Project Summary

The Center for the Blind in Hanoi is a school for blind children and a center for blind adults. While providing a valuable service, the center is understaffed and under-funded, making daily activities difficult to accomplish while catering to the needs of those attending the center. The lack of resources makes it hard for the center to provide the kinds of programs the children would normally receive if they were not deprived of their sight. Through helping at the school and providing English language education, it is our goal to aid the children in becoming confident in their English skills as well as themselves.

At a Glance

Minimum Program Length:	2 weeks
Start Date:	Every Monday
Arrival Date:	2 days prior to your Start Date (Saturday)
Dates:	June 11-23, June 17-30, July 2-14, July 29-August 12, August 12-25, August 26-September 5, September 5-17, September 17-29, October 1-13, October 29-November 10, November 12-24, December 6-20
Minimum Age:	18 years old
Volunteer Gender:	Male and Female
Accommodation:	Your accommodation is included in the program price. All volunteers will stay at a Youth House or a local partners' accommodation. This will include very simple and basic living conditions similar to that of most Vietnamese.
Food:	Three meals a day are included in the program price.
Pick-up Info:	A Volunteer Visions representative will be waiting for you at your arrival point and guide you to your accommodation and project location.
Project Schedule:	The working day can range from 4-8 hours per day.

Your role as a Volunteer

Your role as a volunteer is significant in the lives of the children. Volunteers are needed to help teach English and converse with children and adults. Volunteers will also record stories or tales in English for the children to listen to. Volunteers will also be expected to help teachers and staff in other various tasks around the school, such as cleaning and taking care of the grounds etc. As a volunteer you will be expected to work well with disadvantaged people, especially the blind. As a volunteer you will have the opportunity to make the lives of these children more enjoyable. Volunteers are to be patient and enthusiastic in their work, as well as highly motivated.

Project Location

Located in the north of Vietnam, Hanoi has been the capitol of Vietnam for almost a thousand years and is therefore the political epicenter. With an estimated population of 3,145,300, Hanoi is also a major metropolitan area of Northern Vietnam and the largest educational center in Vietnam. In this metropolitan area one will experience typical Northern Vietnam weather. The summers (May-September) are hot and humid and winters (November-March) are relatively cool and dry. The summer months bring Hanoi's rainy season, averaging 1,682mm of rainfall per year. Vietnam is affected by the monsoons, which explains why the country remains slightly cooler than other countries in the area. However, temperatures can still soar to 38-40ºC (100-104ºF) in the summer months. During the winter months Hanoi can dip as low as 6-7ºC (48ºF). Hanoi is currently at the highest Human Development Index (standard of measuring well-being) for the country of Vietnam. Hanoi is experiencing great economic growth and infrastructure upgrades.

Suggested Skills and Interests

Most importantly the volunteers need to be open-minded, have tolerance, respect for others, initiative, creative, patient and enjoy working with disadvantaged children, and more specifically those who are blind. Self-motivation is very important as well as being enthusiastic in their volunteer work. Volunteers should respect the culture, dress codes, and traditions very closely. They need to be flexible with local foods, accommodations and systems of living, as this is a cultural learning process for the volunteers as well.

Suggested Donations

Donations of tapes, English teaching tools, games, paints, art supplies, books, pens, notebooks, basic medical supplies, clothes, blankets, hygienic items, etc. are all welcomed.