Barbara Blakey Discusses Her Trip with S.T.E.P. to Vietnam

I'm a Rotarian.  Sounds like a ridiculous statement for someone who has been a member of the Liberty Rotary club for a dozen years.   Joining the journey for Schools to End Poverty in Vietnam proved to be a truly rewarding ,  gratifying and humbling  experience.   I  was fortunate to be on this journey with individuals who respond to the needs of the human condition with kindness and generosity.  What follows is an example of some of the humanitarian and Rotarian experiences of the last month.

 

In Laos,we traveled to a fairly remote village.  The children were finishing morning lessons when we arrived.   Classrooms were clean with minimal supplies for the children, teachers were focused on providing good instruction while caring for social and physical needs of their students.   It was evident that in the afternoons and all day during the summer, these classrooms become sweltering.  Our business partners, who are now honorary  Rotarians, worked with STEP and the school teachers to devise a plan that will reduce the heat by creating an insulation for the tin roof.  (the fans they have currently serve  to blow hot air around)

 

We took children aged 1-13 to the zoo in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon Zoo).  It was the first time being here.   We heard from an individual who lived in an orphanage herself as a child.  The highlight she had in her childhood was the time a group took her to the zoo.  We created good will and better friendships wherever we went.   Whether doing specific works as this or randomly handing out beanie babies to children in parks or in markets.  

 

STEP in action responding immediate needs or planning for sustained support of the  education of students or the care of children in orphanages was evident throughout the month.  Upon a visit to the Te-Phan Loving family, where 60 children reside, one of our members donated to the medical fund in honor of his wife.  Another saw the deplorable condition of the refrigerator/freezer, that on the spot the STEP board members crated the plan to fix the situation.  Yesterday we saw the new fridge and freezer installed.

 

I am proud to be a Rotarian.

Thanks to the fundraising efforts of Barbara and Peter Blakey, they were able to help S.T.E.P. provide bicycles for children to get to school, wheelchairs for those who have never been able to sit vertically and rice for those who were hungry.  Clearly, they were also able to bring joy to many children throughout their journey.