Return to Vietnam with a larger XL Group
Sài Gòn, Huế, and Quảng Bình
We are proud of the XL Board (Adrian, Elizabeth, Isabella, and Yen. Thi) for their hard work during this trip!
This year, the XL kids participating grew in size. Here is an update on their trip as they formalized relationships in this next chapter.
We met so many children and so many charitable groups. We now have a larger network in which we plan to execute our e-learning. The schedule will be 7pm our time Saturdays which is 10am Sunday Vietnam Time.
Please help by contributing to our cause as we expand.
Ban Bảo Vệ Sự Sống
XL Academy went to Vietnam over the holiday break to meet with their prospective clients. We’ll be posting photos from their activities each day this week.
For their first event, the XL Academy board went to Biên Hoà where they visited Ban Bảo Vệ Sự Sống.
We learned they had a shelter program to help pregnant women, single mothers, and their children by providing free housing, childcare, and transportation as well as assisting with employment to help them become more independent.
While there, the XL Academy Board (Adrian, Elizabeth, Isabella, and Yen Thi) scouted potential classroom locations that would be conducive to teaching the kids virtually. They also visited the daycare center to meet the babies and preschoolers.
Hue
XL Academy flew to Huế where they visited the Đốc Sơ Parish. Located in the Hương Sơ Ward, Đốc Sơ Parish offers a beautiful and peaceful setting with a giant Vietnamese conical hat serving as an architectural backdrop for the outdoor stage. Even the church roof resembled the iconic cone-shaped hat. Fun fact: Đốc Sơ is one of the conical hat villages in Huế.
The XL Academy Board (Adrian, Elizabeth, Isabella, and Yen Thi) engaged in friendly group competitions with the local kids, including leading English-learning activities.
Quảng Bình province
The XL Academy crew went on a 7-hour roundtrip excursion to visit an all-boys school in Ba Đồn within the Quảng Bình province. The area was impacted by severe flooding from the prior month, and the roads still showed signs of disrepair more than a month later.
Unlike the gloomy environment, our hosts were sunny and cheerful as they gave us a tour of their partially renovated facility. The Board (Adrian, Elizabeth, Isabella, and Yen Thi) gave a presentation about XL Academy and engaged students through interactive exercises.
There is a similar school with all-girls located 15km away. Unfortunately, due to a tight travel schedule, XL Academy was not able to visit them. We plan to stop by next time!
Archdiocese of Hue
XL Academy tagged along on a school field trip in Huế with more potential clients. They visited Tòa Tổng Giám mục và Trung tâm Mục vụ Tổng Giáo phận Huế, or the Archbishop's Palace and Pastoral Center of the Archdiocese of Hue.
The XL Academy Board (Adrian, Elizabeth, Isabella, and Yen Thi) teamed up with the students to play games and win fun prizes. Although there was a language barrier, they overcame that by bonding over social media apps.
Te-Phan Loving Family Orphanage in Sài Gòn
XL Academy visited Te-Phan Loving Family Orphanage in Sài Gòn. The orphanage has more than 30 years of experience in caring for people who are disadvantaged, including the homeless, orphans with disabilities, and the elderly who don’t have any family. Most of the 90 orphans were abandoned by their parents because of their birth defects.
The Board (Elizabeth and Yen Thi) met children with developmental and physical disabilities, including hearing loss, vision impairment, quadriplegia, Down syndrome, and severe autism. The kids showed off their amazing talents by serenading us with a private music concert. Check out snippets of their performances in the links below!
