dragon tales, may 2015
DESCRIPTION
Blue Dragon Newsletter May, 2015TRANSCRIPT
-
DRAGON TALESMay 2015
Most of us never think about our legal identity until we lose our wallet or purse! We all know the headache of reapplying for drivers licences, credit cards and passports. Suddenly, our identity documents become very important.
Imagine living with no documents at all, and no way of obtaining them. Without these cards and papers you cant drive, rent a house, travel to another country, or get a job.
Throughout Vietnam, tens of thousands of people face this problem every day because they have no legal identity. Born into poverty, they cannot afford a birth certificate, and so grow up unable to attend school or visit a hospital and with no legal rights or protection whatsoever.
To date, Blue Dragon has assisted over 5,000 citizens to be registered and receive their legal identities. Like 16 year old Trang who recently received her papers for the first time. What may seem like an insignificant piece of paper has changed her life. Now she can graduate from high school, seek employment and one day marry. If Trang did not have her legal papers, in the future her children could not be registered and the cycle of poverty and disadvantage would continue.
Registering children and families to receive their legal identity is a powerful way to assist vulnerable young people in Vietnam.
Tears of joyBlue Dragon has so far rescued 438 Vietnamese children and young people from brothels, forced marriages and sweatshops.
Every rescue operation is tense; many are dangerous and some can take days or even weeks to implement. But all rescues conclude with a powerful and moving reunion, which is the part we love. The moment when a trafficked child sees their family again for the first time in years is always emotional. Hugs, tears and cries of joy are shared amongst loved ones who feared they may never see each other again.
At times we have rescued young mothers who were sold as brides into China. When they are reunited with their children after many months held in slavery, its impossible to keep a dry eye.
These are the moments that tell us how important it is for the Blue Dragon Rescue Team to respond to the many calls for help we receive. Slavery is unacceptable in our times. With your continued support, we will keep on bringing home the kids and young adults who have been lured away and sold.
Changing a life for life
Good news for USA friends!Blue Dragon USA
has 501(c)3 status. This means that your
donations to Blue Dragons Annual Appeal will be tax
deductible.
Check our website later in May for details of our
Annual Appeal.
A mothers love gave this young woman the determination to get home to her son
-
Whats new at Blue?
Page 2May 2015
Visitor highlights
Paul Grossman from Helping Humanity Fund brought gifts of stationery, toys and toiletries for Blue Dragon children in Hanoi. The kids were thrilled with their gifts and couldnt wait to use their new notebooks and pens.
The Passion Foundation is a unique charity created to improve the lives of girls and young women. They visited Blue Dragon in April to deliver leadership training to 18 girls from rural Vietnamwho were delighted at the opportunity to increase their confidence. They are now creating plans to help them realise their full potential.
Bao Hoang, Founder of Rolld, a Vietnamese street food chain in Australia, visited Michael Brosowski, Blue Dragons Founder, at Dragon House last month. Baos visit marked the beginning of a great partnership between Rolld and Blue Dragon. Rolld recently hosted the 150 for 150 event to raise funds to build a boarding house for children in northern Vietnam.
Our Rescue Team has recently compiled its 10 years of anti-trafficking knowledge into a manual for Vietnamese agencies fighting human trafficking. You can download the manual free from the Blue Dragon website. It has practical information on how to prevent children from being trafficked into exploitative labour; how to find and rescue young people who have been trafficked; and how to prosecute their traffickers.
School visits
Hot off the press!
Year 11 students from Hanoi International School spent a week in a remote village in northern Vietnam building a playground, digging garden beds and delivering a hygiene program.
Students from Mercy College, from New South Wales in Australia enjoyed afternoon tea with the children, helped to decorate the Drop-In Centre for Tet New Year and challenged some of the Blue Dragon kids to a game of 10-pin bowling!
Changing the lawBlue Dragon is once again at the forefront of social change, this time in the area of law reform. In April, we partnered with the Police Academy to host a ground-breaking workshop on the sexual abuse of boys This is an issue that can no longer be hidden. Blue Dragons Outreach Team regularly meets new street kids who have been sexually abused or approached by pedophiles offering small amounts of money in return for sex.
The police are severely hampered by a law which offers no protection to boys. Under current law, the sexual abuse of boys is not a criminal offense and is therefore unable to be prosecuted.
The good news is that there is a growing momentum to revise the law so that the abuse of both girls and boys is considered a criminal offense and a more protective environment is provided for children who have been sexually abused. The workshop brought together police, lawmakers, academics and government officials. Well continue to work with key agencies to ensure this issue is kept in the public spotlight, as well as keeping up our presence on the streets so we reach children before those who wish to do them harm. Everyone agrees that the law needs to change; we hope it is now just a matter of when.
-
Getting ResultsPage 3
May 2015
Blue Dragon could not deliver its services and activities to children in crisis without the enthusiastic support of our team of long-term volunteers.
When Luke joined Blue Dragon in 2011, his work as a DJ and event organiser was mostly at night, so he had plenty of free time during the day. Hed heard about Blue Dragon from a friend and decided to volunteer. Initially he taught English to Blue Dragons social workers, but a chance conversation revealed his unusual specialty and Blue Dragons DJ school was born.
When Luke went travelling for a few months he donated his equipment to Blue Dragon so that Bao, his most enthusiastic student, could practice. When I got back, he was amazing. He had practiced every day, says Luke, who then helped Bao get gigs in clubs in Hanoi.
Luke is now teaching a new group of kids how to DJ. Is there another Bao in the making? Luke says very likely, because now they have two teachers: Luke and Bao.
Luong* is one of 185 kids who have benefited from a new home built with the help of Blue Dragon supporters. Safe shelter is a basic need, but sadly it is something many children in Vietnam lack.
Luong is in her final year at university majoring in International Trade. She is a confident and optimistic young woman, and has come a long way from the child we met in 2004. I was a child without hope and being sponsored by Blue Dragon changed my life. I was so excited each year to be able to go to school with new stationery, says Luong.
In 2005, the derelict house she was living in all but blew away in a storm. Blue Dragon was there to help, and several months later Luong and her mother were able to move into their own home. Having somewhere safe to study gave Luong the impetus needed to study and win a place at university.
Blue Dragon is committed to changing the lives of children like Luong. We work with the children and their families long term to ensure that every Blue Dragon kid has the opportunity to reach his or her potential.
The rewards of volunteering
New home, new opportunities
Like many Year 12 students around the world, Lan* has been thinking a lot lately about the future and life after school. Thanks to Blue Dragon supporters, Lan is three times more likely to undertake tertiary studies than a child from a similar background. There are currently 69 students in our Tertiary Scholarship Program studying a wide range of subjects including engineering, psychology, business, IT and tourism.
Lan and the other Year 12 kids made the most of a workshop hosted by Blue Dragons social workers and tertiary students to help them prepare for their High School Graduation and tertiary entrance exams. They learnt how to choose the right course, successful study methods and preparation tips for their exams.
The students are feeling more confident now they understand the process and had their questions and concerns addressed. We are very happy to see how motivated and prepared they are and look forward to seeing where their dreams and hard work will take them.
To sponsor a childs education please contact Le at [email protected].
Life after school
*Not their real names
-
supporters
Page 4May 2015
Staff Profile: Nguyen Thu Phuong (Phuong)
Disability Services Coordinator since 2009
What is your role at Blue Dragon?I support 44 kids with disabilities and their families, especially with getting a proper diagnosis, treatment and access to education.
Whats the best part of your job?I really enjoy seeing the change in both the kids and their parents. The kids become more confident and happier, and the parents are better able to support their children.
Why does Blue Dragon work with parents? Many of the parents have limited education, so I focus on improving their parenting skills. This changes the way they see their children and makes them better able to support them. Parents soon realise that if they give their children more time, they will improve.
Whats the most important skill for your job?You need a lot of patience. There are no quick fixes when working with kids with disabilities. Small changes can often take a long time, so you have to be prepared to provide both the child and the parents with long-term support.
What are the challenges?The children in the program have a wide range of disabilities, so this can be a challenge. It would be easier if we only worked with one particular disability, but at Blue Dragon we work with the kids that need help. Its also one of the best things about the program, as the kids love to help each other, whether its learning sign language to communicate with a deaf friend or giving another a helping hand.
Blue Dragon Childrens Foundation is an Australian grassroots organisation. We rely on support from donors, sponsors and fundraisers around the world to continue our work with disadvantaged youth in Vietnam.
Renowned Opera Singer Marie-Claire, OAM, Ch.Lgion dHonneur, Ch.A.L. hosted a concert in aid of Blue Dragon at her beautiful Sydney home on Easter Monday. The event raised almost $4,500 for children in crisis and included a performance by Ensemble Spiritoso and an afternoon tea of Marie-Clairess home-baked French cakes.
Sandie works for an orthopedic surgeon in Hobart and regularly turns the reception room into a pop-up scarf shop. She buys the scarves in Vietnam to sell to friends, colleagues and patients for Blue Dragon. To date Sandies scarf sales have bought bikes for over 30 kids.
Get involved!Do you want to join in the work of Blue Dragon? Heres how:
Melbourne, Australia: Join the Melbourne Supporters Group. Email [email protected]
Sydney, Australia: Become a member of Blue Dragon International. Contact [email protected]
New Zealand: Visit the website of Blue Dragon NZ. Meet Michael at the Blue Dragon Charity Fight Night in Auckland on 28 May.
USA: Contact [email protected]
Look out for Blue Dragon UK, coming your way soon!
Have you ever wanted to do a marathon, but dont run? A group of Melbourne supporters walked the 42km of a marathon through the beautiful Victorian country side in Australia for Blue Dragon. Their Marathon Dragon March raised over $20,000 to provide street kids with safe shelter and may become an annual event. We are so proud of their achievement!
More than 250 trivia buffs joined former Sydney Morning Herald columnist Bruce Elder for Blue Dragons annual Quiz for a Cause in Sydney. Over $30,000 was raised to help provide shelter for street kids. The winning team Gilbert and Whats His Name took out the title for the 2nd year.