Little history: Robert and Dorothea Kalatschan reside in California and have two adopted kids from Vietnam. After adopting their second child, Kristina, in 2001, they continued to think about the orphanages, poverty, and families they encountered. In 2002 they created Giving It Back to Kids with the purpose of helping kids "reach their maximum potential through education, medical care, nutrition, and love." With integrity and accountability the driving forces guiding all their work, GIBTK seeks to provide life-changing solutions in: housing, medical needs, nutrition, education, orphanage support, a young unwed mothers home, and a general fund. Pretty sweet stuff - check it out yourself at www.givingitbacktokids.org.
Tuesday, all of us, along with Robert and some government officials (Robert and GIBTK have a good relationship with the government as they work pretty closely and are involved in many projects) piled into Yao's van for a ride into the countryside and through rice fields to see houses that had been built and funded through GIBTK , as well as a few single mothers in rough circumstances that were in the running for funding for a new home.
We headed back to the GIBTK office in Danang, and after a short break, we gathered in the conference room to sit in as Robert talked with children, who recently received a much-needed heart surgery, and their families. As well as hear their success and progress, interviewing four new cases who were requesting funds so their child could receive heart surgery was on the afternoon agenda.
{Our own Brandon Goodwin made a phenomenal, short 10-minute film about this very process when he and Sesha first came to Vietnam in March; you can watch it via YouTube below. These kids you see GIBTK choosing to fund in the video were the same kids we saw yesterday after the surgery, with a whole new life in their eyes, smile on their faces, and with the real restlessness of a healthy kid.}
The neat thing about GIBTK is they only fund "late" cases. Most organizations tend to choose early heart cases so the chance of success is higher. But even with the risk factor, GIBTK has only lost three out of 146 surgeries, which is an incredible thing for the cases they fund.
The cases that came before us were this:
- First, a young man who had a recently successful heart surgery and was now asking for support to go to college; is costs $100 a semester and he wants to go for five years for Construction Management = $1000 for his education!
- A five-year-old girl, youngest of three, the daughter of farmers who make about $100 USD a month (Robert said this amount was on the higher end here) and were offering to pay half of the surgery; her needed surgery costs about $2600 USD
- A 13-year-old girl who has had her condition since 2 months old, was the oldest of three; her parents were farmers and sometimes her father worked extra as a bricklayer, then only making $3 USD a day; she had high blood pressure and has been in the hospital already for almost two months in an attempt to lower the blood pressure so she could have surgery; her operation was about $650 USD
- An 11-year-old girl, youngest of three; parents are rice farmers but when it is the off season they work extra jobs; her operation costs about $1800 USD
- An 11-year-old girl, oldest of two, parents are divorced and lives with her mother who makes incense; her operation costs about $525 USD because of help coming from another grant (along with the government - this was offered to people in a certain region)
As we sat facing them, listening as Tam interpret their story, we recognized the fear and worry in their telling eyes that contradicted their composure. I know I wasn't the only one that was wracking my brain with comparison of our costs of living, school, luxuries, income, others we know... how wrong does it seem that $100 a semester is all it takes for a young man to have a better life? Or $600 out of your reach for a medical procedure to save your child's life?
At the end, Robert announced that GIBTK will be able to fund all of their operations! And as for the young man, he said he would be honored to help him go to school as long as he provided a report showing his progress. He told the young man that he did not have to be perfect, just to try his best, and that champions were not those who did not fail, but those who did not give up...
As we were all getting up, Robert told me to put my hand on the young girls' chests and feel their hearts. With hesitance, I went up to the girls, smiling and winking, giving them hugs. I nodded and held up my hand, as if asking for permission, then slowly put my hand on the first girl's chest. It was a feeling I did not expect: a heart facing so fast and hard, beating as if was going to leap out of her chest at that moment...I think I can best describe it as if you were to hold a hand-held battery-operated fan blade in your palm...I was shocked and had to resist the reaction to pull away, or show my surprise because I did not want to freak her out. I held my hand there and looked at the girl, smiling, then I winked again and hugged her, still fighting my internal shock.
I went on to the next girl, then the next, doing the same and showing my affection. Each heart beat was insanely strong in the same way, but had a different flutter or pattern. Even though they returned the smiles and hugs, they all still looked scared and exhausted.
I once read the quote "If you're not angry then you're not paying attention", and it keeps coming to mind.
Several of us talked about it all as we walked around a historic citadel today, how confusing it was, difficult to grasp - money and its role in our lives and cultures, reconciling with all we see here. We have no answers.
My prayer is that we may each let these encounters (whether us here, or you there now, reading) mess up our worlds a little and decide what now. And then, who knows.
1 comment:
you have my attention
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