Since the beginning, the focus of the Hong An Association has been to serve the elderly, the lepers, those who are disabled or handicapped, and those who are mentally ill.  But countless times another problem is encountered:  children who do not have enough food or the basic necessities.  This is a big problem among the ethnic minorities in Kontum.  Sometimes it is easy for society to turn a blind eye to these less fortunate people.

          Children in these poor families are faced with the situation of not enough food or warm clothes.   Often there is no food or only one meal a day.  They may often go to school with an empty stomach.  The concern with “nutritional value” is a luxury.  Their meals are often just cassava leaves or green papaya mixed with chili and salt.

          At the end of 2019 the Hong An Association started the “Hearty Soup for the Children” program for the first 3 ethnic-minority villages in Kontum.  Members of Daughters of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal of Kontum are in charge and serve a meal of hearty soup once a week, on Saturday or Sunday.

          Several Sisters who help with this program are amazed at how many people come together for this meal of a simple but nourishing soup consisting of pork, rice, and vegetables.  The Sisters appreciate the efforts of the Hong An Association because they now have the necessary equipment to make this nutritious soup for children in the three villages.  There are plans to assist more villages with this program.  The Sisters are very willing to work harder but contributions are urgently needed!  They can only serve more people if they get the necessary funds.

          More than 700 children are fed in these villages and sometimes even young mothers bring their babies to eat.  There has been joy and hope in the villages since this program started, thanks to the Hong An Association.

          The Sisters have a motivating story to share.  The pastor of Plei Ko Bei, one of the three villages, had a big concern.   While he was happy to see the children eating better, he knew many suffered from tapeworms.  He knew that a tapeworm infection robs children of nutrition.  He provided the children with the necessary medicine to cure the tapeworms.   Now they can get all the nutrition from the soup!

          Here is a breakdown of what it costs for a bowl of this nourishing soup:  It is estimated that each bowl of soup is 5,000 VND, equivalent to 25 cents, USD.  It seems like such a small amount but there are so many children to feed!

For example:

Small village with 200 children:

One week’s expense for the hearty soup is $50

One month is $200 = $2 per child per month in this small village!

One year is $2,400

Big village with 500 children

One week is $125

One month is $500

One year is $6,000

      Please take a moment to reflect on the remote mountainous areas of Vietnam—the stark image of children who do not have enough to eat, do not have warm clothes, who have to make arduous journeys in winter to seek out food.   This picture motivates the Hong An Association to ask those to have been blessed with plenty to help those who go without basic needs.

          In the words of Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta:  “At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by Christ’s words,  "I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.”

          Please help the Hong An Association to help the poor with a contribution, large or small!

          Please make out your check/money order to the Hong An Association,

Send your contribution to:

HOI HONG AN

P.O. Box 310935

Houston TX 77231

Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Phone:  713-530-4028

ONLINE contributions are also welcome.

Please CLICK HERE.

Payments are accepted via PayPal or a credit card.

ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE!

           At the end of 2019, the Hong An Association received a phone call from an elderly woman reporting that her husband died a few months ago. With a cracking, tearful voice, she shared stories of when the couple came to America with their children. After raising their children to become successful adults, they retired in a house surrounded by only American neighbors. Now she feels very lonely and sad.  At night in the empty house, she feels scared.   She emphasized, “Sister, I wonder what if something accidentally happened to me? All my children have their own children, their own lives, and none of them want to live with me. Along with my biological children, there are my sons and daughters in-law, which doesn’t make the situation simple at all!”

          As we listened to her, we felt sorry and helpless because we did not know how to solve her problem. Then she said, “However, when I receive the Hong An newsletter and read about the elders in Vietnam and Kontum are much more unfortunate.  So I  feel very appreciative and thankful for what I have.”

          The proverb, “I look above me and I’m not like the others, I look below me and there’s nobody like me,” is so accurate for every situation.

          The Hong An Association would like to share some stories of the poor people who have been helped, thanks to our benefactors.   As we witnessed the hard work and struggles of these poor families, we all realize how very blessed we are.

          In the beginning of 2020, the Hong An Association provided financial assistance to underprivileged students in Lam Dong (Central Vietnam) In addition to the scholarships, the Hong An Association donated 30 bicycles for the students who live far from school.

         Sister Nhung Nguyen, the mission office director of the Sisters of the Witness to Faith of Lam Dong, explained how she used the contributions:

          “I have visited students and their families and distributed 30 bicycles already. From the day I received the funds for the bicycles and scholarships, I worked diligently to find qualifying students. These students were very appreciative. But some of our students live far away on steep hills and must walk because riding a bicycle is too dangerous.

         Due to their family’s difficult situations, some children had to quit school at the beginning of the school year (August 2019).  I did my best to persuade the children (1^st and 2^nd grade) to go back to school. When the parents and children agreed, I took the children back to school. But the school hesitated to accept the children because the school year had already started. I was able to convince the school to make an exception for these children due to their circumstances.

         The school administration relented and accepted the children with open arms. Thanks to donations from the Hong An Association, I was able to help these children with tuition, books, and transportation.  Now they can focus on their education without any worries.

         Besides the donation of 30 bicycles from the Hong An Association, there were also scholarships. I was able to give:  1 million VND (about $44) to six children who are very poor. I also gave 100 scholarships to other children.  The amount was determined by their circumstances:  Some received 100,000 VND (about $4.50), and others received 200,000 VND (about $9). With the rest of the funds, I was able to buy school supplies for other poor children living about 20 miles from the Sisters’ house.

         Please continue to pray for me and the Sisters. Let us live as well as the Lord and the Church desires.”