Winter 2007 Newsletter

Printable PDF version of the newsletter:  Winter 2007 Newsletter

Special Thanks For Your Generous Support

As with any non-profit organization, we depend on your generous and gracious support. 100% of every dollar you donate is directed to the children you help. None goes to overhead. Every dollar we receive goes a long way. School lunches for 30 children costs $8  for one month. 50 books for the preschool children cost $65. An entire one-room preschool costs $13,000.

Know that your donation, small and large go a long way. We send thank you notes to everyone who shares their email address or  mailing address. Special thanks to long-time supporters Craig DeRoy and Landon Taylor of First American Corporation. First  American helped us get started with our first preschool in 2003. Landon joined us in Laos during our early exploratory years. Landon is featured in Barbara’s spotlight article

Barbara Shimoda has been key in our fundraising efforts. She won’t let one of her clients leave her office without telling them the  good works of Give Children A Choice. Her Timeless Image Enterprises Inc. clients helped fund the Pak Nga pre-school.

Thank you Denise and Patrick Michael McCarthy, who funded the Pak Ou preschool. They traveled with us in February 2006, saw the  preschool they built and met the preschool children and their parents.

Bringing New York Hospitality to Luang Prabang, Laos

Ms. Eileen Solomon of Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York City and Ms. Sharon Bronte a New York City attorney joined us this past August to be part of our pilot health fairs. They helped us lug the boxes with books, learning tools, school supplies and medical supplies for the preschools from New York to Bangkok to Luang Prabang.

They stayed up late into the nights helping us prepare for the health fairs. They got up early to drive over four hours to Nongbia, where we held the first health fair. They helped us through our very first health fair which was hectic, yet successful. They experienced the local delicacies. They slept on hard beds under mosquito nets at night. They were real troopers and we thank them for bringing their genuine New York hospitality and care to help the Nongbia village children.

Some children received special attention at the local hospital with Eileen’s support. Her unselfish acts of compassion will never be forgotten by the mother who could not afford a few dollars to get medical treatment for her daughter and son’s sickness.

Before embarking on her trip to Laos, Eileen worked with Jeff Pitonza and President and COO Todd Miller of Transcare in Brooklyn, New York, who donated rubber gloves, stethoscopes, and adult and children’s blood pressure cuffs.

Thank you Transcare for your generosity.

Thank you Eileen for finding Transcare for us. Dr. Amone Sirivong, head of the Luang Prabang Provincial Health Dept., was elated to receive the supplies.

Helping the “Handicapped Village” Grandchildren

Nongbia is known locally as the “Handicapped Village”. The elders now in their 60s, were brought together by the Lao government over 30 years ago to form this village. They had one thing in common. They were innocent victims of the Vietnam War, what they call the “American War”. Many are lucky survivors from the war’s bombing raids. Many are lucky survivors from unexploded ordinance (UXOs) accidents. Many are lucky to have prosthetics that have helped them lead more productive lives.

Nongbia village may be the poorest village we’ve visited. Some homes are incredibly simple and small – a single room as small as 10 by 10 on stilts with no running water, no electricity, no facilities. They cook outside. Yet, families are strong. Children help their grandparents; grandparents care for the children.

The Nongbia villagers never worked so closely with foreigners as they have with Give Children A Choice. Certainly, they were generally a bit curious, apprehensive and quiet during our visits. We agreed that we would build a preschool. We celebrated the agreement together.

Through the generosity of Sasha Alyson, a retired American businessman, Lyle and Agnes Schaller and film maker Roberto Minervini, the Nongbia preschool was completed six months later. A beautiful two-room preschool stood next to their simple community meeting building with the towering karsts behind them. The school was supplied with desks, blackboards, toy blocks, playground equipment, water supply, bathrooms, electricity, lights and ceiling fans. The villagers played an active part in the preschool construction by providing labor, rocks and gravel. They were incredibly proud and appreciative.

We celebrated the preschool opening with the village leaders and village children in August 2006. The village leaders were again proud and appreciative. They said that “We have little to offer in return but our thanks and blessings.” Little do they know that their traditional and celebratory baci, sharing their thanks and blessings were emotionally, priceless gifts for us.”

We strongly believe that healthy children make better learners. We piloted our first pilot health fair at Nongbia.
Read more about our August 2006 health fairs in this newsletter.
We felt that helping Nongbia’s children was a way giving back and helping those grandparents who endured the challenges caused during the Vietnam War. We departed feeling that we made a permanent difference.