ABOUT YEN TIEN AND CATDANG VILLAGE

Catdang is one of 19 villages comprising the Yen Tien commune, located approximately 60 miles south of Hanoi. Nestled between the sea and the jagged mountains to the west, it has traditionally relied on being part of the "iron rice bowl", but its verdant fields, still tilled by water buffalo and wooden ploughs, can no longer sustain the community. Nor can the village's unique basket trade offer any real hope for economic self-sufficiency. Although Vietnam is one of the world's fastest growing economies, social liberalization has brought prosperity only to a few, and much of the communist safety net has disappeared. The country remains fundamentally poor with an average annual income of $750 for an entire family, with villages like Catdang entirely bypassed by any benefits of globalization. Here, the average annual family income languishes at a mere $500.

Signs of the village's meager resources are everywhere, especially in the school facilities which were ravaged by a typhoon in 2005. Dilapidated and primitive, classrooms are so overcrowded that students attend schools in shifts six days a week, and basic supplies are in short order. The general environmental condition is bad, with the water polluted through the over-production of bamboo, and health and hygiene are poor. Shockingly, over one hundred adults in the district still suffer debilitating effects from exposure to Agent Orange, and seventeen young children carry birth defects directly related to the "American" war. The children are malnourished, with the average 15 year-old weighing only 28 kilos (62 pounds), small even by Vietnamese standards. The diets of most mothers are inadequate to produce breast milk sufficiently nutritious for proper development, resulting in poor immune systems. All the children have worms. And so the needs are many.

But there are also many encouraging things about Catdang. The Children's Initiative has great potential to realize dramatic and sustainable improvements here. Much can be done with relatively few dollars, and Buddhist traditions form the underpinnings of a rich culture that welcomes our involvement. We have established productive relationships with capable and dedicated members of the local community who share the mission and are in a position to make things happen. Most importantly, we have witnessed first-hand the eagerness of the children to work hard, learn, and reach their full potential. Our efforts matter here.

• Cost of new school building: $8,000-$10,000
• Average weight of 15 year olds: 62 pounds
• 100% of Children have worms
• Average Annual Family Income in Catdang: $500
• 30% of Children unable to attend high school due to poverty
• Cost of Annual Physical per Student: $1.35
• Cost of Vaccinations per student: $1.20
• Monthly Teacher Salary: $40.00

*** Help us take the INITIATIVE to help children ***