We are well into our fourth year of support of the Mai Tam House of Hope Project. This is a five-year project of pledged support.

The Mai Tam House of Hope, Ho Chi Minh City, is for the moment taking into the Center as many in need as it has space for, but the numbers of children needing assistance in the community continue to increase and are up by 20% since June 2009.

All photos courtesy of Matt Kelley, freelance photographer and writer,   mattkelly@gmail.com

Forty-eight widowed HIV/AIDS-positive mothers are currently receiving support, 21 of whom, including two new mothers, live at the Center.  The remaining 27 live in the community.  A number of mothers receive support beyond the life–saving HIV/AIDS medications given to everyone: 27 mothers have access to rental housing, 21 to vocational training and 21 to medical training. Five mothers were new registrants in the community program. There was one registered death among the resident mothers (2% mortality rate).

The total number of children receiving support has risen to 357 from 298 a year ago (a 20% increase).  Sixty-six of these children live at the Center (girls exceed boys here by a 2:1 ratio) and 291 live in the community.   There were no new deaths of children in the community or in the Center.  Of the total child population (357) with Mai Tam, 152 are registered and being treated in government HIV/AIDS clinics, 128 are receiving anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs, and 52 receive Cotrim for secondary infections (an increase from 12 to 52).

The off-site hospice for the terminally ill that was established by Mai Tam founder and director John Toai continues to operate, caring for 12-14 patients. Some donors have targeted their donations to these individuals.

As we’ve noted in the past, our project is “organic”, growing to fit the needs of the community and dependent on the support of donors to fill those needs.  Father Toai has worked tirelessly to obtain funds for the daily and long-term needs of the Center, from medical care to housing, education, school fees, nutrition supplements, rent support and social care. 

We’ve written not only to update you on the work Mai Tam has done, made possible by your donations, but also as a friendly reminder to make your annual pledge or donation for 2010 if you have not yet done so and to encourage new donors to support Mai Tam. 

As you also know, we have asked for your support for a five-year period since we consider that time frame to be the minimum necessary to effect change, to keep these innocent victims of HIV/AIDS alive, and to allow the directors of Mai Tam to develop permanent funding. We seem to be well on our way to reaching these goals with your generous help. Thank you. And, remember, we started our financial support when there were only five children in the Center.  There are now 357 children and 48 widows in the program.

With kindest regards and heartfelt appreciation,

Jill and Robert Morris

The Mai Tam House of Hope Project

morriskwt@yahoo.com

Mai Tam in the Press and Online

• “Love as harm reduction: Fighting Aids and stigma in Vietnam”

This is a beautifully written article on love and the power of individuals to affect change in a hostile environment. Well worth reading. www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/6/1/34

• “For children and mothers, a house of hope”

In the National Catholic Reporter author Matt Kelly, a freelance photographer and writer documents the development of the center conceptually and historically and how a sense of optimism, happiness and smiles pervades at Mai Tam.

http://ncronline.org/news/women-religious/children-and-mothers-house-hope

•  “Achieving the impossible” (in Italian).Combon Fem, Mondo Donne Missione, February 2010, anno 76-n.2: www.combonifem.it

• Vatican Radio coverage of Mai Tam

          www.castroller.com/podcasts/VaticanRadio/1352420

          www.radiovaticana.org/en2/Articolo.asp?c=339340

• “Children From Mai Tam HIV/AIDS Shelter Celebrate the Holidays,” US Consulate (Ho Chi Minh)   

      http://hochiminh.usconsulate.gov/highlights/12/14.html#top

• This site describes a young person’s (‘Princess Towel’) dramatic feelings when she visited the Mai Tam House of Hope Center: http://princesstowel.xanga.com/673896328/item/

Mai Tam Partners

• Foundation for the Children of Vietnam

        http://childrenvietnam.org/225/mai-tam-center-for-hiv-    children/

• Global Community Service Foundation

      www.globalcommunityservice.org

• Hope for Tomorrow

      www.my-hope.org

• Caritas Internationalis

        www3.caritas.org/upload/ann/annualreport08en.pdf

• International Foundations for Health

          P.O Box 5602 Wash DC 20016

          President@InternationalFoundationsforHealth.org