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sap-vn@saigon.com

Social Assistance Program For Vietnam (SAP-VN) is a non-profit, non-governmental humanitarian relief organization. It was founded in May 1992 by a group of young professionals in Orange County, California. SAP-VN's primary goal is to provide free medical, education, and welfare services for less fortunate people in Vietnam, especially needy and handicapped children. All help is given directly to the needy by SAP-VN's representatives, members, associates and friends in Vietnam.

SAP-VN is officially represented by a board of 8 directors and an executive staff of 3 officers: a president, a general secretary and a treasurer.   Our members and volunteers are mainly professionals and college students who contribute their time and effort 100% voluntarily. SAP-VN also has regional representatives in the US who help with publicity and fundraising events. We are currently involved in the following projects.

Orthopedic Surgery

With support from many donors in the past 2 years, SAP-VN orthopedic surgery program has successfully sponsored 81 handicapped children to have corrective surgery. This year, SAP-VN pledged to sponsor the expense of orthopedic surgery for 20 children of Binh Thuan province.  In September, we decide to sponsor 4 more cases, raising the total of sponsored cases from Binh Thuan province to 24. Currently, 15 children out of 24 have gone through successful surgery.

On behalf of the handicapped children, SAP-VN would like to acknowledge the generous contributions from our sponsors and friends which have made our orthopedic surgery program a great success! And yet, these children have been receiving the most precious gift of their lives, A Chance To Walk!

Cleft-Palate & Cleft-Lip Corrective Surgery

Since this program started in ..., SAP-VN has successfully sponsored a total of ... cases of cleft-lip & cleft-palate surgery. Earlier this year, SAP-VN together with the Children Care & Protection Committee of Kien Giang have worked out a plan for 1995 to help 150 cleft-lip & cleft-palate children of this province to have corrective surgery. SAP-VN has contracted Kien Giang General Hospital to perform surgery on simple cases. The more complicated cases will be transferred to hospitals in Saigon.

On average, a case of cleft-palate costs 70USD and a case of cleft-lip costs 40USD. Funding for this program is mainly from our generous sponsors and our fundraising events. Currently SAP-VN is having a fundraising raffle (see fundraising for more detail). SAP-VN would like to thank our sponsors and our volunteers who have contributed finance, time, and effort to help bring A Smile for A Child.

              Before corrective surgery      After corrective surgery

Medical Supplies

Since the beginning of our medical supplies program in early 1994, SAP-VN has been shipping several containers of supplies to Vietnam to be distributed to hospitals and clinics. With support from Baxter corporation, Medic of Illinois, and other pharmaceutical institutions, SAP-VN has been receiving continuous donation of valuable medical equipments, drugs, etc. These supplies has been found to be extremely useful in many hospitals and clinics in Saigon.

Our last container of 35 palettes of medical supplies arrived at Saigon port on 6/27/95. These medical supplies were distributed to 5 hospitals and clinics: Children Hospital I & II, Tu Du Hospital, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Saigon, and the Institute of Odonto-Stomatology.  Our next shipment is a 40 foot container of medical supplies to be distributed to general hospitals of Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, and Song Be.  This shipment is expected to arrive Vietnam in December 1995.

Since this program has shown to be tremendously beneficial to many patients, SAP-VN wish to receive financial support from donors, foundations, organizations and individuals to help pay for the high cost of storage rental (500 USD a month) and shipment (3,500USD/shipment). With your help, these medical supplies will go directly to help the poor patients in poor and remote provinces in Vietnam.

Da Thien School

For the school year 1995-1996, SAP-VN continues to fund meal programs for students at Da Thien School for Handicapped Children in Nha Be. Da Thien currently enrolls 99 students, among these, 30 students live on campus.

To keep up with inflation and high cost of living, SAP-VN has increased the funding from 2,000VNDong/meal to 2,500VNDong/meal. Thus the cost for each on-campus student is 5,000VNDong/day and for each off-campus student is 2,500VNDong/day. On average, the free meal program for 99 students will cost 824USD/month. The budget for the whole school year (9/95 - 6/96) is 7,416 USD (exchange rate: 11,000VN Dong = 1USD)

Da Thien School for Handicapped Children is a non-profit and non-governmental school providing free child care and education to handicapped children. With a dedicated staff, Da Thien has been proven to be highly efficient and well-recognized by the local community.  SAP-VN is proud to be a sponsor of Da Thien. Travellers to Vietnam are recommended to stop by to visit Da Thien and the children.

Address: 78/12 Ap 5, Xa Tan Thuan Tay, Huyen Nha Be, HCM City, Phone: 848-728167.

Free Healthcare Program

SAP-VN free healthcare program resumes its operation in 10/95. With the cooperation of the two mobile healthcare groups in Saigon: Thien Nguyen and the School of Dentistry, SAP-VN contributes $250/month/group to this program. This money is used to organize trips to rural and remote areas to provide free health examinations, free medicine, and dental treatment to poor people.

Thien Nguyen group is currently planning for a trip to provide free healthcare to people in the flood regions of Tam Nong, Dong Thap in mid October. In November, this group will travel to Long Thanh, Dong Nai and Tuy Phong, Binh Thuan.

The members of both volunteer mobile healthcare groups are mainly doctors, dentists, pharmacists who are willing to donate their time and skills to help the poor and needy people of Vietnam. SAP-VN is proud to work with these volunteers and is planning on sponsoring them on a long term basis.

Other Small Projects

Book drive: SAP-VN is currently collecting medical journals and textbooks to be sent to the school of Medicine in Saigon. These materials will be valuable for the faculty and students to enhance their knowledge in medical field.

SAP-VN fundraising events: 'A smile for a child' raffle

Price: $2/ticket
One 1st prize : $800

• One 2nd prize : $400
• One 3rd prize : $200
• Two 4th prize : $100
• Five 5th prize : $50

Fundraising proceeds to benefit the corrective surgery program for under priviledged children in Vietnam.
Drawing: 6pm Saturday Dec 9, 1995 at SAP-VN office
Winning number will be posted on our newsletter 'Green Cross' and at our office.
Please contact our office to buy tickets: (714) 537-4877.
If you have any questions feel free to contact us at sap-vn@saigon.com or our office.

Thanks to Tin Le of saigon.com for providing us a free location for our homepage.
If you have comments or suggestions, email SAP-VN at sap-vn@saigon.com

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