Hands-On Saigon
Project Manager: Mercy Tran
Vietnam, known for the strength and resilience of its people, is rebounding, following a long history of war and suffering. However, as much as half the current population of 90.5 million live on less than $2 a day, and many of them on less than $1. There is still a great need for assistance for the poor, disadvantaged and disabled.
Hands-On Saigon has been active in helping the needy in Vietnam since 1996. Their projects, which are in numerous provinces of Vietnam, both north and south, have focused on the needs of some of the more overlooked and disregarded people; those in remote rural areas as well as some in the centers of the busiest cities.
Hands-On Saigon’s current projects include:
- Agent Orange victims—donating livestock to struggling families
- Rainwater harvesting—providing 1,500-liter (400 gal) cement tanks in areas lacking access to unpolluted water.
- Computer literacy—setting up computer centers to help bridge the digital divide and offer hope for a better future.
- Medical program—providing free medical check-ups and medicine to ethnic minorities living in rural, difficult-to-access mountainous areas.
- Community and orphanage visitation and support
- Shelter for homeless elderly women
- Children’s cancer hospital
- Orphanages
- Support for ethnic minorities in remote villages
- School supplies for disadvantaged children
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
A victim of Agent Orange thankful for his donated heifer
This new tank for harvesting rainwater provides clean water to this family
Students in computer literacy class
For the latest news from Hands-On Saigon, check out these newsletters and videos.
40 years after the most devastating chemical warfare campaign known to man, 3 million Vietnamese are still suffering the brutal effects of Agent Orange. Since 2000 Hands-On Saigon has been supplying disabled victims and their families with livestock, as a sustainable means of providing for their families.
In the poor rural district of Can Gio in the Saigon River delta, most families only have access to the polluted, brackish water of the Saigon River. Hands-On Saigon works with locals to complete the arduous process involved in building and installing cement tanks, enabling clean rainwater harvesting from rooftops.
In today’s increasingly digitalized society, without access to basic computer skills young Vietnamese will be limited to futures involving only the most menial careers. Unfortunately, rural areas provide few if any options for computer training. One of HOS’s primary goals is to help build brighter futures for these children, and has successfully established four computer literacy centers to date, benefitting nearly 300 youth.
Hands-On Saigon has coordinated regular medical camps since 2008, bringing together doctors, pharmacists, donors and volunteers to provide free healthcare in remote locations populated by ethnic minorities where even the most basic medical attention is sorely lacking.
Life can be sad and lonely for these elderly women, with no family or place to call home, many having been rescued from a life of begging on the streets. Collaborating with a nun and her staff, Hands-On Saigon actively provides needed medical supplies and other equipment for the shelter, along with comfort, a listening ear and an extra hand to care for the infirm.
High in the mountains of Thanh Hoa Province where Westerners have rarely been seen, curious youngsters wait patiently with wide-eyed anticipation while bright new jackets, warm clothing, shoes, food and special treats are unloaded, soon to be distributed to the residents of their impoverished Hmong Village.