In January 2020 we visited the Suoi Dau Charity Home with some essential supplies and a surprise Tet party. The lunar new year, Tet, is the biggest holiday in Vietnam with some lovely traditions that include children wearing new clothes to welcome the new year, receiving lucky money, and eating traditional foods. We wanted the wonderful children of Suoi Dau to have these traditions and celebrate the new year.

We coordinated with the caretakers and brought some essential supplies for the home, including bags of rice, boxes of noodles, 2 boxes of dried fish, bottles of cooking oil, and cleaning supplies. As a Tet surprise, we handed out red envelopes of lucky money to each child, then the children each received a package of brand new clothes to wear for the new year. We also brought some yummy Tet snacks to enjoy.

The children had helped us bring everything into the common room, and after receiving their Tet gifts, set up tables and chairs for lunchtime. It was a lovely visit!

This charity visit was made possible through the kindhearted donations of Suruchi Khemka, Elaine Nguyen, Dan, Van, and Devin Haynes, and in loving memory of Chu Giang from Doug, Rebekah, Matt, and Alex.

ABOUT THE SUOI DAU CHARITY HOME

The Suoi Dau Charity Home is located in Suoi Dau district near Suoi Cat, which are both poor communities to the west of Nha Trang composed of rural farming hamlets that live in poverty. The Suoi Dau Charity Home is a loving place that houses and cares for a group of the community’s young boys whose families struggle to support and provide for them. The boys stay at the home year-round, sleep in dormitories, and have meals together in a communal dining hall. The boys all come from the ethnic Raglay minority group. Overseen by pastor Dam Nguyen, the caretakers who run the home provide a nurturing environment and ensure the children attend local public schools and provide after-school tutoring lessons.