In the outskirts of Tra Vinh, in between coconut fields and helpful neighbors, MASD’s newly built Daycare Shelter has found its peace and new routines. While the new facilities have significantly improved the life of the children and staff, life at the shelter is not without its struggles.

One of the key challenges for the shelter currently is daily costs for consumption of electricity, food and water supplies, as the families of the children “only” pay what they can afford to have their children in the shelter, which sometimes is nothing. Due to challenging economic situations, several families have one or both parents who currently are unemployed, and therefore Ms. Thien (our Daycare Shelter leader) also looks after the children on Sundays, so that parents can look for work.

During this recent visit, the 54 children present were excited for new clothes and supplies that seemed to be much needed after the summer period. We also have a new addition to the Daycare Shelter, Ms. Ngoc (mother of 2 girls at the shelter), who has started volunteering to help out every afternoon!

We want to thank all the helpful and caring souls who helped us make this possible, including local volunteers at the Shelter. 

Make-A-Small-Difference (MASD) will continue to support the long-term commitment to the children in Tra Vinh and in the Daycare Shelter, even with the housing project now finalized, we will continue to support the children in the shelter to ensure they are safe, cared for and educated.