It had been almost 1 year since my last visit to the Tam Ky baby orphanage (and last Baby Teresa donation!) and I was ridiculously excited to be going back there. Having been working with this orphanage now for over 6 years I was greeted by a swarm of children and some very excited orphanage staff – I am glad I am not one who is in need of too much personal space! It was about 35 degrees and incredibly humid . . .and I was in my element.
The orphanage is looking great! There are new buildings been built to house the increasing number of children arriving, the new water purification system seems to be having a great impact, and the volunteers have been doing a great job in keeping smiles on the children’s faces.
It didn’t take long for me to make my way to the two baby rooms to deliver the Baby Teresa outfits. When I pulled the first one out the ‘mothers’ (staff) got huge grins on their faces – they remembered them from last year and the LOVE them! There were lots of babies to clothe this year – a set of twins only 4 months old, a tiny 6 month old little one with down syndrome, a 6 month old blind baby girl, Son, a little boy now over 12 months who has severe hydrocephalus and brain damage, a baby only a few days old and another 10 ranging from 1 month to 1 year. Luckily we had plenty of outfits to go around!
Being right at the peak of the hot season, the staff were so happy to have the short onesies and they quickly changed them into their new outfits and paraded them in front of me. One of the mothers popped Son, the baby with brain damage into one and started to cry saying how handsome he looked.
The children are doing well – we do have a problem with the children getting boils in the heat, we have a problem with malnutrition as good baby formula is expensive in Vietnam and sadly, not in the budget, and we have continuing problems with impetigo – an incredibly infectious, painful skin condition, all of which the staff and volunteers try to combat on a daily basis.
Bay Teresa not only gave these beautiful babies new outfits this year, but they also provided some very much needed baby formula – a gesture that was welcomed with cheers from the staff, including the orphanage director. Good nutrition is a great start to helping these little babies get started in life.
Thanks so much Baby Teresa for your help in improving the lives of these children and all of the others that you are helping around the world!
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