Summer 2013

Hi! 

Welcome to my blog. I will be keeping this primarily to  journal my summer in Southeast Asia.

I am thrilled to have the opportunity to go back to Vietnam. Da Nang was where U.S. troops mixed and stored dioxin, the toxic ingredient in the defoliant Agent Orange, which was sprayed over large areas of Vietnam- the total area affected was about half the size of Switzerland, in order to deny cover to North Vietnamese troops and Vietcong guerrillas.

My first trip to Vietnam in the winter of 2010/2011 opened my eyes to the destruction that has resulted from Agent Orange and the amount of people suffering from it, and it has been a fascination of mine ever since. I have decided that the best way to further understand  the effects of Agent Orange, both biologically and socially, is to spend time with those affected in the country where it caused so much damage.

A little bit about my background: up until 2009, I was convinced that I was going to be a professional opera singer. Life happened and my focus shifted, and while I still love music and it is an active part of my life- I have decided on another career path. I want to be a midwife, working in the areas of the world where women and children’s health are the most scarce, but this decision took a bit of time to come to me. After leaving the world of opera, I entertained the prospects of becoming a lawyer, politician, professional traveler, and medical doctor. A combination of my mother’s wisdom, my time in Vietnam, thoughts of mother’s I love and respect, a (healthy) obsession with Nicholas Kristof, and a class on the justice in healthcare pointed me in my current direction, which I am confident is my appropriate and faultless path. I love children. I love mothers. I love health care. I love cooperative education and the idea of bringing a sense of safety and security to areas of the world that seem to contradict those notions is endlessly appealing to me. So for these reasons, I am going to be a midwife- not an opera singer, not a lawyer, maybe a professional traveler, but one that provides health care and helps women carry and deliver healthy, wonderful babies.

Now, for a little bit of business. I will be fundraising for this trip using fundly, and my fundraising website can be found at Connie's Fundraising Page. All the money I raise will go directly towards medical care, supplies, outings, and other necessary resources for the people I work with. I will also be bringing a 50lb bag full of children’s clothing, formula, and diaper cream. If you have any of those things lying around- contact me and I’d be happy to take them off your hands! All that I ask is that the clothing is in good condition with no big tears or serious stains.

Some examples of what I have been able to do on my previous trips thanks to donations include:

-supplement the costs of surgery for a child with Hydrocephalus

-take children to the hospital for necessary appointments for ailments such as ear infections and severe digestive issues

-fund the building of custom-built wheelchairs for children suffering from Hydrocephalus and Cerebral Palsy

-take a group of 24 fostered children on outings to the beach, movies, and ice cream

-buy supplies such as clothing, shoes, books and bicycles

-provide first aid necessities ranging from band aids to eye cream for conjunctivitis

One of the many things that I have learned on my trips to Southeast Asia is that a small amount of money goes a very long way. So please consider donating.

-$5 is enough for antibiotic treatment for 10 children battling a bacterial infection.

-$25 buys an orphaned student a bicycle allowing them to get to school.

-$65 can buy a custom made wheel chair, making mobility an option for a child suffering from a disease such as cerebral palsy.

-$120 is a months salary for a physio therapist, whose work changes the life of the disabled children living in the orphanages and centers where we work.

-$500 can cover a surgery that eases the water pressure on the brain of a children suffering from Hydrocephalus.

I look forward to sharing this trip with you. Stay tuned, I will post a few updates before June 5th, but the real blogging will begin once I arrive in Vietnam!

With love,

Connie