Nhan

Thien Nhan (right) and Thao (KWB Volunteer)

in Hanoi (March 2011)

Child's survival, recovery inspires a nation
by Nguyen Minh Thu

Phung Thien Nhan is leading a happy life after his latest surgery in Italy. — VNS

HA NOI — Seeing the five-year-old boy jumping up and down restlessly on his sole left leg, people just cannot believe it is the same child found abandoned with his right leg and ... read more http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/Social-Isssues/Owners-Of-The-Future/210726/Childs-survival-recovery-inspires-a-nation-.html

Our Miracle Baby

Visiting Thien Nhan, our Miracle Baby, in Hanoi. The learn more about his latest medical condition, visit:

http://help-thien-nhan.blogspot.com/

Wednesday - November 4, 2009: Hanoi

Thien Nhan, the Miracle Baby:

I had the opportunity to visit our Miracle Baby in Hanoi. The family, Mom Mai Anh and Dad Nghinh, brothers Big and Little Minh, and Thien Nhan, came to my hotel for dinner. It has become a tradition now since I first met the family back in July 2008. Each time I am in Hanoi, we meet at the restaurant in the Melia Hotel for dinner. The hotel and restaurant staff adore Thien Nhan and let him roam freely in the restaurant and around the hotel lobby (and escalator, stairways, lobby lounge, ...). Thien Nhan has just recovered from a bad cold, following his trip to the U.S for medical care. He had several medical tests in Houston (Texas) and his adoptive parents are still waiting for the results from the tests, which will determine his future medical treatments. To learn more about the Miracle Baby, enter 'Miracle Baby' in the search box on this blog.

Teach Me To Fish (TM2F), reporting from Hanoi:

Currently we have four young women supported by the Teach Me To Fish program who live and work in Hanoi. We had our usual 'reunion dinner', a trip to the market to shop for clothes and some personal items, and some time for 'lifeskill coaching' and problem solving.

- Thao: has been serving as KWB in-country representative in Hanoi. Thao works in sales for Protec (affiliated with Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, a partner organization of KWB). Her English continues to improve, thanks to the night classes she takes. Thao looks after the other TM2F kids in Hanoi and Hai Phong. She makes monthly visits to the Hoa Phuong Orphanage (her old home), checks up on the orphans and lets us know of any needs or difficulties.

- Mo: is working at an upscale garment shop in downtown Hanoi. She received her certificate in restaurant service, worked in a restaurant briefly. Then she saw a better opportunity working in a field where she might have better opportunity to grow with her excellent skill as a seamstress. Mo asked me to send a request to her sponsor's in New York to attend evening English classes. Mo is still suffering from a medical issue and we have arranged for her to get a blood test. We will then follow up with her based on the results of the test.

- Lien: completed restaurant service training and now works at an upscale restaurant near the Hanoi Opera House. Since most of the restaurant customers are foreign tourists, she has had the opportunity to use her English regularly and to improve her language skills daily.

- Giang: completed restaurant service training and works at the same restaurant near the Hanoi Opera House.

To learn more about the Teach Me To Fish program, enter 'Teach Me To Fish' in the search box on this blog.

From left to right: Mo, Thao, and Lien.

Son Michael Pham reporting from Hanoi.

Local Surgeon Offers to Help Multilated Boy from Vietnam

KIAH-Television Houston
Watch news video:
http://www.39online.com/videobeta/watch/?watch=d7f04725-7bdd-4ca0-bff0-9a6316f87fa6&src=front

Miracle Baby gets help in Houston

Houston - Vietnamese toddler Thien Nhan is all smiles, ...
Watch news video:
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/090927_miracle_baby_help

Miracle Baby comes to Houston

Sept. 27, 2009 - Channel 2 Houston (Texas):
A little boy known as a miracle baby is in Houston. The 3-year-old was abandoned in the middle Viet Nam at birth and mauled by a wild animal.
Watch news video:
http://www.click2houston.com/video/21133681/index.html

Miracle Baby arrives in Houston - Saturday, September 26, 2009

Thien Nhan had arrived in Houston after several long flights from Hanoi - via Narita (Japan), Dallas, and then Houston. Traveling with Thien Nhan: Mai Anh (mother), Kim Anh (grandmother), and Na Huong (god aunt). Greig Craft (from Hanoi, in the U.S for business meetings) met the group at the airport, and I arrived from Seattle one hour later. After we settled in our hotels, we had a brief meeting over dinner with Dr. Tue Dinh, who will provide medical care for Thien Nhan.

Tomorrow, we will have a media and community event. Watch news video of Thien Nhan's arrival:

http://www.39online.com/videobeta/watch/?watch=6aa25046-bc7d-4488-94cd-032622c3855c&src=front

Reporting from Houston by Son Michael Pham

Vietnamese Miracle Baby is back in the U.S for medical treatment

VIETNAMESE MIRACLE BABY MAULED BY WILD ANIMALS TO UNDERGO TREATMENT IN THE U.S.

Abandoned at birth in a remote rural area of Central Viet Nam, Phung Thien Nhan not only survived against all the odds, he continues his fight to lead a normal life. Dubbed the Miracle Baby, the three years old Vietnamese toddler will travel from Hanoi (Viet Nam) to Houston, Texas for crucial reconstructive surgeries.

Houston plastic surgeon Dr. Tue Dinh has agreed to perform the complex surgery free of charge, although peripheral cost such as anesthesia, operating theater fees and dedication are expected to cost up to $100,000. The trip is coordinated by Greig Craft, President of the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, and Kids Without Borders.

Last year, Thien Nhan was treated by a medical team at the Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, and the Northwestern University Medical Center in Chicago.

Thien Nhan and his family will arrive in Houston on Saturday, September 26, 2009. On Sunday, September 27, 2009 from 2 to 6 p.m. community members are invited to an informal reception to welcome the family.

For stories related to Thien Nhan or how to contribute, please visit:
http://kidswithnoborders.blogspot.com/search?q=Miracle+Baby
http://help-thien-nhan.blogspot.com/

Miracle Baby

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

YET AGAIN, VIET NAM’S “MIRACLE BABY” DEFIES THE ODDS

Sammamish, Washington - Dubbed the “Miracle Baby”, Vietnamese toddler Phung Thien Nhan, who was abandoned at birth and brutally mauled by wild animals, has once again lived up to his moniker. While it was believed that Thien Nhan’s testicles had been severed in the attack along with all of his penis and his right leg, recent tests performed by Thai specialists at Bangkok’s Preecha Aesthetic Institute revealed that the toddler, who is almost 3, has retained two undescended testicles.

This condition, in which the testicles are tucked up inside the body, exists in only about 3-4 percent of male babies at birth. Had Thien Nhan’s testicles descended normally, they would likely have been lost during the mauling.

Found 72 hours after his teenage mom had left him in a fallow field, his ravaged body covered with blood and ants, the infant was carried for two hours by motorbike over rough mountain roads to the closest hospital in Quang Nam, Vietnam. Somehow he survived, but in a cruel twist of fate was later released to the care of relatives who were unable to care for him.

When Vietnamese journalist Tran Mai Anh, 35, first met the boy, then aged 16 months, he was severely malnourished and suffering from chronic urinary tract, gut and skin infections. “After all that he had been through I could not bear to see him suffering like that,” says Ms. Tran. “I could not sleep at night thinking of him living in those conditions.”

Undaunted by challenges in a country where local adoptions are rare, Ms. Tran and her journalist husband Phung Quang Nghinh managed to legally adopt Thien Nhan when he was 20 months old. The child now lives in Hanoi along with the family’s two biological sons, aged 4 and 8. “At first Nhan was like a wild animal,” recalls Ms. Tran. “All he knew how to eat was cold rice and bananas. But he soon began to gain weight and his terrible rashes cleared up. He is now very bright, active and talkative.”

In August 2008, the Seattle-based charity Kids Without Borders and American philanthropist and longtime Hanoi resident Greig Craft helped to arrange urethral surgery for Thien Nhan at Dartmouth University Hospital in the United States. Thanks to this operation, for the first time in his young life Thien Nhan could urinate free of pain.

“Thien Nhan has overcome a great deal but many more challenges remain,” says Greig Craft. “Along with prosthetic care he will need multiple surgeries over the next 10 to 15 years to rebuild his genitals.”

To determine the next step in the toddler’s genital reconstruction, Mr. Craft organized the boy’s recent examination by internationally renowned Thai surgeon Dr. Preecha Tiwetranon, M.D. in Bangkok. Thien Nhan was also examined by experts in prosthetics, psychology, endocrinology and pediatrics.

“When we found out that he still had his testicles we could hardly believe it. We all cried a lot,” says Thien Nhan’s mom. “It was like God knew ahead of time that he would be bitten by wild animals and hid them inside his body.”

Despite the good news, various doctors have advised the family to consider gender reassignment. While plastic surgeons can create a penis that looks natural, they warn that the reconstructed organ will have 90 percent less sensation than normal. “We do not agree to turn him into a girl,” says Ms. Tran. “Thien Nhan’s character and way of thinking and behaving are very obviously male. If we changed him into a female and then found that in 20 years he couldn’t accept it, we would all feel terrible.”

Approximately one third of the boy’s penis remains intact and the family hopes that by the time he reaches adolescence, technology will have advanced enough to allow the reconstruction of a functioning, sensate penis. They are currently investigating advances in transplants and stem cell research.

Next month, the tot will return to Bangkok for more tests in preparation for surgery to create a scrotum and bring down his testicles. “We hope that if we can raise enough money and gain the support of pioneering doctors, Thien Nhan will one day become a fully functioning man,” says his mom. “Medical techniques keep improving with new research in tissue regeneration and organ transplants. He has defied the odds so far so why not continue to hope for the best?”

A special fund to cover medical treatment for Thien Nhan has been created. Ongoing fundraising efforts are led by Kids Without Borders (www.KidsWithNoBorders.org), a U.S based non-governmental organization; and the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (www.asiainjury.org), founded and managed by Mr. Craft.

Film star Michelle Yeoh lends encouragement to Thien Nhan and his adoptive parents:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eWkoeyuFa4&feature=related

Other video about Thien Nhan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIEedKJCUYI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RZaQLGkjQg&feature=related

Reporting from Viet Nam

March 27 - April 5, 2009
Follow us at HumaniTours.blogspot.com

Update on Thien Nhan - the Miracle Baby

In March it will be one year since Thien Nhan was officially adopted by Mai Anh and Nghinh. At just 19 months old he began his new life. The article below came out in June 2008 and Thien Nhan' story became known worldwide.

July 2008, team Thien Nhan (Greig Craft, Asia Injury Prevention Foundation; Na Huong, Protec Helmets; Elke Ray, Bubbafish; Son Michael and Judy Pham, Kids Without Borders; and Thien Nhan's adoptive parents) met in Hanoi and worked on a plan to get Thien Nhan needed medical treatment.

August 2008, the family traveled to the U.S. to begin Thien Nhan's medical treatment. After a brief stop in Seattle, they traveled to Dartmouth Medical Center in New Hampshire.Next was the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, followed by a brief recovery in California. This gave the family a chance to visit Little Saigon - one of the largest Vietnamese community outside of Viet Nam.

Since June 2008, many people around the world learned the remarkable story of survival of Thien Nhan, the Miracle Baby. He has made so many friends. One of his biggest fans is Lee Chee Chew, a comic artist of the Sunday Times in Singapore. Artist Lee Chee Chew has raised more than US$30,000 to cover medical related expenses for Thien Nhan through his web blog (http://www.chewonitcomics.blogspot.com/) and his newspaper comics strip.

Another effort to support Thien Nhan is through the sale of Bubbafish toys made in Viet Nam. Mai Anh and Elke (team Thien Nhan) created this attractive toy line made by poor craftswomen from remnant fabrics. Part of the proceeds from the sale of Bubbafish is donated to Thien Nhan's fund for medical related expenses. In the U.S, Kids Without Borders introduced Bubbafish at the Tet In Seattle festival and raised funds for Thien Nhan. More information on Bubbafish can be viewed at http://www.bubbafish.com/.

To follow progress of Thien Nhan, visit: http://help-thien-nhan.blogspot.com/ .

Abandoned at birth by his teenage mother in an uninhabited area of Quang Nam province, Phung Thien Nhan somehow survived, despite all the odds.

Phung Thien Nhan was born on July 15, 2006. His mother was just 17 years old and had no desire to be burdened with this child. Instead she covered the newly born infant under a pile of papaya leaves and bamboo and left him to fate. Somewhere on the side of a hill in Tam Thach commune, Nui Thanh district in Quang Nam province he laid for three days until a group of locals came across him.
Tragically, he had been mauled by an animal, probably a dog, and lost most of his right leg, testicles and penis. When he was rushed to a nearby hospital, doctors had no choice but to amputate his leg at the hip. The fact that he survived is however nothing short of miraculous. It was there that he was named Thien Nhan (Good person) by visiting Buddhist monks.
The doctors did their best to stabilise Thien Nhan but the hospital couldn’t afford to keep him. Nui Thanh district’s police launched an investigation to discover who had abandoned this baby. Eventually the mother’s family was tracked down – at this stage the young mother had taken off. Her parents lived in abject poverty and could barely afford to feed the child let alone provide adequate medical care or finance his rehabilitation. Yet astonishingly, the local authorities decided to return Thien Nhan to his birth mother’s family.

A kind soul
Word of Thien Nhan’s tumultuous first few days in the world had got out and it was even covered by national papers. After the story faded from most people’s minds, one journalist from Hanoi, Tran Mai Anh couldn’t stop wondering what had befallen the child, especially now that he had returned to the very family that had abandoned him.
Eventually Mai Anh decided she would try to find him and in December 2007 with the help of her friends she tracked him down in his family hut in Tam Thach. To say the condition he was in was a cause for alarm is a massive understatement. He was completely neglected, dirty, anaemic and suffering diarrhoea.
Mai Anh took it upon herself to take Thien Nhan to a medical centre where he could get urgent treatment. Then in March this year she made arrangements to adopt him and brought him back to live with her and her husband, Phung Quang Nghinh, and their two sons in Hanoi. “He escaped by a hair’s breadth and now he has the right to live like many other children,” says Mai Anh. But of course considering the extent of Thien Nhan’s injuries Mai Anh knew he would require more extensive treatment.

Day to day
At their house Nhan blithely plays with his toys. He is too small to understand the extent of his injuries. He is in fact a happy-go-lucky child. When his mother returns from work he embraces and kisses her. He likes to play with his brothers and recently he rushed to the defence of his older brother Minh when a bigger kid was bullying him. When he’s in the living room with one hand on the bedside, he stands up and waves with the other hand to everybody watching him.
This kid is a fighter. But Thien Nhan needs specialised physio to ensure the health of his good leg, stump and spine. As he is growing he also needs to get extensions to his prosthetic leg, which he received thanks to the generous support of VietCot, a locally-based German funded charity. In the evening he sometimes moves around without it. He drags his body around with his arms and sole leg at an amazing speed. He is proving to be a robust young boy, but he still requires extremely complicated medical treatment.
Doctor Joe Rosen of Dartmouth College in New Hampshire in the US, has agreed to oversee Thien Nhan’s complex genital reconstruction, which will, if everything goes to plan, take place in stages over the next 10-15 years. After reviewing reports and images of Thien Nhan’s injuries, several large hospitals had expressed regret that they would be unable to rebuild a functional penis.
Dartmouth, however, is doing pioneering research in tissue-reconstruction, and these techniques offer hope for Thien Nhan. When he gets to the US, Thien Nhan will also travel to Chicago where he will be examined by Doctor Childress, a leading expert in prosthetics. Mai Anh is hopeful that by mid-August this year, Thien Nhan will be able to travel to Dartmouth.
The US hospital has generously offered to help with fundraising for the surgery but Mai Anh and Nghinh will also step up their own fundraising efforts in the hope that Thien Nhan can have the best possible treatment available. His story has been already been featured in international papers, he has appeared on Vietnamese television and he’s even got his own Facebook page going!
Recently generous donations have been made by Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, an illustrator Lee Chee Chew from Singapore, Voice of Vietnam and kids from Doan Thi Diem School as well as Nhan Trong School in Hanoi. On her blog Mai Anh describes how one day a construction worker turned up at her with VND100,000 to donate. “I hate to think how long he had to work in the sun and rain to earn that money,” wrote Mai Anh. But Thien Nhan still needs all the help he can get. If you would like to find out how you can get involved or would like to make a contribution to help pay for his medical care, rehabilitation and education, check out his blog at www.help-thien-nhan.blogspot.com. On this regularly updated blog you can also keep up to date with this brave little boy’s day-to-day progress.

Thanh Dat reports

TIMEOUT - Vietnam Investment Review

June 30 - July 6, 2008

In The News - 2008

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/news/26131129.html

http://www.kirotv.com/news/15763156/detail.html

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2003990878_webasiatrip16_04.html?referrer=newsvine

http://beta.baomoi.com/Home/GiaoDuc/www.phapluattp.vn/Duong-Tu-Quynh-Cuoc-song-cua-toi-thay-doi-nhieu-khi-den-VN/2137850.epi

http://www.asiainjury.org/?m=news&a=detail&news_id=34

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_king/bel/community/27440799.html

http://www.cfoselections.com/about/in-the-news/view/11/2008-eastside-business-awards-finalists

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071216/LIFE/712160314

http://vietbao.vn/The-gioi-giai-tri/Tang-xe-lan-cho-cong-nhan-tan-tat-Protec-va-ho-tro-du-an-Mu-bao-hiem-cho-tre-em/55169328/412/

http://afamily.channelvn.net/2008081812435563tm0ca82/3-ngay-o-Seatle

http://www.nguoivienxu.vietnamnet.vn/vongtaynhanai/2007/01/651801/

http://vietnamnet.vn/thegioi/2007/11/753143/

http://beta.baomoi.com/Home/VanHoa/news.zing.vn/Duong-Tu-Quynh-chua-tinh-chuyen-ve-huu/2130179.epi

http://beta.baomoi.com/Home/GiaiTri/vietnamnet.vn/Chum-anh-Duong-Tu-Quynh-rang-ro-tren-duong-pho-TPHCM/2128863.epi

Images of 2008

2008 Year End Report

December 2008

Dear Friends, Supporters, and Fellow Volunteers,

A just-released study shows that brainwave signals associated with feelings of happiness, love, satisfaction, gratitude, mindfulness, and peace, can be measured. The study also confirms that happiness is the root cause of good health.

So my holiday message to you is to take a little time and measure your happiness, love, satisfaction, gratitude, mindfulness, and peace. Next, determine how you can better these feelings, and sustain them. Then, find ways to transfer these feelings to others: your families, neighbors, coworkers, people in need of support and help.

As we approach the upcoming holidays and another new year, I hope that I can continue to count on your support, your contributions, your encouragement, and your gifts of time. As an all-volunteer organization, your contributions and your donated time as volunteers allow KWB to continue it’s work with children in our communities and around the world.

A report of our activities in 2008, made possible through your support and involvement, is listed below, please review it and share it with others.

On behalf of our volunteer board of directors, our Global Ambassadors, our worldwide volunteers, our donors, our partners, and all of the children and people we have served for the last eight years since Kids Without Borders began, I wish you happiness, love, satisfaction, gratitude, mindfulness, and peace. Let the spirit of this holiday season last all year long for you and others.

all kids, one world

Son Michael Pham
Founder and Director (Volunteer)

****************************************************************************

Our 2008 Year End Report

POWER OF ONE:

Kim Browne – United Kingdom: Kim is one of KWB’s Global Ambassadors. Kim’s personal story is quite remarkable (read more at http://kidswithnoborders.blogspot.com/2008/11/day-11-friday-november-7-2008.html . Kim returned to Go Vap Orphanage in November 2008 and spent two weeks there to care for the babies. Kim started her own cause of ‘Helping Hydrocephalus Kids in Vietnam’ to bring attention and support treatment for the sick babies.

Michelle Huynh – Amherst College, Massachusetts: Michelle is a Pre-Med student working on her double major in Biology and Asian Studies. As a first second generation Vietnamese American born and raised in a tough neighborhood in Oakland, California, Michelle has excelled not only in her education but also as an active volunteer for many causes in her communities and her schools. Michelle was awarded a grant from the Fellowship For Action program from her college for a two month volunteer service sponsored by KWB at the Go Vap Orphanage in Viet Nam.

Linda Keeney – Shoreline, Washington: after reading the story of Thien Nhan, the Miracle Baby (http://help-thien-nhan.blogspot.com), Linda and her husband, Jeff, mobilized her family to raise funds covering travel expenses bringing Thien Nhan and his adoptive parents to the U.S. for medical treatment. Linda and Jeff continue to volunteer tirelessly for KWB, helping us at the Harvest Festival, clothes sorting party, and many volunteer work events.

Alice Tian – Sammamish, Washington: Alice is in her senior year at Eastlake High School in Sammamish, hometown of KWB. She is one of the leading volunteers in the community and KWB fortunate to have her at some of our work events during the summer of this year. Alice joined us at our clothes sorting parties, and at our service day at the Ronald McDonald House in Seattle. She manned KWB booth at the Sammamish Farmer’s Market, and at her school Community Service Fair.

Marah Williams – Seattle, Washington: Marah is a fifteen year old high school student. She traveled with her mother, Penny, to Viet Nam on the 10th HumaniTour in March 2008. Read her blog at http://www.kirotv.com/station/15751389/detail.html .


TEACH ME TO FISH (TM2F):
Our appreciation to all of the sponsors, and the following organizations:
Kiwanis of Providence Point – Issaquah, Washington
Rotary Club of New City New York, New York (committed)
Rotary Club of the University District of Seattle, Washington

Meet some of the TM2F orphans:

· Lien came to the Hoa Phuong Orphanage at the age of two. Her father died from illness, her mother is severely handicapped and currently lives in a faraway remote village unable to care for Lien. Lien graduated from high school in the summer of 2008 with good grades. As other orphans, Lien had to move out of the orphanage this past summer at the age of eighteen to make room for other orphans on the waitlist. The TM2F program took Lien under its’ wing. She applied and was accepted into the Hoa Sua Culinary and Hospitality Training School for Disadvantaged Children in Hanoi. Lien moved in the school dormitory in August and started her study in restaurant service. A very bright and determined young woman, Lien works hard in her class and is working hard to improve her self-confidence. Lien is sponsored by Joe and Jean W. of Issaquah, Washington.

· Phong lived in the orphanage as long as he could remember. Two years ago, Phong completed his vocational training and moved out of the orphanage on his own. He worked in a small shop repairing and servicing motorbikes. Earlier this year, Phong moved to a new job working as a caddy for an upscale private golf course. He started taking computer classes at night funded by the TM2F program. Phong is sponsored by Larry S. of Bothell, Washington.


HUMANITOURS:

The 11th HumaniTour Viet Nam was in March 2008. A total of 21 team members carried with them approximately 1,600 pounds of gifts from KWB. Teachers from the Lake Washington School District donated computers which were delivered to Viet Nam during the trip. One of the computers was donated together with medical supplies to the Thanh Xuan Peace Village in Hanoi, a rehabilitation center for disabled children victimized by the Agent Orange chemical. Four computers were donated to start a vocational training program for children in the School for Deaf Children in Hai Phong.

The team visited the Dien Trung kindergarten and pre-school in the central region of Viet Nam and delivered gifts, and school supplies to the staff and children. The school in this remote rural village opened in early 2007 and is a joint project funded by KWB, Rotary, and VNHelp. The team dedicated a clean drinking water system funded by KWB and Rotary.

New clothes, toys, hygiene supplies, dental care supplies, children’s vitamins, and first aid supplies were delivered to orphanages in Hai Phong, Saigon, and schools in Dien Trung and Dalat.

Read more about the trip at http://www.kirotv.com/station/15751389/detail.html . To sign up for the upcoming HumaniTours scheduled for March 2009, July 2009, and October 2009, please write to info@kidswithnoborders.org .


MIRACLE BABY:

The story of Thien Nhan, named the Miracle Baby by media in Viet Nam, has reached so many people worldwide. Son Michael and Judy Pham first met Thien Nhan and his adoptive parents in Hanoi in early July 2008. Shortly after in mid-August, the family arrived in the U.S beginning the very first step of many years of medical treatment and rehabilitation for Thien Nhan to have a normal life. You can read Thien Nhan’s story and follow his progress via http://help-thien-nhan.blogspot.com . Kids Without Borders has been actively and will continue raising funds to support medical treatment for the Miracle Baby.


HAND ME UP:

Some of our recipients in 2008

- English Language Learner (ELL) students in the Lake Washington School District – Redmond, Washington
- Harvest Festival (White Center Neighborhood) - Seattle, Washington)
- Healthy Start – Shoreline, Washington
- North Bend Food Bank – North Bend, Washington
- Ronald McDonald House of Western Washington – Seattle, Washington

- Shoreline/Lake Forest Park Family Service – Shoreline, Washington

- Children from Belarus
- Children in Cambodia
- Orphans in Honduras
- Children in hilltribe villages in Chiang Mai, Thailand


EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE:

Executive Development Institute (EDI) supports Kids Without Borders

It was Kids Without Borders’ (KWB) great good fortune to have been selected last year as a recipient of support from the Executive Development Institute (EDI). EDI is an organization that grew out of the Japanese American Chamber of Commerce 15 years ago. EDI was formed to help young Asian-Pacific business executives develop their leadership skills while at the same time helping Pacific-oriented non-profit groups solve some of their most pressing problems. Each year in our region six non-profits are chosen by EDI to work with a five person EDI team over a period of nine months. KWB was given a super motivated, extremely talented team of EDI volunteers to revamp KWB’s web site, marketing materials, and fundraising plan.

Our team was led by Michael Faulring, Software Quality Assurance Lead for Home Street Bank. Michael has a special affinity for KWB since is an adopted Korean-American and KWB does so much for orphans around the world. Michael demonstrated have extraordinary leadership skills as he designed the work program and used his team’s talents to produce impressive products on schedule. The rest of the EDI team included:

- Tuya Luehr a Business Analyst with Microsoft is originally from Mongolia, moving to the USA in 1998.
- Dzung (“Dz”) Truong, a ground operations and maintenance engineer with the Boeing Company. Dz came to the USA from South Viet-Nam in 1975.
- SmithaVuppuluri, a Senior Program Manager with Microsoft immigrated to the USA from India seven years ago.
- Weina Wang, a Senior Human Resources Business Partner with Microsoft grew up in Wuhan, China and did advanced degree work in Champagne-Urbana, Illinois.

This was a team endowed with extraordinary business, computer, and multi-cultural skills. Their major undertaking was updating KWB’s website and making it interactive, accessible, and easy to read and navigate. A new marketing video and brochure were built based upon newly developed mission and vision statements. Fundraising plans were brainstormed and KWB was included in the Microsoft Giving Campaign Day (see photo). This exposed KWB to hundreds of Microsoft workers and could be a long term fund raising program. Microsoft has already awarded KWB more than $2,000 based on the donated man-hours of Weina, Smitha and Tuya.

You can see many of the improvements wrought by Michael and his team as you browse the new web site. The work done by the EDI team has kick started a revitalized KWB and will pay dividends for years to come.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE in 2008:
Funding provided to:

- Boys and Girls Club of King County, Washington
- Healthy Start – Shoreline, Washington
- Lake Washington Schools Foundation, Washington

- Rotary First Harvest
- SAMMI Awards – Sammamish, Washington
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer Readers Care Fund
- Seattle Times Fund For The Needy
- Shoreline/Lake Forest Family Service – Shoreline, Washington

- Clean drinking water system for a school in a remote rural village in Central Viet Nam
- Clothing for children in daycare of a remote rural village in Honduras
- Computer for Peace Village in Hanoi, Viet Nam
- Computers for School for Deaf Children in Hai Phong, Viet Nam
- Thermometer for hospital in remote area in Honduras
- Mattresses and rice for orphanage in hilltribe village in Honduras
- Truck rental to deliver new wheelchairs to remote villages in Honduras
- Mosquito nets for pregnant women in Gulu, Uganda


LETTERS:
Some of the letters we received

- Reported by Ed Raftis, Mike and Alex Shimizu, from their March 2008 mission to Honduras:
… We shipped 260 wheelchairs to Honduras for delivery. We rented three trucks in San Pedro which we drove to Santa Barbara. Mid-way we stopped at a gas station. Five minutes later a car arrived with missionaries who were ashen. They had witnessed a car crash into another car, ordered the occupants out of their car, shot them and drove off with the car. Timing is everything in life.
We worked closely with the Rotary Club in Santa Barbara. They basically spoke no English but two young, lovely peace corps women working there accompanied us on the four days of delivering the wheelchairs. We drove out to remote villages in the mountains which on average took us an hour and a half to reach. Perhaps 100 would live in the village and when we gave out a wheelchair the whole village would stand around. Many of the recipients were in sad physical shape. Two were severely crippled, could not talk and could only scream on receiving the wheelchairs. Family members had no shame; they just cared in their homes for someone who most likely would be institutionalized here. The country is very poor and where we were there were virtually no gifts or crafts being sold. It made one wonder whether the people we saw in the remote villages had ever seen a tourist. When we would come to a village the mayor (many women) would take us to the home[s] selected by the mayor. We were only able to deliver 70 wheelchairs because of the distances involved so the Santa Barbara Rotary Club members have a lot left to deliver.
We also delivered nine full duffle bags containing new clothing provided by Kids Without Borders and huge sacks of rice to Dolores, a Sister Teresa type in her 70s--not religious but a heart of gold devoted to serving the poor. We also purchased a set of clothing for each of 40 some children in a day care which allowed their mothers to work. The children in the orphanages in Viet Nam, Peru and Honduras all respond in the same way--they want to be held by us. It is truly marvelous. …

- From Michelle Huynh, KWB volunteer in Viet Nam summer 2008:
Dear Uncle Son,
I hope that you’re enjoying a great August! I’m home in California right now, getting ready to go back to Amherst (school starts Sept. 2nd). I’m sending along a letter that Ly asked me to forward to you.
It was really great meeting you and your wife in July. Thank you, again, for connecting me with the Go Vap Orphanage. I had a wonderful time there. More important, the experience gave me a clearer perspective on my life and my academic journey – what I need to do to help these children. These children – Phuong Lan, Phuoc, Hong, … - touched my heart, Uncle Son; they become a part of me. …

- From the Ronald McDonald House of Western Washington Staff, October 2008:
Dear Mr. Pham and Kids Without Borders,
Your generous donation of children’s clothing and sandals is phenomenal! It is such a gift to be able to offer our children new clothes and shoes – especially when they have been here a long time and finances are tight.

Thank you!

- From Healthy Start Center for Human Services in Shoreline, Washington, August 2008:
Dear Kids Without Borders,
We have received your donation of diapers, and have been able to give them out to families in need already. We are so thankful for your generosity and for acknowledging how difficult it is for low-income families in our community to afford basic necessities, such as diapers. The families we serve in the Healthy Start program are grateful to receive help when they need it. Thank you again, for your generosity and compassion.

OUR HOLIDAY GIFT CATALOG

$10 A ‘Helmets For Kids’ scholarship for one elementary student

$45 Funding for one week class of the Teaching English Program in an orphanage

$55 One year school scholarship for one orphan K-12

$350 One year Teach Me To Fish scholarship for one orphan

$700 Two year Teach Me To Fish scholarship for one orphan

$900 Funding for one year on-the-job training for one Teach Me To Fish student

Any amount:
- Connect youth in our local communities through service projects.
- Procure and distribute new clothes and children products to low-income families, families in distress, or new incoming immigrants and refugees.
- Distribute new children clothes and products to families served by the Ronald McDonald House.
- Support other children service organizations in our communities.

Priceless:
- ‘all kids, one world’.

KIDS WITHOUT BORDERS
www.KidsWithNoBorders.org
P.O Box 24
Bellevue, WA 98009-0024 USA
(206) 484-4830 Fax (206) 374-2944
info@kidswithnoborders.org
An all-volunteer 501c3 non-profit organization

Day 7 Monday November 3, 2008

After an early business meeting, I went by the orphanage to collect five of the kids for the trip back to Hanoi. We all wondered what we would encounter in Hanoi. The major flood made news not only locally but also on CNN and BBC. The rain had not stopped, streets were still flooded, food delivery to the city was interrupted, food prices were doubled, there was a loss of electricity, and worst of all the government warned of possible disease outbreak. On the way to Hanoi, we went through flooded rice paddies, crested rivers, and people fishing in unusual places. When we got to Hanoi, the rain stopped and life appeared to be back to the normal pace-- at least in the city center and near my hotel.
After we arrived in Hanoi, one of the kids had to leave to go to work. The other kids and I went to visit Thien Nhan. Flood waters were gone, the house appeared normal. I could tell it was the right place from the sound of Thien Nhan’s loud voice coming from the house! The kids had read the story of Thien Nhan and they enjoyed meeting the young celebrity. Thien Nhan’s fan club continues to grow.
In the news: for many months, people in Hanoi City have had problems with the public buses. The problems: bus stops in many locations have been placed up to 10 meters away from the bus shelters. Quoted in one of the local paper: “So when it’s raining and the bus appears like a bat out of hell before screeching to a halt at the stop, would-be passengers have to dash from the shelter to the door. Often elderly or sluggish passengers, or those lost in a pleasant daydream, get left behind.”

Photo: orphans from Hoa Phuong Orphanage and currently are in the TM2F program, Thien Nhan and his adoptive Grandmother (far right).

Day 4 Friday, October 31, 2008

Today, a meeting was scheduled to discuss fundraising for Thien Nhan’s medical expenses. Team Thien Nhan consists of Thien Nhan, Mom Mai Anh, Dad Nghinh, Greig Craft (AIPF), Na Huong (Protec), Elke Ray (Bubbafish), and Son Michael Pham (KWB). We are working on the launch of Bubbafish toys, with part of the proceeds going to Thien Nhan’s fund. If you want to learn more about Bubbafish go to: http://www.bubbafish.com/.
Newspapers today carried news and photos from the ‘Helmets for Kids’ events, including photos of Thien Nhan and Michelle Yeoh. Looks like the Thien Nhan’s fan club continues to grow.
Thien Nhan’s family decided to take the last flight of the day from Saigon. I later learned that hundreds of people were stranded at Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport late Friday night because taxis and buses could not get out of the city due to the severe flood. Luckily, two kind-hearted foreigners offered the family seats in their private car and the family made it to their home in the middle of the night.
Happy Halloween from Viet Nam!

Photo of Team Thien Nhan (left to right): Greig, Na Huong, Elke, Mai Anh, Nghinh, Little Minh (on lap), Thien (Elke's husband), and Son Michael. Can you find Thien Nhan in the photo?

Day 3 Thursday, October 30, 2008

Five o’clock wakeup call this morning and I was off to the Reunification Exhibit Center (the old Presidential Palace before the end of the war) for the BIG EVENT. A line of buses pulled through the big gate, all filled with school children. A total of 1,300 3rd and 4th graders from an elementary school in Saigon came to take part in the ‘Helmets for Kids’ new awareness education campaign. The kids got off the buses in orderly fashion, lined up and marched with teachers to the staging area. The theme of the event is “March with Michelle Yeoh for Children’s Road Safety”.
One of the first celebrities to arrive was Thien Nhan, our Miracle Baby (http://help-thien-nhan.blogspot.com/). Thien Nhan and his adoptive parents, Mom Mai Anh and Dad Nghinh, and Brother Little Minh, all arrived late last night from Hanoi. We have not seen each other since the family left the U.S in early September after the initial visit for medical evaluation.
Back to the main celebrity of the event-Michelle Yeoh. She is a very famous international film star -especially in Asia. Some of her most recognizable roles were in James Bond ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’, ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’, and ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ (http://michelleyeoh.info/Bio/bio.html).
A very large number of media was at the event, following every move by Michelle Yeoh. She is so well-known in Asia and she even has a Vietnamese name, known as ‘Duong Tu Huynh’. Things did not start out too smoothly. I introduced Thien Nhan to Michelle. He was not ready, unimpressed, yelled “No!” while holding his hand out when Michelle asked if she could hold him! Meanwhile hundreds of media cameras were clicking and rolling. Michelle’s charm won in the end and she was able to hold Thien Nhan even though he still looked cranky and tired. It was just too early in the morning for him to put up with all of the commotion.
The ‘Helmets for Kids Ceremony and Walking Event’ was such a fun event! Thousands of elementary students participated and received new safety helmets made by Protec, which is supported by the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIPF). I was there as a board member of AIPF (http://www.asiainjury.org/), as well as representing Kids Without Borders. KWB has participated in the Helmets for Kids (H4K) program since 2001. Partnering with many Rotary clubs in the U.S, we were able to provide thousands of safety helmets to elementary school students throughout Viet Nam. I was very important to me to be at this event to support Greig Craft, my dear friend and colleague who founded and manages Protec (http://www.wear-a-helmet.com/) and AIPF. Greig has spent years tirelessly promoting road safety and head injury prevention-especially for children. He does this not only in Viet Nam but in several other developing countries. Earlier this year, Greig asked Michelle Yeoh to serve as Global Ambassador for the ‘Make Roads Safe Campaign’. This is her second visit to Viet Nam to advocate for children and everyone to wear safety helmets when they are on bicycles or motorbikes. Throughout Viet Nam, billboards by AIPF are educating the public of the dangers of traffic accidents and how wearing helmets prevent serious injury or death. Michelle Yeoh’s image can be found on billboards, newspapers and television ads since March 2008. Through the hard persistent work of Greig Craft, a helmet law went into effect in December 2007. Unfortunately, the wearing-helmets-on-a-motorbike laws do not cover children, the population most vulnerable out on the crowded streets. After the speeches, the fun traffic safety games, the hand-out of thousands of new helmets to the students, Michelle Yeoh led a march for several blocks followed by school bands, and thousands of helmet-wearing children and adults. Thien Nhan tried to participate but he is still having a hard time with the prosthetic leg and the walker, so the family brought him back to the hotel to rest. The campaign ended with a news conference attended by hundreds of members of the media. I was able to speak briefly on behalf of KWB, pledging our continuous support for the ‘Helmets for Kids’ program.
So many people in Viet Nam have been following Thien Nhan’s remarkable survival story, they eventually started a fan club via Thien Nhan’s web blog. Tonight, a group known as ‘Thien Nhan’s Mother from Ho Chi Minh City’ organized a dinner reception to welcome him and his family. This is Thien Nhan’s first visit to Saigon. The dinner was the opportunity for these supportive women to meet the family for the very first time, and for each of the members of this group to meet each other in person. I just sat back and witnessed a wonderful story playing out. The Miracle Baby continues to make miracles, bringing people together. Thien Nhan was in much better spirits than earlier this morning, playing with other children, and being passed around from one person to another.
It was such a long but wonderful day. When I dropped the family off, they went in to the wrong hotel until Little Minh pointed out they were in a wrong place. Good thing someone was still alert!
Note: 14,000 people die on Viet Nam’s road each year. World’s annual road death toll is more than 1.3 million people. Unfortunately, another 30,000 people in Viet Nam per year survive from traffic accidents and face life altering consequences of severe head trauma or disability. Children are always the most vulnerable. If you wish to learn more about the 'Helmets For Kids' program and how you can support it through KWB, please contact us at info@kidswithnoborders.org.