Notice: In July 2013, after almost 19 years, SAP-VN stopped the Free Meals Project at Da Thien school. The school is now able to support itself and no longer needs SAP-VN’s help.

We currently support 30 students at Khanh Hoa Center for Education and Rehab for Special Need Children in Nha Trang. SAP-VN pays for tuition and meal fee for these students. The average cost per student is 120 USD/year.

Since April 1995, SAP-VN has sponsored the free meal program for students at Da Thien School for Disabled Children in Tan Thuan Tay village of Nha Be district, Saigon. The school serves 60 - 80 disabled students. Da Thien School for Disabled Children is managed by an excellent and dedicated staff led by Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thu Mai, the school's principal. SAP-VN is proud to be a sponsor of the Da Thien School For Disabled Children. The annual funding for the school is about $7,000.

To visit Da Thien School For Disabled Children, please contact: Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thu Mai, 78/12 Ap 5 Xa Tan Thuan Tay, Quan 7 Nha Be, Sai Gon, Phone: 848-728167.

Cataract is one of the most common causes of blindness that affect many elderly people in Vietnam. It can be safely treated with surgery to restore sight and improve the quality of life of those who suffer from this condition. However, many elderly people in Vietnam cannot afford the cost of cataract surgery, which averages about $50, and therefore suffer from loss of sight as a consequence.

In response to this need, SAP-VN began the cataract surgery program in 2005 with the goal of providing the ‘gift of sight’ to the poor and elderly population in Vietnam who could not otherwise afford this surgery. SAP-VN established collaborations with ophthalmologists and hospitals in Vietnam to pilot the project in the first few years. After assessing where the needs are high, we entered into partnership with the Can Tho Eye & Oromaxillofacial Hospital, who perform all the surgeries and we sponsor all the costs associated with the procedures. Our associates in Vietnam work with local health officials to identify areas with high incidences of cataract and arrange for screenings of possible candidates to receive the cataract surgeries.

Selected patients are operated at local district hospital and stay overnight to be assessed the next day by the surgeon. In the past years that we have had this program, we have had excellent results for the patients as indicated by post-op assessments on the day after surgery. Vision tests performed after the second day post-surgery showed that a majority of patients reported being able to see well. No patients experienced complications or infections.

Prior to being discharged from the hospital, each patient is given an eye care package, which includes eye medications and post-op care instructions. SAP-VN also supplements this package with a small monetary gift. In addition to that, a few weeks after the surgery, patients are invited to return to a local clinic or a hospital to have their operated eye(s) re-examined by an eye care professional. The recoveries have been very positive with most of the patients reporting significant improvement in their vision.

The congenital heart defect surgery project was initiated due to request for help from An Giang Children's Fund. Surgery was performed at Saigon Pharmaceutical and Medical School Hospital in June 2012. Thanh Nguyen visited the children in August 2012. Their parents reported that they recovered well. All five children were in good health condition at the time of visit. The surgery cost after insurance payment was shared by An Giang Children's Fund (30%) and SAP-VN (70%).

1 3 5

2 4

6

7

1 Lê Thị Trúc Phương

2 Nguyễn Thành Hiếu

3 Trần Chí Hiếu

4 Nguyễn Thị Ánh Hường

5 Đặng Ngọc Nghé before his surgery at Saigon Pharmaceutical and Medical School Hospital. Surgeon at the hospital claimed that Dang Ngoc Nghe (Tetralogy of Fallot) could have died if his surgery were delayed for another month. The surgeon believed that the surgery saved Nghe's life.

6 Hường's home

7 Thanh Nguyen visited Đặng Ngọc Nghé and his family.

Five Children from Cho Moi, An Giang

*Ins: Government Health Insurance for children 12 or younger.

In 1993, SAP-VN started the Orthopedic Surgery Program, also known as "A Chance to Walk!". This program provides free corrective surgery to impoverished disabled children in Vietnam. More than 3,300 disabled children have received help from SAP-VN through this program. About 2/3 of our annual budget goes into this project, which makes it the biggest and most important project of SAP-VN.

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! Through these contributions, these children have received the most precious gift of all: a chance to walk.

Nãm 1993 hội SAP-VN thành lập Chương Trình Phẫu Thuật Chỉnh Hình. Chương trình này bảo trợ phẫu thuật miễn phí cho trẻ em khuyết tật thuộc diện nghèo ở Việt Nam. Tính ðến nay, trên 3,300 em khuyết tật ðã nhận ðýợc trợ giúp từ chương trình này.

Thay mặt cho những trẻ em khuyết tật, hội SAP-VN chân thành ghi nhận những ðóng góp và ủng hộ rộng rãi từ các nhà bảo trợ và thân hữu hầu giúp cho chýõng trình phẫu thuật chỉnh hình của hội gặt hái ðýợc nhiều thành công. Chính nhờ vào những ðóng góp ðó, các em ðã nhận ðược món quà quý báu hõn hết ðó là “cơ hội ði lại ðược.”

Current Locations of Surgery

"Little My Ngoc beams as her mother places her on a tricycle. Last year, she had been confined to her bed, unable to bend, move or walk. This year, she can walk using an aluminum walker and with assistance from her mother. She smiles endlessly as she shows off her new found abilities."

“Gương mặt em Mỹ Ngọc rạng rỡ lên khi mẹ ðặt em ngồi vào xe ðạp ba bánh. Chỉ một nãm trước ðây em nằm liệt một chỗ trên giường, không co duỗi, cử ðộng hay ði lại ðược. Nay em có thể tự ði lại bằng nạng nhôm và hay nhờ mẹ dìu. Em luôn cười thật tươi ðể khoe với mọi người khả nãng mình mới khám phá.”

"9 year old Pham Trung Kien had cerebral palsy. His joints and ligaments were so spastic that his knees could not be bent and his legs could not be uncrossed. Getting dressed in the morning was no small feat for Kien and his mother. Though surgery could not restore his ability to walk, it allowed Kien to regain some dignity, despite such a disabling handicap."

“Em Phạm Trung Kiên, 9 tuổi, bị bại não. Những khớp xương và gân ðều bị cứng cho nên em không gấp ðầu gối ðược và hai chân vắt chéo qua nhau không dạng ra ðược. Thay quần áo cho em mỗi buổi sáng là cả một vấn ðề cho em và mẹ. Mặc dù phẫu thuật không giúp phục hồi chức năng ði ðứng, nhưng ðã giúp cho em thêm tự tin và bớt mặc cảm vì tình trạng khuyết tật của mình.”

Nguyen Thi My Ngoc, Age: 13
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Nguyen Ngoc Tinh, Age: 9
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