The volunteer team eats dinner together every night. At our final dinner tonight, Catalyst auctioned off the winning drawings from its 2008 My Vietnam art contest. These drawings were made by children from the three areas (Kien Giang, Dong Thap, and Saigon) that we worked in over the past week, by children that we saw in the clinics and played with at camp.
There were 30 winning drawings in all, from 3 different age groups. The money raised through the auction will be used by Catalyst to start a scholarship program for boys. Such an exciting expansion of their programs!
It was amazing to see the volunteers -- who have already given so much of their time and energy -- now bursting with enthusiasm as they bid against one another to give of their money as well.
Of the 30 winning drawings, there was only one from Kien Giang. For some reason, the people of Kien Giang were particularily special to me. I don't know if it is because Kien Giang is close to Soc Trang, where Ryan and Alyssa were born; because I saw its children living in a garbage dump; or because it's where Catalyst has built a school in order to build a life for these children. It's probably a combination of all of these factors and so much more.
Our "auctioneer" announced, "This is our only picture from Kien Giang. It was drawn by a 7 year old girl. She still lives in the garbage dump. She didn't know what it meant to draw a picture until we put a crayon in her hands. This was her first drawing."
Ihad to have it......and I got it. What a perfect ending to a remarkable trip.
Photo from the Beach at Phu Quoc in the Gulf of Thailand
People starting to gather for our clinic in Rach Gia, Kien Giang
A house near our clinic in Kien Giang
Measuring "patients" in Kien Giang
Boys at the Kien Giang clinic
More photos from the clinic days in Kien Giang
Applying flouride in Kien Giang
A cemetery outside the dump in Rach Gia, Kien Giang
The dump in Rach Gia, Kien Giang
Many of the people we served in Kien Giang live in the dump. You can see "houses" in the distance on the left.
People living in the dump
These are the same boys from the fifth photo above. I saw them in the clinic one day and then again at their home in the dump the next day.
This is a source of water in the dump...
...and this is a truck pumping raw sewage into that water
Our clinic in Tan Hoi Trung, Dong Thap
Life in Tan Hoi Trung, Dong Thap
Driving through the Mekong Delta
This bridge crosses the water between the road and a house. There are donzens and dozens of bridges, one after the other, spanning the waterways.
Our clinic in My Hiep, Dong Thap
Our clinic in Saigon
During our clinic day in Saigon, we saw girls from the Little Rose Warm Shelter, including those who have been the victims of human trafficking.
This little girl is holding one of the many "goodie bags" that we handed out.
Bikes, bikes, bikes
We distributed 250 bikes while in Vietnam, including to the girls we saw at the Saigon clinic. (You can see that this little girl is using the bike to haul the food that we distributed as well.) Bicycles are an important mode of transportation in Vietnam.
Photos from Camp in Long Hai, Phuoc Thuy
We hosted camp for 330 kids, including the girls we saw at our clinic sites.
The camp was held on this beach on the South China Sea.
Most of the kids at camp had never been on a bus, taken a shower, or slept in a "real" bed. Everything from having a lunch big enough to fill their bellies to using a toilet that flushed, was brand new to them.
I painted A LOT of little fingernails at camp!
Saigon Opera House
Government building in Saigon
Sidewalks in Saigon
The team for the 100-mile bike ride from Dong Thap to Saigon!
The ride raised money for the bikes that we donated to children in Vietnam.
Hitting the road at 5:30 a.m.
Early morning traffic in the delta region
Taking a break along the road
Lots of bridges along the route
Cars, trucks, motorbikes, and bicycles all share one road
Carb loading -- Pringles and...
...bread carried me a long way
Lunch at a local restaurant along the way
Our last break with 15 miles to go
One rider jumped in the van so that Tuan (middle, long pants) could get on a bike and lead the way into Saigon for us.
Saigon at last!
This is what we looked like 100 miles and twelve hours after leaving Dong Thap. We had just finished weaving our way through Saigon's rush hour traffic.
The Foerster Kiddos
