By Charissa Murphy | GlobalGiving's In-the-Field Rep in Southeast Asia
The following is a postcard from Charissa Murphy, GlobalGiving's In-the-Field Representative in Southeast Asia, about her recent visit to the the LIN Center for Community Development in Vietnam.
Admittedly, I didn't know at first what "Narrow the Gap" meant. It became clear after my visit with LIN to one of its recipients of the Narrow the Gap grant funds, along with a visit to its Center for Community Development. The LIN Center is helping to narrow the gap between disadvantaged people in Vietnam receiving the services and support that they desperately need to survive and become self-reliant. Its doing so by granting technical and monetary support to nonprofits that are providing these important services. Selected by the community to receive LIN’s support, the recipients of the Narrow the Gap funds also receive trainings from LIN’s staff on effective programming and nonprofit leadership.
The Nhan Ai Social Work Club offers tutoring, skills training, and community events to disadvantaged children in an area of deep poverty in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Trained volunteers from a local university come each week to work with the children. During the visit, I understood why the volunteers undergo training or come from the Social Work department at the university. The children often need more specialized attention. To work well with the children and have an impact requires a strong understanding of where the children come from and what motivates them. The consistency for these children is important. In addition to tutoring and mentoring, the club also has two events planned within the grant for the children to have a brief relief from the realities they face at home.
As I watched most of the children engaged in asking questions to the tutors or working with one another on their homework, I felt that the community supporters of the Narrow the Gap program made a strong selection. Started by university students, the Nhan Ai Social Work Club is just starting to increase its support to the community children. The club is also serving as a strong model of social good for university peers and the next generations. They even encouraged me to realize that we shouldn’t wait to make a difference when there’s so much that we collectively can do to help now, regardless of your age or income-level.
After my visit, it was clear that LIN’s strong focus on providing non-profits with increased access, trainings, collaboration opportunities, and funding is serving many functions to “narrow the gap” within Vietnam. Not only are they providing opportunities for the non-profits, but through capacity building, community networking, and monetary support they are also improving how impactful the non-profits are in supporting and improving the people and communities they serve.
Upcoming Event on GlobalGiving - TODAY, this Wednesday, July 16th, is a Bonus matching day!:
Today, July 16th (Wednesday), beginning at 9AM EDT, GlobalGiving will match 40% of any donations (of up to $1,000 from any individual donor) to LIN. There are $130,000 in total funds available for matching that day for all of GlobalGiving’s partners. To ensure your donation is matched before the funds run out, please consider donating early today shortly after 9AM.
I want to thank the LIN Center for Community Development for allowing me to visit!
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