GORDON BARCLAY VIETNAM FUND

Registered Charity 261702

ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2005 & part of 2006

TRUSTEES: Gordon Barclay, Sheila Brignall, Clare Norton, Sally Verity Smith, Graham Thomas.

Compiled by Gordon Barclay from emails from PACCOM (The People’s Aid Coordinating Committee) and from Mrs. Nguyen Thi Minh Phuoc, the highly valued Associate Member of our Committee. Mrs. Phuoc also visited the Project three times in 2005 and once early in 2006 and the UK twice in 2005 when she personally enlarged on the long detailed reports she had supplied.

SUMMARY

We continue our work for the Blind and Partially Sighted (V.I.) children of Haiphong Province in Vietnam aged between eight and twenty four years old.

Our work is concentrated on those graduating from the primary level course in the Blind School who continue their education integrated into the mainstream school system. Fourteen pupils are now in secondary schools; fifteen in high schools while four are undergraduates (one of whom is our first woman to successfully gain university entrance) and one a graduate of Haiphong University.

The great majority of these integrated pupils live at home travelling each day to school, in some cases helped by GBVF giving the family a bicycle. However for eight the journey is so long and difficult that they continue boarding at the Blind School.

We still support the printing of free Braille Textbooks at the Blind School, as the Authorities do not provide them. These textbooks can be helpful during primary schooling but are an essential requirement in education at all higher levels.

At all levels we give a food supplement to each pupil of £2.00 (50,000 VND) every month at school. We also give the same amount to one teacher for each Blind or V.I. pupil in secondary or high schools as only in the Blind School do the teachers get a government supplement for teaching the Blind.

This development in the educational prospects for the V.I. and Blind heralds a revolution in the outlook for self-support and future employment. Especially when combined with advanced courses in Massage and Acupressure or IT.

Our funding and enthusiasm for these developments assisted by charitable sponsors has been shared by the Department of Education of Haiphong Province who have also facilitated matters by remitting some charges that sighted pupils families have to pay.

The PROJECT

Last year we heard that Mr Thu had taken over from Dr Hung at PACCOM. The Headmaster of the Blind School had also retired and been replaced by the appointment of Mr Chuyen, previously the deputy headmaster. Mr. Chuyen, whom we have known for some years, has proved very easy for sponsors and ourselves to work with.

Mrs. Phuoc after a chance meeting made contact with a British firm working in Haiphong who was keen to support local charitable work and agreed to gift anonymously the cost of a computer and printer each to the two new undergraduates starting in September 2004. To make sure that they really mastered their use it was arranged that the first six months they would just be on loan. This firm has also funded a major upgrading of the cooking facilities and dining room at the Blind School and replacement of old simple beds with beds combined with lockers for books and clothes.

In September 2004 the first intake under the new Government rules resulted in the admission of 23 children of whom only 4 were Blind or V.I. with the biggest group being the 17 uncomplicated slow learners. However over the year 12 of the slow learners had difficulties in relations with the Blind and V.I. pupils and proving to be a threat to themselves and the V.I. were excluded. The new intake in 2005 of 10 V.I. and only 6 slow learners is proving to be a more manageable mixture.

Now in the school year 2005-2006 there are 41 Blind and V.I. on the Blind School roll call of whom 50% or more may wish to continue as integrated pupils after primary level graduation. There are a further 29 pupils integrated in secondary and high schools as well as 4 undergraduates (3 men and 1 woman). The Headmaster estimates that the following years will be similar though undergraduate numbers may rise to six or more.

Some dropouts occur but have never been numerous and this year we have only had 3 with 3 more in some doubt.

In secondary school pupils there is family pressure to give help at home and the change from the Blind School classes of about 10 V.I. children to classes of 30-40 sighted pupils can prove a strain and very lonely especially if their sighted peers, always three or more years younger, do not mother them sufficiently.

Further when we come to the high school group it can become clear that the pupil infact has neither the ability nor the ambition to continue into undergraduate studies.

For some of these a good grounding in massage and acupressure is we believe an option to be pursued when it can be officially recognised and provide a certificate of training. We have learnt (June 05) that such a scheme with a Hanoi Medical Department certificate has been agreed and an advanced course funded by GBVF will take place in the summer of 2006. A number of the high school and university undergraduates are very keen on taking part as a useful source of income and as a change from working all the time on Braille textbooks. Some have already found that males can visit clients safely but we are making special arrangements for the girls living where they can have chaperones to avoid the dangers or suspicion of sexual risk.

An I.T. Course which ensured benefit for both those only wanting to do some secretarial work as well as those going on to University is another alternative which we are sure would be beneficial and popular. Our University graduate will we hope lead this project using the computers already given to the Blind School though some extras computers and new software will we expect be needed.

We still fund half the cost of the Summer School for mainstream Teachers involved with the integrated pupils in secondary and high schools.

The gardening programme (VAC) has had to diminish as far as ducks and chickens are concerned because of Bird Flu and the vegetable and plant plot was damaged by a local tornado but is being cleared up by workers from a sponsoring firm.

Concerning the University students, the first of whom graduated in June 2005. He was
employed as a relief teacher with the V.I. at the Blind School but has now got a Ministry Contract and is going fully paid on a further training course on teaching computers. One of the other undergraduates was very keen on a P.E. course but quickly realized that he would have great difficulty in controlling a class of sighted students. He therefore switched to a degree course in Music and bought himself a Keyboard, which we are now upgrading so that he can record his work for his tutor. The other undergraduates are progressing with a course in Literature.

Counselling on career options is a new skill that the Blind School and Department of Education are still developing. It is now urgently needed in part because the University of Haiphong is maintaining a very generous attitude to admitting the V.I. but have as yet no fixed ideas on the most suitable courses.

FINANCE

Income in the calendar year 2005 was £10,844 with Expenditure £10,416.

Our present balance, in June 2006, of £4,904 will cover our basic costs for the School year 2006-2007 relying on Mrs. Phuoc’s presence and work for us in Vietnam. This allows us to omit most visits from UK by Trustees, which are so costly.

However this does not leave any funds for less pressing needs or unexpected extras and nothing in reserve.

The FUTURE

While so well supported by Friends with funds and Mrs. Phuoc living in Vietnam as a vital local link, it is tempting to continue running GBVF indefinitely.

So far, however, attempts to find a Charity to take over our work or induce Haiphong Province to find a replacement have had no success. We have prepared an application for funding from a Quaker bequest but at the time of writing we are awaiting a response.

Happily many subscribers and some major sponsors are keeping us going and Friends are giving

a lot of help in administration and accounts.

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