At the end of the CamNam15 challange we finished our journey with a very warm welcome from the stundents and staff at the CNCF sunshine school. Whilst I found the cycling through traffic in Ho Chi Minh a real buzz it was quite an emotional experience turning the corner up the drive and into a tall courtyard full of cheering and clapping children. All of those kids are getting an education and a much brighter future out of the foundations work. This education means they are not limited by living on the streets or working in the fields. Being educated gives more than opportunity to make their way in the world it gives them confidence and protects them from exploitation and being caught in a cycle of poverty.
We didn’t spend a great deal of time with the ill and disabled children the sunshine centre also helps. For me this was quite a relief as it is pretty close to my families life. From day one with my daughter Clio we were always supported by health professionals and told we would be okay. It’s been, and still is, a stupendously tough journey but my family is still able to not only take care of ourselves with this support we are able to live a pretty fulfilling lives, supporting local schools and community events etc and of course the CNCF. I can only imagine the joy and relief that parents of special needs children would feel when they are welcomed into the sunshine centre and the programs they run. Up until that point I had not fully appreciated my circumstances.
So now I am doing it all again, the training is easy, fundraising is where the real effort is and that’s where you can help me help other families with special kids.
Photo credit: Moonshine Agency