In December 2024 we had a very fun visit at the Song Lo Orphanage. We arranged with the caretakers to bring Christmas presents to the children, and they told us one of the little ones also had a birthday this month. We decided to celebrate Christmas and the birthday on the same visit, as well as bring our regular monthly allotment of food and general supplies.
When we arrided, the children laughed at seeing one of our volunteers dressed as Santa. They helped bring all the supplies into the common room and everyone gathered around. For general supplies, we brought vegan oyster sauce, vegan fish sauce, tofu sheets, vegan chicken, vegan meat pies, vegan ham, seaweed, mushrooms, sugar, mung beans, peanuts, vanilla extract, sriracha, seasonings, cereal, cheese, mouthwash, tiger balm, laundry detergent, fabric softener, wipes, tissues, and toiletries.
We brought out a yummy birthday cake with candles, and everyone had a slice. We also handed out presents for everyone to share. It was a lovely day!
This charity trip was made possible through the kind donations from Melanie Ta, Koshu Takatsuji, Kateryna Lo, Daniel Cole, Jef O’Riley, Elaine Nguyen, Linh Lam, Littlechad Newfield, and Debra Eisinger in memory of Ronald David Lieberman.
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.
