Second String's Turn in Bac Lieu

The second set of volunteers arrived at the Centre on October 14th. These two volunteers named themselves, and we affectionally refer to them, as The Second String. Yet, there has been nothing second about them. They hit the ground running after diligently preparing and learning from the first volunteers. The children only showed moments of reluctance because they quickly remembered these people tend to be fun, bring treats, come with new games, yet will engage in almost anything we think of to do! Even having a translator the first day who did not speak English and whose Vietnamese was later questioned did not discourage them!

The volunteers have spent as much time as possible at the Centre. Like the earlier volunteers, they were told to come for a half day. The volunteers tried to stretch out their time as much as possible to allow more time with the children. The caregivers seem to have no problem with the extension and obviously enjoy their time with the volunteers as well. The caregivers and volunteers have communicated well through the Vietnamese of the volunteers and acting out of words.

The volunteers were encouraged by the level of care the children are receiving. Reports of the food seem to indicate that the food has improved even since the first set of volunteers were present. A greater variety of food has been offered with a good sampling of vegetables. The caregivers are very loving toward the children, treating them as they would their own children. The children show visible signs of attachment to the caregivers, using them as a secure base and going to them for affection and comfort.

The volunteers have given each family some specific details on their child. The opportunity to know so much about the daily lives of their children is invaluable and a benefit that possibly we did not see early on when we were focusing primarily on nutrition and stimulation. Seeing pictures and video of their children goes a long way in helping families to attach to their child from afar. To have this information for their child in the future is priceless. The families actually have a large collection for a scrapbook for their child. The volunteers reported very helpful information back to the families about where the children are developmentally and how to prepare for their children to be home.

While fall is coming to much of the United States, it remains very hot in southern Vietnam. The heat does not deter the volunteers from being very active with the children, playing airplane and swinging the children through the air. The volunteers have been very creative in the activities that they planned. One day the children enjoyed putting socks on their arms and legs. The socks provided great fine-motor skill practice and were soft if they children decided to be more aggressive with them! They volunteers brought many other toys and supplies, including bubbles, feather dusters for sensory stimulation, and drawing materials. Since August, the Centre has installed a television with DVD player in each room. The children reportedly enjoy watching videos with singing.

Above most everything else, the children want the attention and affection of the volunteers. They do love their Oreos, strawberry milk, and all of the toys. But what they compete most for and will wait their turn for, is an open lap. And open is relative, with caregivers often having 4 to 6 children “on their lap” at a time.

The Second String clearly made a difference in the lives of the children! We all tremendously appreciate their sacrifice!