100 Friends Project : July 2023

June 15, 2023

Hi Marc,

I'm in Jakarta now spending the last few days in Indonesia here. I will fly back to bali tomorrow and then to SF on June 30th. Today I visited Bantar Gebung, the largest landfill in Asia. It is located in East Jakarta about an hour by motorbike from my hotel in the city center. It is like what we have seen in documentaries horrific and stunning at once.

My friend Fifi and I tried to climb the mountain on motorbike to speak with the trash pickers at the summit but the mud and rubbish were so thick we decided to turn back. We drove to a medical clinic at the base of the summit and spoke with the doctor there who directed us to the house of a 100 year old woman and her son in law with lung cancer, 5 minutes from the clinic. On the way home after meeting with and giving financial assistance to the old woman and ailing man we met a man selling snacks who we helped as well. All in a day's work.

Hope you're well and having fun in Bangkok.

Rupak

100 year old woman. Blind.

Location: Bantar Gebang, Bekasi city.
The Daughter did most of the speaking as the old woman is senile. The woman was however able to tell us she cannot eat much and showed us her emaciated body. I asked her what life was like when she was young, she told us the trash dump was not there. We gave her 600k rupiah ≈ $40

Man with fruits and snacks, age 50ish. 2 kids in middle school. If he sells all of his snacks he can earn 5 dollars per day walking miles around the perimeter of the landfill . But we met him at 4pm and he had barely any sales, as you can see he has almost all of his goods still unsold, so we took a wild guess based on how many snacks and price per snack and this man averages about 2 dollar per day income. We gave him 200k rupiah ≈ $13

Wheelchair Project for Humanitarian Services for Children of Vietnam (HSCV) from 100 Friends - Report from Ngo Thuy Hanh: Wheelchair Program Manager

`1. Mrs. Nguyen Doi

Her name is Doi , she is currently living in responsibility for taking care of her. In fact, she suffered from a congenital osteoarthritis from a young age which cannot be cured. This problem is immensely difficult for her as well as for her family. She must struggle with a stick in order to be able to walk before. However, over the past few years, her illness has worsened, making her unable to walk. So it was tremendously challenging for the son to take care of his elderly mother. She felt very sorry for her son when he had to shoulder the responsibilities of the family. She said that she has never had a wheelchair before, this is the first time she has been sponsored such a wonderful wheelchair. She was delighted when she received this supportive wheelchair, it will enable her to become mobile, helping her move more easily and more conveniently so she no longer has to lean on a stick while walking. With the convenience of this wheelchair, the time as well as physical burdens of caregivers like her son will be reduced. She shared that after receiving this wheelchair, she will take a walk around the house to alleviate the pain. She was really touched and grateful to the golden hearts of the sponsors. Wishing everyone good health, happiness and success in life

2. Mr. Huu Phuong

Mr. Phuong, a war veteran aged 58, residing in Sai Son commune, he got injured in 1973, after two years in the military. Back then, his unit was stationed in the South East region of Vietnam, where he got wounded with bullet pieces to the joints and spine, leading him to a leg paralysis. He used to be bed bound and has now gotten healthier from regular practice and exercise. After the war, he came back home to look after his wife’s shop, which unfortunately closed down due to the new road’s opening. He has three children with his wife who works in the fields and takes care of their home. Upon receiving the wheelchair, he was very pleased that he can now go to the places he wishes.

3. Nguyen Thi Phuong

Ms. Phuong lives in Dinh To village with her family, where her husband works in the fields. Her eldest girl recently married, leaving her with her youngest 4 years old son and a middle child with poor mental health. She encountered a severe blood disease, which forced her to have her leg amputated. When her illness started two years ago, she could only walk 20 steps, until all her muscles tensed up. After vigorously looking for a cure, first from buying medicine from the pharmacy, visiting Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi and after two years of acupuncture, her illness still remained. Her leg began to swell up, followed by severe infections. Doctors struggled to find a diagnosis as the rest of her body was in good shape. Unfortunately, as an operation was out of Phuong’s financial means, her leg had to be amputated. She said, “I spent the first year crying and screaming of pain”. Prior to her illness leaving her unable to have employment, she worked small jobs, selling goods at the local market. Phuong used to have a wooden handmade chair with four small wheels which helped her move around the house to do the washing and take care of herself. Now, upon receiving the new wheelchair, Phuong is holding my hand and says: “I am very excited to receive the wheelchair and from now on, I have new legs to move easily, my husband and children do not have to carry me anymore. I would like to send my sincerest thanks to the sponsor, who gave me this precious gift”

4.Van Doan

Doan is 21 years old and resides in Tay Do with his parents and two siblings. He has been ill since a very young age. As a child, he went to school until 7^th grade and finished 8^th and 9^thgrade at home where he received a secondary school diploma for his efforts. His current employment involves the field of software technology for smartphones and making money online. A while back, he attended a basic training course for computers at the local center for people with disabilities. Before the course, he had very limited exposure to technology as he was unable to walk. Afterwards, Doan studied online for two years, then started working. He makes on average two million VND a month. A long time ago, he had a wheelchair with a plastic stool, but it has since broken down. He was very pleased when he received the newwheelchair as it will help him move around. He said, “I hope that that the sponsoring organization will help me and other people with disabilities to be better integrated in the community, in terms of mobility as well as employment”. He has given a lot of thought into what career he wanted to go into, he said, “because I am unable to walk with my legs, I thought that I had to choose a job that uses my hands and brain, so I came down to going with technology”. Doan’s lifetime dream is to become a great software technician where he can be of aid to others.

5. Nguyen Hien

Ms. Hien was born in 1968 in Tan Linh commune, Ba Vi district, Hanoi.

She comes from a family in which her parents are both farmers. Life became more strenuous when she suffered from the degenerative spine back disease that triggered the paralysis on her lower body in 2003. After that time, she could no longer walk by herself. Because her parents died soon and she didn’t not have ability to take care of herself so she had to live in her sister’s house.

One of her grandchildren shared that taking care of her was very hard because she could not walk, therefore the daily activities were so inconvenient. For example, he said that when she wanted to do something or go anywhere, she needed the help from other people to move. This is the first time she has received a wheelchair, she feels immensely happy and excited. After returning home, she will ask her grandchild to push her in wheelchair to the neighbourhood to visit relatives who she has not been able to see for a long time. From now on, the hardships of her as well as her sister's family have also been somewhat relieved. She is very grateful and would like to sincerely thank the sponsors who were willing to help and sponsor this precious wheelchair for her.

Mobility Development Program

Sponsor : 100 Friends

Donation: 500 USD

Report of the use of USD 500

Order	Detail	Expenditure (USD )
1	Support partner of HSCV for customs procedures for a container of wheelchairs at Hai Phong port to Hanoi	50
2	Support for transportation and meals for staff to go to each locality to distribute 320 wheelchairs, train on how to use and assemble wheelchairs during the distribution process (21 districts in Hanoi)	450