By Chi Vu, November 2005
At first, my volunteering tasks comprised of photo copying before and after pictures of children being sponsored for orthopedic surgeries, folding newsletters,data entry, and other administrative tortures that the veterans of SAP-VN could think of to test the endurance of the new kid on the block. Just kidding…they are the nicest group of people I have ever met. Through these tasks, I was able to learn more about the work that SAP-VN does for children in Vietnam which I found to be very inspiring.
A couple of months into my volunteering, I was asked if I would beinterested in joining SAP-VN members in their annual medical mission toVietnam. I was excited at the prospect but had to confess that I have no medically relevant skills. I was assured that my lack of skills should not be much of an issue. In addition, this was the first year that SAP-VN is working with SEE International to sponsor cataractsurgeries for the poor and blind in Vietnam. Over the next few months,the project under the indefatigable leadership of anh Quang, attracted a large number of volunteers. I have now moved up the organizationa ltotem pole and was given the duty of secretary,responsible for taking detailed minutes of all the meetings on planning and logistics of the cataract mission.
In October 2005, I landed in Vietnam, excited about the experience that lies ahead. Before starting the cataract mission, I was able tojoin anh Thinh and Hung, chu Thieu, and di My Linh on an excursion to Hanoi to visit children in SAP-VN’s orthopedic program. We visited children in hospitals in Ha Tay and Thanh Hoa who have had or are about to undergo surgeries to correct their physical disability. It was great to have an opportunity to interact with the children and their familyand to see first hand the surgical corrections that local Vietnamesedoctors are able to do with monetary support provided by SAP-VNsponsors. We also had a chance to do some home visits of children inNinh Binh who have recovered from surgeries. It was great to see the spectrum from pre to post conditions of these children’s physical status as well as their ability to do things that family members saidthey could not have done before. I remembered the time I had the taskof photocopying those before and after pictures of the children and thought how surreal it is that I’m now able to see first hand the impact that SAP-VN has in the lives of these children.
Then there was the Cataract Mission itself, which offered another extremely interesting experience. This was a collaboration between SAP-VN, SEE International, and the Charity Hospital in Vietnam. The combination of three organizations trying to work together within the walls of a small hospital trying to attain the ambitious goal of performing 300+ cataract surgeries during our 5 1/2 days mission hadits moments of total chaos and frustration. But regardless of the obstacles, I believe everyone came away from the mission with many memorable experiences. As for me, one of the events I remembered most was trying to distribute disposable sunglasses (or actually more like a darkly colored plastic shaped in forms of eyeglasses to protect the eye from dust and debris) to patients after their surgeries. I didn’t think the plastic sunglasses were all that exciting but the patients actually started clamoring for them – they hovered around, tried to grab the plastic and yelling, “let me have one, let me have one.” It was total chaos and I just couldn’t stop laughing as I try to fend off their hands. Thankfully, anh Hung ran out, snapped the box of glasses from me and reinstated order amongst the patients. In the presence of a male figure, the patients quieted down and the distribution proceeded in as orderly a fashion as is possible in Vietnam. That’s when it dawned on me that even as little a gift as a strip of plastic can have meaning to these patients who really don’t have much at all.
Though I was not able to do much in terms of helping the people I encountered on the trip but the experience of meeting and interacting with everyone was so valuable and meaningful. I’m very thankful for this opportunity to be a part of such a worthwhile trip with other SAPVN volunteers. I foresee that SAP-VN and I will have quite a longterm relationship…not bad for something that blossomed online.
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