Charity and Tet 2024

Bodhisattva

Hall of Fame
Aug 22, 2001
22,455
3,957
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Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Tet (lunar new year) begins on Feb 10. As with the last year and years before, my wife and I try to send as much money as we can to buy food and otherwise assist as many poor Vietnamese as we can. We send money to one of my wife's best friends. She puts together food bundles (10 kg bag of rice, ingredients to make broth, oil, fish sauce, meat, etc.) Each bundle is enough to feed a family of two or three for a month.

Last year was frustrating, as the amount of money we sent attracted the attention of the communist party official (mob boss). Lan's friend's house was stacked floor to ceiling with supplies like a warehouse. The politician stole about half of the food we bought. That was the cost of not sending our friend to jail for feeding the hungry. Any excuse to steal will do.

This time around we started sending back money earlier in smaller increments. (Lan's friend and her two daughters work at a grocery store, and they are able to buy food wholesale, stretching our donations further.) And the food distribution was started sooner and is ongoing at a modest pace to try to not attract attention. Dozens of food bundles have already been distributed with the help of other friends who work for the VN version of Uber. So far, this has gone unnoticed by the political thieves. Hundreds of desperately poor families are being helped.

My wife is also working with a restaurant in Saigon on an ongoing basis to provide free meals. It's nothing fancy - basic soup and rice dishes. I'm not sure how long this venture will last; I'm expecting it to fall victim of a shake down any day. But, our friends are in the neighborhood and keep us informed. It seems to be under the radar at the moment. So far, so good.
 
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Bodhisattva

Hall of Fame
Aug 22, 2001
22,455
3,957
287
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Thanks, guys. The credit really goes to my wife. She’s the one that has been pursuing charitable causes since before she had the financial means (or even really time) to help. (I think she sees her marriage to me as her most substantial charity case! 😜)

We do as much as we can but are frustrated that we are prevented from doing more. From having to tiptoe around government thieves abroad to having less money to give than we should have after being taxed at 37% here, it pains the heart that there are many people that we aren’t able to help.

And while providing food certainly helps presently, it’s not a long-term solution. What we are trying to do is set people up for sustained success. Lan has provided funding to rural schools to build libraries and stock them with books. We’ve bought countless bicycles so rural kids don’t have to walk miles to school. We’ve paid tuitions. We’ve had houses built and repaired. I’ve talked before about helping people set up their own businesses so they can take care of their families (and not need charity). Our only fee is to ask them – when they are able – to do the same for a neighbor. It’s a tough path to navigate though. The bureaucrats, police, and many locals are thieves. Being forced to help slowly and quietly is frustrating. :(
 

Bodhisattva

Hall of Fame
Aug 22, 2001
22,455
3,957
287
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Small update. My wife talked to one of her best friends, who is coordinating things on the ground in VN, over the weekend. Among those that were given supplies in the last week are some 20 residents of a group home for the blind. We've also inquired about assisting in job training for them. Another recipient is a lady who is 104-years-old. I can't tell you how good it feels to be able to help. :) Still a lot more to be done.
 

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