To our generous bike donors – Jamie Shoemaker and Marcie, Steve and Joanne at Child’s Play Daycare, Rochester NY…
One of the options for this 2010 season’s Grassroots Gift Campaign was to fund bikes for AVANI’s rescued child laborers in India. I was shocked that all the needed bikes were funded in about 10 minutes! We had more bike donors than programs that had expressed interest in bikes, so I vowed to find the right place to offer the cycles during our extended trip to SE Asia. Bikes are far from being just a form of entertainment and fun in developing countries–for many, they are the direct lifeline to opportunity and education. This week we had the pleasure of visiting Minh Tu, the head nun at the Buddhist Pagoda Duc Son in Hue, Vietnam , home to 200 orphans ranging from 6 days old to 18 and including many disabled children suffering the affects of Agent Orange used in the Vietnam War. Duc Son is no ordinary place–from the minute we walked across its polished floors we literally felt surrounded by love and warmth. With little resources the nuns at Doc Son don’t wait around for donations– they run a cafe to bring in funds in addition to a wood workshop where they create beautiful handicrafts. Their vegetable garden was meticulous kept and tended and provides food for the children throughout the year. Minh proudly walked us by the rows of bikes used daily by a portion of the children who attend secondary school. When we asked if they needed more…we were met with a resounding “YES!” After bargaining in the local markets we returned 2 days later with the shiny bikes. Thank you again to Jamie Shoemaker, Joanne, Steve and Marcie from Child’s Play – Rochester, NY.
