Tinh Truc Gia : Peaceful Bamboo Family

Letter for volunteers at the Peaceful Bamboo Family

We would like to present Eurasia Foundation and Association and in particular the Peaceful Bamboo Family, one of their most recent projects.

For those of you who receive our information by post we will join our brochure explaining the work of Eurasia in the field of special education and social-therapy in Vietnam. Eurasia is active in Vietnam since 1990.

You can also consult our website: www.eurasia.org.vn

There you will be able to find many information about the work of Eurasia.

Presentation of the Peaceful Bamboo Family, Tinh Truc Gia, TTG

Tinh Truc Gia is a new project of the Foundation and the Eurasia Association. The center was opened in the beginning of 2009.

Tinh Truc Gia is situated in the outskirts of Hue City, in central Vietnam.

Tinh Truc Gia is a living and working community for youngsters and young adults living with disabilities.

This project was started after the children of Eurasia special schools and classes have finished their school curriculum, it was difficult to find vocational training centers and a suitable work and life situation enabling them to integrate in society.

Tinh Truc Gia (TTG) is a private institution under Vietnamese law and under the supervision of the Department of Social Affairs of Hue City.

The Peaceful Bamboo Family is situated in a rural district, 10 minutes by motorbike from Hue City Center. After having left a very animated and busy street, Dien Bien Phu Street, you will drive through winding little roads and bamboo groves, that will bring you to Tinh Truc Gia where Eurasia has build two houses for the young disabled adults and youngsters.

The landscape and the surrounding area is very harmonious and people there are living a traditional lifestyle. Our neighbors are essentially farmers and artisans.

There are many pagodas in the neighborhood and specially at three in the morning you might notice them when their temple bells call for the early morning meditation.

Twenty youngsters now live and work in the peaceful bamboo family and we will slowly expand to twenty more, some as day students. Some co-workers live there as well.

Various vocational training workshops enable the youngsters to receive a professional training and through their products the center receives a certain income.

There is a food processing workshop, making delicious jam, ice cream, fruit juices, dried fruits; an organic vegetable garden; a cooking workshop; housekeeping and maintenance; embroidery; lacquer ware painting and in the future pottery and woodwork. In the future we also want to offer some guestrooms for tourists and include this as a vocational training for our youngsters.

The office of Eurasia and a room for training for the youngsters, but also for the staff and for various professionals in the field of special education is available in TTG.

Life and work in TTG

Working and living with youngsters living with disability needs a lot of patience, sensitivity and a lot of joyfulness.

Certain youngsters need help in their personal hygiene and guidance in their various tasks, even sometimes in the most simple ones.

All the daily tasks, cleaning, cooking, washing dishes and clothes, decorating, looking after the flowers and plants, is the work of everyone living in the community.

The meals are prepared by an educator with the help of some youngsters. The food is simple Vietnamese food. Meals are taken together as a community. We cannot offer western food or take in consideration special diets. (except vegetarian)

In the evenings there are various social moments, relaxation, games, music, and other cultural activities. Every morning there is gymnastic and we also have outings almost once a week.

The youngsters, but also the staff receives regular training.

In Tinh Truc Gia we honor the local traditions through practicing the local festivals and the cultural and spiritual events of Hue.

Singing, painting, music all various artistic activities are part of the life in TTG.

The spoken language is Vietnamese, but quite a few co workers speak fluent French or English. Of course the language is a problem for foreigners, and it is important that you are willing to learn a little Vietnamese. Our youngsters also take French and English lessons.

Some of our staff is well trained. Some received a full 4 year special education training Switzerland, or have been trained here in Vietnam with short trainings abroad, in France Switzerland, Germany or Ireland, mainly in Camphill institutions. Some of our staff is new in their task and they receive ongoing training on a regular basis.

Information and advise for volunteers

For volunteers coming from abroad, it is important to know that the climate in Hue can be a problem for foreigners.  It is very hot in summer, from April until August and it rains a lot from November until February. It can be cold in winter and you need to bring warm clothes. There are regular typhoons and floods in and around Hue area, but Tinh Truc Gia is situated in an high area so we do not suffer from floods here directly. Spring and Autumn are lovely!

Vietnam has a rich history and it is certainly important that you make some inquiry about its history and its cultural, political and economic situation

The volunteers have to know that budget of the center and the local economy does not permit us to pay any volunteer coming from the western countries.

The center depends almost entirely on donations and the local salaries are extremely low compared to western salaries.

All volunteers coming to TTG have to pay their own airfare and have to bring money for all their personal expenses.

We can offer a simple double room with private bathroom, for our volunteers. If we welcome two volunteers they have to share the room. (in this case it has to be two men or two women)

The local means of transportation is by bicycle or by motorbike. TTG cannot provide the volunteers with a motorbike. Hopefully we can lend you a bicycle. If ever the volunteer wishes to ride a motorbike, he or she has to rent one under his or her own responsibility.

TTG has only one computer, at the moment. This computer contains all our work-files and has to be 100% available for the administrative staff. Volunteers cannot use this computer. As we have a WIFI connection, we recommend you to bring your own lap-top.

It is important to be physically and mentally healthy if you are interested to come to work in Vietnam.

You have to have a health insurance which provides any health expenses you might have here.  You should also take a special insurance that would allow you in case of a severe situation to travel back home.

You need a visa for travelling to Vietnam. Eurasia will provide you with a certificate in order to receive the visa.

After a period of one month an evaluation will give both sides the possibility to confirm the further commitment of the volunteer.

Please do not underestimate the “cultural shock” when working in a different cultural surrounding.

A certain time to adapt and a certain tolerance and cultural openness is required in such culturally different contexts.

We will introduce a course on intercultural-working together for all newcomers.

Vietnam and the whole region are wonderful countries to visit. We advise you to take some time before or after your stay with us to travel and discover the area.

For any questions or contacts concerning volunteers, please contact:

Mrs Lisi Ha Vinh

lisiha@hotmail.com   or

lisihavinh@eurasia.org.vn

 

Questionnaire

Please reply to this questionnaire:

Name and surname (like in the passport):

If you have a nickname:

Date of birth:

Feminin, masculin:

Nationality:

Passport number:

Address+ telephone number+ e-mail:

 

 

Address+ telephone +e-mail of one or two close relatives or friends:

 

 

Single+ married+ divorced+ any children:

 

Which languages do you speak well?:

Please give us a short biography including your studies and diplomas and work or/and life and travel experience:

 

 

What is your motivation for coming as a volunteer to the Peaceful Bamboo Family, in Vietnam?:

 

 

Do you have a specific aim or interest for your work and experience here:

 

 

Do you have any experience with people living with disabilities or in any other social or therapeutic work?:

 

 

 

What are your « special talents »? : For instance do you play an instrument, do you have any artistic skills, or an interest in agriculture or ecology?

 

 

 

Do you like to cook?:

 

Do you like to work in the garden? :

 

For how long do you wish to join TTG? :

 

Do you have any allergies? :

 

Do you have any physical or mental difficulties?

 

Documents that we should receive before you come

Photocopy of passport

Photocopy of your health and home-leave insurance

Photocopy of your plane ticket

Two references: please also use a former employer or teacher as reference:

Please do read the Charta and the regulations of the center and please confirm your commitment to work in the spirit of the Peaceful Bamboo family and to respect its rules.

Once we have received your application we will study it carefully and we will contact you.  The director of Eurasia Foundation is based in Switzerland. We do appreciate if it is possible to meet you once before in Switzerland.

Tinh Truc Gia is a small center and we can only host one or maximum two volunteers at the same time.

Thank you for your interest

With our friendly greetings

For the team of Tinh Truc Gia

Annexe:

Charta of Tinh Truc Gia

Regulations