“Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation is a grassroots charity serving children in crisis throughout Vietnam. We believe that every child deserves the best care we can offer. Blue Dragon kids are street kids, children with disabilities, and young people who have been trafficked. We rescue kids from danger and slavery, reunite them with their families when we can, and provide all the services needed for recovery and growth.” Tom, Blue Dragon, Hanoi
I am really proud to be able to support this special organisation. The work the Blue Dragon team do to help victims of trafficking, neglect and abuse is truly life changing. Below are a few examples of the amazing work the foundation is doing.
10 years ago, Blue Dragon rescued their first teenage girl from slavery, they have since rescued 276 girls and young women from forced marriages and brothels in China. They have reunited over 500 homeless children with their families and are currently working directly with over 1500 children and youths from around Vietnam, transforming the lives of kids in crisis.
Rather than providing handouts Blue Dragon provide a hand-up for those who choose to better their circumstances and themselves.
To read more personal stories and successes please visit Blue Dragon’s website which is in my charities tab.
Together we can really make a direct difference to young peoples lives. Please donate as little or as much as you can.
On Thursday evening, I visited Green Bamboo Shelter for boys located in the heart of Saigon. It is a small centre for disadvantaged boys in the city. The organisation is in dire need of funding to ensure it can continue to provide much needed support for the vulnerable boys and young men.
On entering Green Bamboo, I was greeted Ms lieu who is an absolute force to be reckoned with. She is working tirelessly to ensure the boys are safe, educated, healthy and loved. The relationships she has built with the 13 boys who call the centre home is clear to see, as the boys giggle, play and chat to her with ease.
One of the older boys proudly showed me the bedroom where he and the others sleep. With a huge smile, he pointed to a thin mattress, next to a fan, in the corner of the empty room. Lieu explained that he has lived at the centre for the past 8 years after fleeing his home due to domestic violence. This is sadly the reason most of the boys arrive and stay at Green Bamboo.
Lieu repeatedly talked about the future of the boys and how her aim is to ensure that they grown into happy, healthy, educated and independent adults. “Their future must be happy” she stated.
The boys at the centre range is age from 8 to 19 years old. Lieu says that there is no age limit and the boys can stay until they are confident to make their way in the world.
The centre ensures all the boys have the correct paperwork to be able to attend public school each day. Retired Vietnamese school teachers also volunteer their time, each evening, for drop in students who would like to access and complete their education.
Lieu shared many success stories from the centre and spoke proudly of Ho Quoc Thong, a 21 year old photographer who lived at the centre for many years. He now runs a gallery in District 12 and offers photography workshops for disadvantaged youths.
In discussions with Lieu about how ‘namrunsnam’ can help Green Bamboo she talked about her plans of setting up a coffee shop in the entrance of the building. This would provide much needed income to help feed, clothe and organise any necessary paperwork. The cost of a franchise here in Vietnam is much lower than in western countries (less than $2000USD). With this, Lieu would be given equipment, training and everything needed to run a successful Vietnamese coffee house. It would also provide vocational opportunities for the boys who are older than 16. I would love to be able to ensure a consistent income and safe future for the boys. Green Bamboo is located in a bustling alleyway, off a busy street, next to a youth hostel in District 1, a great location for a much needed drink for a great cause. Let’s make this happen!
Below is the current entrance to the centre which is the proposed location of the coffee shop.
Please share and donate as little or as much as you can.
Running the Dalat Mountain Trail this weekend has been my biggest challenge so far and also great training for my upcoming adventure down the length of Vietnam.
Myself and 2 runner friends had signed for the for trail half marathon as soon as the date was released. We had completed the 10km the previous year and loved it so decided to tackle the 21km this year.
Nick, Me and Pete
The start line was a 40 minute bus ride from Dalat town, through beautiful rolling hills and lush, green farmland. I was full of nervous energy as we gathered at the packed starting gate. There were over 2000 runners attempting the half marathon distance. The 3 of us filled our camel packs with electrolytes, sucked our start line GU’s, wished each other luck with a wave headed off into the mountains.
From start to finish the course was stunningly beautiful and I had to constantly remind myself to look around rather than down at the trail at my feet. The route was an absolute killer, with a mix of never ending, long rolling hills, steep climbs and speedy descents, all whilst dodging tree roots, skipping over rocks and slipping on scree. I absolutely loved it! Well most of the time…
Unlike running a road 21km I found that I was unable to switch off my brain and get into the zone. Instead, I was having to think about every step and couldn’t get into a rhythm at all. “I’m strong, I’m healthy, I feel great” is a mantra a friend had shared with me during my time at Unit 27 training camp and this became my internal monologue during some of the tougher parts of the course.
From about 10km I had seen Nick and Sarah (a friend from work) running along about 200m ahead of me, it took me until the 16km mark to close the gap. On meeting them, Nick shared the the news that we were actually running 24.5kms! Imagine the heartbreak… We ran together for a while sharing our aches and pains but soon lost one another again.
At a check point at around 19km’s I was asked to sign a piece of paper showing that I was doing pretty well. As I’m pretty competitive this was great news! As well as totally unexpected! However, as kilometre 21 I entered THE PAIN CAVE! My legs decided to invent a whole new style of running and I was waving my arms around like a lunatic just trying to stay upright. Then a 70km runner skipped past me… These people are a different breed of super humans. I managed to stay with him for roughly 20 seconds before he flew ahead of me into the pine forest.
The finish line was at the top of yet another brutal incline. The shouts from the crowd, the blaring music and the sight of a friend waving a union jack flag gave me the hit of adrenaline I needed to put in a sprint finish. This propelled me past another 21km runner who I had been chasing for hours and rewarded me with 8th place female and 2nd in my age group. I remember stumbling to collect my medal and Pete handing me a much needed pocari sweat.
As an adult, I don’t very often feel proud of myself but after this run I really do. I left everything I had on the trail and feel an immense sense of achievement that I haven’t felt in a long time. I am so lucky to have met a great community of runners out here in Vietnam and they truly are my inspiration.
This experience gave me a peak into some of the amazing scenery I will experience on my long run from Hanoi to HCMC to raise funds for children’s education and health care in Vietnam. Please visit the charities tab to find out more about these amazing yet poorly funded organisations and click donate tab to help.
This Saturday I visited one of my chosen charities, Thien Phuc Orphanage. It is 45 minute motorbike ride away from my own home in District 2 but also a whole world away.
As I drove along packed highways the landscape began to change from the bustling city into more low rise, greener countryside. I turned off the highway and began to bounce along bumpy dirt roads towards the Orphanage, passing chickens, pigs and waving children on my way. After a few wrong turns and an emergency cafe su da (Vietnamese rocket fuel coffee) I arrived outside Thien Phuc.
On entering the building, myself and Ms Ha (a wonderful teaching assistant from the British International School HCMC- who is acting as my translator) were greeted by Sister Nhu and a group of smiling children and young adults, aged from 2 years to well into their 20’s. After a quick chat with Sister Nhu about my run and how I can help their organisation, we were shown around the rest of the facility.
I tired hard to not show my shock at the lack of facilities in the building. In one of the upstairs rooms, children with very severe physical and mental disabilities were laying on mattresses on the floor. Two Vietnamese volunteers were attending to the children, feeding them, changing them and moving their bodies to ensure they were comfortable. Myself and Ms Nhu spent the next few hours helping as much as we could by feeding, comforting and playing with children. There were at least 30 children in the room that needed constant care.
I met one little baby who had arrived at the centre just 4 days previously. Sister Nhu explained that his mother had made the impossible decision to hand him over to the orphanage as she was unable to afford to feed him herself. Some of the children have been with Thien Phuc since just after birth, however there is a constant stream of new arrivals.
The volunteers at the orphanage are doing a fantastic job with the very little they have but they are in dire need of more support. I was blown away by the love and dedication of these ladies and would love to support them and the children as much as I can. Sister Nhu explained that they would love to update or repair some of their equipment that they simply cannot afford to do on their own. Please visit the donations tab on my website to donate. Thank you!
So it turns out deciding to run a country takes a bit more planning than just throwing on my pack and running.
The question I’m being asked most at the moment is “how’s the planning coming along?”. My mouth is saying “yes, great, I’m really excited”. The voice in my head is whispering “what the hell have you gotten yourself into, you have no idea what you’re doing!”
I’ve recently bought myself some ultra distance Salomon runners and have been given a mirco tent by my amazing friend, ‘The German’ (aka Andy) who is a designer for Jack Wolfskin. He also given me a trekking pack that is lightweight, which I’m planning on throwing some more stuff into. Problem is I’m not sure what stuff I should be throwing in. Number one on the list is my kindle. But what else!? I want to stay as lightweight as possible.
Whilst planning my route I am hugging the coast as much as possible. I have a vision of running alongside idyllic, sandy beaches with the sounds of the waves lapping onto the shore. Let’s see what the reality is and how many times I get hideously lost…
Motto of the week and going forward (sometimes I felt like going home!)
Gym street art
Team work!
A variant of this every single morning.
Still working on that six pack…
The reality that I’m running the length of a country is beginning to sink in.. and so is a slight sense of PANIC!!!
As a primary school teacher I am lucky to have quite a few holidays. This TET holiday (Chinese New year) I decided to go on my first active holiday. I am writing this from my lovely studio apartment on “fitness street”, Chalong, Phuket, Thailand. I’ve been here for 12 days and tomorrow is my last day. Although I’ve already decided to return again for a fortnight in April!
My mission for this holiday was to become stronger, up my fitness game and see how hard I could push myself. I joined UNIT 27, which has 3 locations along this street. They offer an amazing array of fitness classes and I have tried to experience them all. All of which have left me in a pool of sweat on the floor. Classes such as; rapid fire, morning glory, drill Sargent, the yard, tour de unit, have all pushed me to my absolute limit and I am LOVING IT!
I have met some amazing people, all here for their own reasons and they are all inspiring. The candid conversations that have happened without the needed for alcohol have been inspirational, motivating, supportive and above all kind. One strong individual said “life would be better if women could just be kinder to each other”. This is absolutely true and I will be passing this onto all the epic women I know. Confidence is key!!! We are the ones who will push ourselves but also the ones who stop ourselves.
This place is awesome, I couldn’t recommend it more! The classes, trainers, food and protein shakes have all made me a better person. I feel stronger both physically and mentally. Bring it on!!!!
This summer I will have been living the international teacher life for 10 years and am now in the lucky position that I can afford to take some time out and give something back. Vietnam has hosted me for the last 4 years and I have loved every moment. The food, the crazy streets, the kind, generous people and even the rats have made my time here beyond wonderful.
Photo by: Thijs Degenk – Unplash
About 6 months ago I decided I wanted to be a runner. I’ve been into fitness for a few years but never considered myself a runner, in fact I actively avoided it. So what better way to become a runner than to run over 2000km. The plan is set, I will run from Hanoi to HCMC over of course of 6 months on behalf of charities that support children’s education and women’s health.
NAMRUNSNAM 