Projects Overview

Families

In excess of 100 sponsorships have been granted under the Support-A-Family program. These sponsorships aid very poor families to establish and commence Micro-businesses.

• Installed wells and pumps for families without water.
• Connected electricity for families without power.
• Concreted dirt floors in many houses.
• Installed iron roofs to make houses water-proof.
• Purchased rice, food and blankets for many who were cold and hungry.
• Provided bicycles to enable transportation to work and school.
• Seven houses have been built for families who were squatting or were without shelter.

Education

• Over 50 education scholarships have been granted to disadvantaged children.
• The Lifestart Foundation Free School was officially opened in March 2006. The school caters for extremely poor, illiterate, disadvantaged, neglected and abused children aged between 8 and 20 years old. Blogs related to the free school include  The Lifestart Foundation Free School, A New School Building for Lifestart Foundation, Beauty Class and Other Things, Dental Day and Art Classes
• Thanks to the support from our ESL volunteers Lifestart Foundation has provided English lessons to many Vietnamese of all ages in order to improve their employment prospects.
• In 2009 Lifestart Foundation launched seven year educational scholarships. These are given to exceptionally bright children who may not otherwise have been able to complete their education through to year 12.
• Blogs related to Lifestart Foundation Educational scholarships include A  – Realising his Dream to Become a Doctor, Ngoc & Uyen – Lifestart Foundation’s First Seven Year Educational Scholarship Students , Hien – Pagoda Baby, School Fee’s for Many and Hoi’s Dream

Youth

• Over 45 at-risk young people have been mentored and in turn sponsored into traineeships under the Jobstart program.
• Provided bicycles for young people to allow them to attend school and training.

Orphans

• Renovated the Dien Ban Orphanage under the Orphan-Assist program.
• Supplied the orphans with school uniforms, warm coats, school supplies and school books.

Medical

• Funded medical care for sufferers of tuberculosis.
• Funded neurosurgery for a motorbike accident victim.
• Funded orthopaedic surgery for a child with webbed feet.
• Funded treatment of kidney and liver disease.
• Funded medical treatment for a variety of serious illnesses and skin disease.
• Funded orthopedic aids for the disabled.
• Assisted many individuals with disabilities to improve their standard of living.
• Provided glasses for those with vision problems.
• Funded medical insurance.
• Funded palliative care.
• Read more on Karen’s blogs

Boats

24 boats have been built which now provide a source of income, a means of providing food for the family and somewhere to live when the river floods annually.

Helping those with Disabilities

• We have helped many people with disabilities set up small businesses to enable them to be self-sufficient
• The Lifestart Foundation Workshop was developed to allow those with disabilities an opportunity to sell products to provide themselves and their families with a sustainable income. The workshop has been a great success, and we are now inviting other people in disadvantaged situations to work with us in this project.
• We have provided a number of members of the disabled community in the Quang Nam province of Vietnam with three-wheeled motorbikes, providing independence and increasing the opportunities available to them. You can read the stories of Xuyen, Hanh and Luong on Karen’s blog.

Free Disability Community Centre

• The Lifestart Foundation Free Disability Community Centre is currently being set-up.  We are collaborating with Monash University (Department of Physiotherapy) on this project.
• The following amateur video made in 2008 introduces you to some of the people we will be helping with this centre.

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