Clean Cut Kid

The past week, we have been learning a lot about Vietnamese NGOs. This is because many of us, from November 13th to December 14th, will be participating in an internship for an NGO. I will be working for a political research NGO called DEPOCEN, which is located in Hanoi. I will be there with 4 of my friends living in an apartment and commuting each day to my work. I’m not quite sure what the job entails just yet, but it will be a great change of pace and I am hoping to learn a lot from this NGO.

So last week, our director, Co Thanh, who is so unbelievably connected and resourceful, put us into pairs and then sent us off with local students to different NGOs around Ho Chi Minh City. I went with my friend Colin over to District 7, where we visited an orphanage, and let me tell you, it was one of the most humbling and incredible days I have had in Ho Chi Minh.

When we got there, we had to walk pretty deep into an alley, and then we were greeted by an older man who welcomed us into his home, which was relatively empty, but you could hear a bunch of boys yelling from upstairs. He sat us down and explained to us his job: he runs an all boys orphanage where they have 15 boys living in this house and each of them are there for different reasons and they are all from various places. The ages of the boys range from 4-around 16, but sometimes they are older. The time in which each boy stays varies too. He explained that they will keep a boy for however long they need, or until their parents come to pick them up and they think it is safe to send them off with their mom and dad.

Some boys, however, stay for a very long period of time. He then explained that in many cases, they stay for most of their young lives, and the staff there, which is 4 people, two english teachers, this man (I regrettably forget his name), and a housekeeper, work to turn them into mature young adults, and will let them go off into the city on their own once the 4 of them see that a boy is fit for an independent life. The staff works very hard to make sure these boys are as educated, well fed, and as happy as possible.

Hearing all the work just four people do was amazing. Once we were done talking, some of the boys came down to play. I expected them to be standoffish, because most young boys usually are, especially to foreign older girls. However, these boys were incredible. They tried to teach me games, and showed me how to fold origami. They were so sweet and full of energy. It was truly a really fun and memorable time that I really cherished. It made me want to become more involved in teaching english, or working with disadvantaged kids.

I don’t think I could have visited a better NGO. It was so influential to my understanding of Vietnamese orphans and showed me the value of happiness a little bit better. They in no way will remember me in weeks or months to come, but I will remember those boys for a long time. I was so shocked at how eager they were to speak english to me and to play games. The Vietnamese culture is so warm; people are always so open to conversation and learning. It is something I have valued ever since I came here.