The current Nam Dinh orphanage

This is where my son came from. This orphanage is only for babies. It is very small and very poor, but the caregivers seem to do a good job with what they have.

The new Nam Dinh orphanage

This is the building that will soon be the Nam Dinh orphanage for babies and for older kids. More than 1/2 of the funds raised here will contribute to making that happen. France and Italy have also given large contributions. According to my coordinator in Vietnam, the Nam Dinh orphanages are very poor because they are so far away from Hanoi and tourists and those that donate rarely go there.

Remaining Donations

I didn't get to visit the orphanages in and near Hanoi. We were on our way there and then got a last minute cancellation. After that, each day was taken up by some adoption activity and surviving first-time parenting. But, I've decided to donate the remaining funds of around $1300 to the new Nam Dinh orphanage. Nam Dinh is where my son was adopted from and the orphanage currently holds only infants. It is quite small and poor. It is a 4 hour drive from Hanoi, so not many people visit. Hence, donations are hard to come by. They are building a new orphanage which we were able to visit. It is a warehouse now, but soon will house children of all ages as well as a work area that will be used to raise funds for the orphanage. If I remember correctly, the work area will be used to make clothing and textiles. I'd have to check on that though. My brain got kind of fried after receiving my son. I have photos of the future orphanage, but I can't access them right now. I'll post them later along with the final total of money raised and what it was spent on.

Picking up the formula

Formula for Nam Dinh

On Sunday we bought 8 cases of formula for Nam Dinh, the orphanage my son is from. Henry, our coordinator, helped me get it wholesale price - $100 per case. The 8 cases won't last long with 20 or so babies, but it will definitely help. Your contributions got us there and it was fun going to get the formula and bringing it to the orphanage. I also brought a bag full of blankets for the babies, but I'm not sure they will use them.

I'm trying to upload photos, but the internet connection is so bad that it stalls out.

Latest updates

I'm sorry to say that Baby Sinh is not going to make it. The medical team decided that she would never survive the surgery, so she is left to live out her remaining days with good care. I'll still send the money to John to help in that.

As for the water treatment tank, I spoke to John about that today and he said formula is a higher priority. They boil the water to make the formula and other baby foods, so it is safe. Instead of buying the tank, I'll be buying formula and other foods as needed. I'll also go talk to the orphanage director to see what else is needed. John said it might be good to buy some space heaters for the cold winter.

Total collected to date = $2400! Way more than the $300 I had hoped to raise. Thank you all!

Dropping off the donations

My car full of donations; mostly clothing


Bringing the donations into the shop. The ladies there were very friendly and helpful


The Baby Boutique shop. The families that can shop here are either homeless or transitioning out of it. They get a list of items they can select and they get to choose which ones they want. All items are free to the families and are a tremendous help to them.

Thank you to the North Seattle Families of Multiples sale for donating your unsold items and for allowing me to be a part of this. It was truly uplifting and I look forward to working with this organization again.