Phu My Orphanage, HCMC

When we were in Saigon in late June, we visited a Catholic orphanage for abandoned children with physical or mental handicaps called Phu My Orphanage (aka: The Handicapped Orphanage Protection Center of Thi Nghe).

The orphanage appeared well managed, like all of the orphanages we have seen in Vietnam, although the caregiver-to-child ratio is much higher than we have seen, with 400 children and only twenty caregivers. Given that many of the children at the orphanage have significant problems and many are permanently confined to bed, the orphanage could use a lot more staff.

We spoke with the Vice-Director, Sister Marie Nguyen Thi Hon, and asked her what type of volunteers she needed, expecting that she'd tell us that she needed qualified medical personnel. She told us that they have doctors there at the orphanage every day, and therefore they don't require doctor volunteers, although physiotherapists would be a great help. What they really need is simply for volunteers to come and spend time with the children, perhaps pushing a wheelchair around in the garden area, reading a book to the children, or pushing a swing etc. The most common health issues that the children face are bed sores, choking syndrome and bone weakness.

(The images are from this web page)

The orphanage also maintains two other venues; a 'daycenter' which houses 200 kids during the day so that parents are able to go to work, and a 'teaching farm', 200km north of Saigon, where young adults are taught farming skills so that they can re-integrate and become self-sustaining. We didn't get a chance to se that, but it sounds like an interesting idea.

If you are visiting Saigon and would like to help out for a day, or a month, or on a regualr basis, the address of the orphanage is 153 Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Str, Binh Thanh District, HCMC. ph: 08 899 6563. Email: mocoithinghe@vnn.vn