Works in Can Tho Province:
A. Child
and Family Services:
This program, operated by the People's Committee for
Care and Nurture of Children, is run by Mrs. Nga. Two separate activities are
currently supported by ECR:
1. "Bring
Back the Light" (Mang Lai Anh Sang) is an on-going effort to provide ophthalmic
surgery for young children with cataracts that produce blindness. 2006 is the
fifth year to support this program.
2. Vocational
training ("Hoc Nghe") is provided for older children.
Mr.
Nhan coordinates ECR's involvement in these programs, including visits to the
orphanages, regular contact with Ms. Nga's office, and the preparation and filing
of related documents with the appropriate government offices.
B.
School Supplies are provided to numerous elementary schools, typically on a
school-wide basis, during each school year. Some of these supplies are
coordinated through Mrs. Nga's office, and others are done in-house. In all
cases, the supplies are presented to the children directly from ECR and with
Mr. Nhan's participation.
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C.
Scholarships are given annually to a number of college students. This
financial assistance is applied directly to their tuition and fees, enabling
them to pursue valid degree programs in local universities. Mr. Nhan oversees
this program; his work includes:
- Interviewing
all applicants;
- Processing
applications;
- Verifying
enrollment in a valid degree program;
- Presenting
the applications to the President and Board of Directors;
- Making the
cash awards prior to the beginning of the school year;
- Conducting
personal follow-up with each student throughout the year.
These
students are chosen according to their financial need and upon presentation of
valid enrollment credentials. There is no consideration given to their
religious or ethnic identity. Awards are decided by the Board of Directors, who
have no prior personal contact with any of the applicants.
All
scholarship recipients are expected to participate in one short-term project
per year to help someone less fortunate than they are. Mr. Nhan endeavors to
maintain a degree of contact with them that enables him to help them when
necessary. Nineteen students are currently studying on ECR scholarships.
D.
Family Ministry:
Both Lyly and Mr. Nhan handle some funds each quarter that
enable them to help poor people with valid needs and in ways that are
appropriate to them and the situation. These activities often provide
opportunities to minister to people who have more than just tangible needs. We
have found this to be profoundly significant, in that the ministry is being
performed in the context and manner that is appropriate to the people involved.
These people are then brought into fellowship with and nurtured by their peers
and neighbors.
E.
Teacher Loans:
A cash fund is retained in the region to provide
a continuing series of interest-free loans to teachers for home
enterprises. These loans enable teachers to begin a small business at
home to augment their income from teaching. This program was begun in 1992, in
Long An Province, and expanded to include four provinces. In the years since,
as the need lessened, what was once a nearly five thousand dollar fund was
phased down to the current 23 million dong ($1400 USD) level and restricted to
Can Tho and Binh Duong.
Mr. Nhan maintains the continuity of
the fund assigned to Can Tho, where the money is rolled over at regular
intervals. At 6-month and 12-month intervals, the outstanding loans are repaid
and the base amount is loaned out to other teachers. Since beginning them in
1992, there has not been a default on repaying these loans. We obviously do not
make any profit on these loans, and openly acknowledge that to the borrowers,
stressing the correlation between that and the grace we expound as a Christian
organization.
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