In January 2022 we had a terrific visit with the children at the Song Lo Orphanage. It’s the Lunar New Year in Vietnam and we wanted to bring the children something special for the holiday. We combined our regular monthly visit of brining essential foodstuff and supplies with a special Tet celebration.
We made a detailed list of items the orphanage needed, did all the shopping locally, and drove out to the orphanage. The children helped stack everything in the main common room and everyone gathered around. We brought lots of fresh vegetables, vegan meat pies, vegan chicken, tofu sheets, mung beans, black beans, white beans, peanuts, flour, seasonings, and siracha.
To celebrate the New Year, we gave all the children brand new outfits to wear, new shoes, and lots of traditional treats and sweets for a fun Tet party. We handed out special gifts to the caretakers and all the children got red envelopes of lucky money.
The school year has gotten back on track for the children, and we were happy to contribute to the school costs on this visit. The nuns were so happy!
This charity trip was made possible by the kindhearted donations of Huong Nguyen and an anonymous donor from Intel. Thank you!!!
ABOUT THE SONG LO ORPHANAGE
The history of the Song Lo Orphanage’s beginnings is heartwarming. As the story goes, a Buddhist monk was traveling in the countryside when he encountered a woman who said she could not care for her 2 children. She left the babies with the monk and fled. Not expecting to have 2 babies to care for, the monk made his way to the Song Lo pagoda, and the head nun at the pagoda, Sister Cat, agreed to care for the children. From that point on, orphans have been either brought to the pagoda, or abandoned at their gates. Formed in 2012, the Song Lo Orphanage cares for a small group of young children. Located adjacent the Son Lo pagoda, it’s a small facility deep in the countryside west of Nha Trang.
