In January 2021 we had a lovely visit with the children at the Lac Thien Orphanage. We had spoken with the caretakers and made a list of their most pressing needs. Our team went to local markets and bought everything the orphanage requested. We loaded up a truck and drove north into Ninh Hoa.
The children helped carry everything into the main common room and gathered together. We brought bags of white rice, bags of sticky rice, packages of noodles, seasonings, bottles of cooking oil, pork, dried fish, squid, condensed milk, boxes of instant noodles, peanuts, kitchen supplies, and traditional sweets and snacks for the Lunar New Year.
As a fun treat, our team of volunteers brought coolers filled with frozen fruit snacks for all the children. So yummy!
This charity trip was made possible through donation made to An’s Fundraiser on Facebook. Thank you An Nguyen, Thi Nguyen, Kerry Hill, and Laura Meinert!
ABOUT THE LAC THIEN ORPHANAGE
Founded in 2006, the Lac Thien Orphanage is part of the Phat Buu pagoda and lies north of Nha Trang in Ninh Hoa district. The orphanage’s origins are endearing. On a peaceful day, a baby was left at the gates of the pagoda. The nuns cared for him, and from that day on they have taken in orphan children from the area. The orphanage is run by the nuns of the pagoda and its head nun, Chon Minh. They rely entirely upon donations, most of which come from people in the community. There are about 30 children at the orphanage, from newborns to teenagers, and Lac Thien also takes in elderly whose family cannot care for them.
