Many years ago a friend of ours at school told us about a place in Hue, Vietnam called the Office of Genetic Counseling and Disabled Children (OGCDC). It is run through the Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy. Its primary role it to help children in need of special medical services such as heart operations, cleft lip and palate, hernias and other childhood ailments. Many families cannot afford the cost of the operation so they need donations in order to have their children medically cured. We have contributed to this fund, which costs so little to do and has such a wonderful outcome.
As teachers, we also believe in the ongoing power of education. For the past six years we have been sponsoring students who are studying to become doctors at the university's medical school. We currently sponsor four students with our donation and it covers all books and tuition for one full year. The total cost, $1000. Yes, you read that right. $1000 allows you to sponsor four students for an entire year. That amount equates to the price of a couple of books at a university in the states.
This is an organization that holds a special place in our hearts and we hope to one day get back to Hue to meet all of our students personally. This is a major part of our early retirement plan. We choose to give, not simply during a certain season, but just because.
If you are interested in donating, or just want to have a look at their website, I have provided the URL here: http://www.ogcdc.org/en/
Randy