Gift of Giving Amid Covid-19 Crisis

I genuinely appreciate those who have donated in the past and have shared our message with others. It is a gift and a joy to be able to give. I extend my gratitude and best wishes for everyone to have a happy holiday. May there be peace and love to each of you. 

This holiday, if you feel you have enough to share, you can provide funds to help villagers who are currently in need of food and water.

I want to share a little bit about the ongoing situation in my village. Everyday, I get updates about Covid-19 conditions in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The negative impact of Covid amongst the villagers is incredibly harsh. They are facing many grave challenges. 

The amount of time that these individuals are mandated to spend in quarantine is inhumane, ranging from 21 days to four months consecutively. I have family members who are still under strict lockdown and in extended quarantine. Many of the villagers aren’t able to literally go outside of their homes. The majority of people in the village do not have access to remote types of work, and do not receive government stimulus checks or substantial support like many of us did in the US. 

“Because of donations from our community here in the US, including church groups, individuals, and family members, we were able to send them financial support as well as a shipment with medicines, baby formula, and other items.”

Without the money that we have sent in recent months, there would simply be no food on the table for many of these families. Because of donations from our community here in the US, including church groups, individuals, and family members, we were able to send them financial support as well as a shipment with medicines, baby formula, and other items. We also sent money so that my sister could slaughter a pig and share meat with the whole village. This is the second generation of pigs, a project we started before the pandemic even began. 

Many villagers' primary income comes from their ability to farm. Since they are unable to leave their homes, with police barricades in the streets, their major crops such as rice, coffee and cashews are ripened without anybody to harvest them. Consequently, these villagers' valuable commodities are being stolen. While my family was under strict quarantine, a thief stole more than half of my sister and brother-in-law's coffee beans. The crops were cut down branch by branch, leaving only half left on their land. This is happening to families that already struggle to begin with. Now, they are in a much deeper financial instability. 

Young children are being separated from their families because a family member tested positive with Covid-19. One of my great nieces is a three year old who has recently been taken out of her home and placed under quarantine in a hospital with her grandmother, who is also Covid-19 positive. 

Many of the young people travel and live away from their homes to work in factories. Due to this pandemic, companies are forced to close, and the workers are unable to return to work. These young people are not permitted to return to their home village, but are held in strict quarantine in the city, incurring large debts that they have no way to pay.

One of my nieces, who is in her mid twenties, is now back in quarantine for the third time. Less than a month ago, she was mandated to quarantine in a hotel room by herself for three and a half months. She was tested countless times before officials allowed her to return to her home village. Just last week, for only a brief couple of days, she was reunited with her parents, brother and sisters. However, the local officials and police came to take her and her sister away again to place them under another quarantine. My niece's mental health is suffering from being in isolation for so many months, one after the next. She owed room and board for each quarantine. Her motorbike has been impounded. In order to get it back, she will have to pay $1000, a significant amount of money. How can she afford it?

Thank you, sending you all love. Have a safe and happy holiday!