Our New Volunteer has an Endearing Smile and a Good Heart

Miriam has taken a year out of her life for travel, adventure and volunteering for Children's Education Foundation. Originally she just intended helping for a short period, but has found herself a nice Hoi An home and has decided to stay and help for a year.

Children's Education Foundation raises funds for education,especially for girls from impoverished families, but we also do believe in doing what we can to reduce the suffering of the families we help if possible. We had a straightforward situation. We needed funds to move a family to dry ground in the rainy season when their home easily becomes submerged and for the monthly medications the mother needs for her heart and thyroid condition for a year. I reached out to Miriam and asked if she felt she and her friends might be able to help. Before Miriam left to come to Vietnam she raised the funds required to help this family. The family were thrilled and you could see their anxiety drop away with the news.

Our new volunteer is a social worker with a big heart and winning smile. We have taken her to meet some of the families and children we are sponsoring, or are about to sponsor, and she is very good with them all; winning their trust and friendship. Her advice and ideas are helpful and makes one realize how in the west we are so fortunate to have a variety of valuable services available, but in Vietnam there are very few of these services, and very few social workers, although they truly are needed.

Her enthusiasm and passion for making change is moving. Her passion is readily expressed and easily conjures up sponsors for the children. She is already deeply engrossed in Internet conversations with a good friend of hers in Australia working on a project that will involve some of the children CEF helps and at the same time raise funds for them.

She is a true blessing for Children's Education Foundation and the children.