VRE Mission = Success

After five days of intense travel and hard work with the Vietnam Relief Effort, I am quite pleased to report that it was a very successful venture for all involved. In Tien Giang, 700 students received medical check-ups, medicine, and gifts all provided by VRE, a charity organization based in New York, and KPMG Limited, an accounting firm based in Ho Chi Minh City...It was a joy to interact with the kids, making photos along the way, sharing them to the kids as much as possible in efforts to boost their self-esteem (next time I would like to take a small printer to make copies on-site to give back to them). We also visited a school in Ben Tre, where as soon as we exited the car we entered an opening ceremony for a school donated by VRE, complete with musical performances, speeches, more giving of gifts to and fro, and followed by an authentic meal accompanied with home-brewed sake, a favorite of mine. Very hospitable and thankful everyone was, as I, to be included. Then we traveled to Long An, taking a skinny boat on the Mekong River, to visit a potential school site where the kids will have to boat-pull to go there if built....amazing. Once arriving back to HCMC we rested and celebrated with dinner, preparing for a trip to Phu Yen, via private charter (my first experience, most welcomed), where we attended another school opening. This school was donated by John Altorelli and he was the honored guest of the day, no doubt about it, and well-deserved. Here are several images from the days mentioned: