Year End Letter, 2011
Dearest friends and family,
Merry Christmas and a prayer from Vietnam for the best New Year ever
for your family! It has been a very difficult year for many Americans-
particularly financially and we may not be completely out of the woods
yet. But America is a strong country and we are resourceful and resilient.
We are still viewed by the citizens of the world, especially Vietnam, as
the model to emulate and their hope for the future. America will recover;
and we must demand of our leadership that the mistakes made will never be
repeated. The world needs to see us go through that process so that we
teach the multitudes who look to us for wisdom, where real leadership in a
country comes from- 'We the people.....'
I am so proud this week to see the article in the world news that- based on Gallup’s international poll- Americans not only speak those beautiful and eternal words of freedom to the world but based on the 2011 World Giving Index, the USA leads every other country in the world in philanthropy. Sixty six percent of all Americans donate money to charities, 43% have volunteered their time and 73% have helped a total stranger in the last month. Despite the tough economic times Americans “not only talk the talk, but we also walk the walk.” In the end it will be this love, concern, compassion and sacrifice on the part of the vast majority of American people that will prevail. Vietnam and the world know and understand this.
2011 has been a productive year for both Hannah’s Promise as well as my consulting work that I do for other humanitarian groups in Vietnam- all supported by generous individuals, multinational and local Vietnamese companies, developed countries and foundations. I do not exaggerate when I say that tens of thousands of lives have been saved and hundreds of thousands have been improved in multiple ways through the various grassroots programs and the systemic medical, health and education capacity building work that I have been involved in. Without wonderful people like you, and the other 66% above, this would not have been possible. I will update all the areas of the work in detail on the website in the next few days including Thao’s health improvements and Dr. Mark Helbraun’s 2 very productive 3 week teaching workshops in 2011 at Viet Duc University Hospital in Hanoi.
Folks, it is Christmas Eve and I just cannot rest on these successes while seeing so many precious children suffering and dying. During this season of giving- Christmas, as well as this time of anticipation of a new beginning in another week or so- New Years, please help me with the one passion that has been the focus of my life since I first visited Vietnam 10 years ago- innocent children suffering and dying because they are poor, disadvantaged and underserved. These children cannot afford common inexpensive cures for their diseases and they have nothing to deserve their suffering.
Please help me with a gift to save the life of a poor child who has congenital heart disease (CHD). They cannot go to school, cannot play- some can hardly get out of bed. At least 30,000 children in Vietnam suffer from CHD and their families are too poor to pay for life saving surgery. Even though pediatric open heart surgery is relatively inexpensive compared to the west, with a family income of less than a dollar a day for over 15 million people, a family’s hope for saving their child’s life is remote without assistance. The average surgery costs $3,000 and after government contributions and hospital discounts, our portion is about a third, $1,000, and every dollar you give will go 100% to the children.
Most of these children will die before they are 18 after a life of suffering. Because the parent/s do all they can to keep their child alive, families end up totally destitute financially. The national capacity for pediatric heart surgeries has grown to 6,000, but with 8,000 infants born annually with CHD requiring surgery, the backlog increases every year and is made-up exclusively of those who cannot afford medical service- the poor.
Like many other national challenges, we are working hard on the
national surgical capacity issues but in the meantime the suffering for
these kids does not stop. Please help with a gift to save one of these
precious children like little 2 year old, Phuong Vy, and Ngoc Chi who is
7, attached. Next week there will be 10 or more children’s bios on the
website- just as examples, 2 are attached here. There are many, many more.
Get your children and grandchildren involved. What is better than 'child
to child' assistance!
Friends, I will send you the bio as well as the results of your child’s surgery along with photos. And you will receive the best ‘thank you’ letter you have ever gotten from your child. I have the great privilege of visiting the hospitals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City once or twice a month with donors from Vietnam and there is no better feeling than looking at a healthy child and knowing you saved that little life. Saving one or more of these children’s lives has transformed as many donor's lives as children's. I invite you again to Vietnam- come with me to visit one of these babies who need us desperately. Any amount is helpful but $1,000 will save the life of a child and a family’s future.
Merry Christmas, my precious friends, and the most blessed New Year ever! I look forward to hearing from you and to working with you in the New Year!
Your devoted friend in Vietnam,
Rad
