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Matthew and Naomi with Thi

Naomi and Matthew with some of the drawings from the children t...

Naomi and Matthew with children from the school they visited

Naomi and Matthew with Lindsay Oades, Student Residence Manager...

International House Charity Challenge winners back from Vietnam

Charity Challenge is a fundraising initiative for students at International House to raise money for charities.  And the challenge?  Four teams of two students get together to raise money for their chosen charity.  The team that raises more than $1200 within a specified time frame are offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to Vietnam to visit International House’s sponsored World Vision child. 

Just back from Vietnam, Naomi Birchnoff and Matthew West, both Exercise Science students at UOW and previous residents of International House were the winners of UOW’s, International House 2007 Charity Challenge.

Naomi and Matthew organised a number of initiatives to raise money including:  a “Keen in the Green” party, 2007 “Relay for Life”, “Girls Night Out Party” and a “Movies under the Moon” night.  The result was over $1200 which was donated to the Cancer Council and Starlight Children’s Foundation.

“It was a lot harder than we thought it would be to raise the money,” said Matthew.  “We didn’t get the support from the corporates and students only have a limited amount of money to donate”.

Still enthused from their week long trip, Naomi and Matthew told an audience of students and staff at International House about their experience in Vietnam and meeting their sponsored child, who has been sponsored by International House through World Vision since February 2004.

Both of us have travelled overseas before,” said Naomi, “but this was the first time either of us had been to Vietnam”.  “It was very beautiful and looked like the pictures in the travel brochures with the rice fields, motorbikes and bicycles.  We both felt really safe walking around, even late at night.  The Vietnamese are very welcoming and friendly people”. 

Matthew and Naomi visited Thi at her home village, about two hours from Hanoi.  “At first she was very shy and nervous and it was challenging communicating due to the language difference, but our interpreter was great,” said Matthew. “We visited the primary school that Thi attends and all the children were excited to see us.  We presented Thi with a big koala, which she loved, and her parents were given toiletries, as advised by World Vision.  The other students were given rulers, pens, pencils and some Global Highway T shirts.

“World Vision focuses on providing an Area Development Program (ADP) with the skills and tools to eventually become self sufficient.  The village we visited is one of the ADP’s in Vietnam and the teachers at the primary school where Thi attends have been trained by World Vision staff,” explained Matthew. 

“The money raised through World Vision has not only helped to train teachers and provide much needed supplies for the school, it has directly impacted on the rest of the village.  The people living in there rely on farming for a livelihood. 

Both Naomi and Matthew agreed it was an amazing and unforgettable experience with a great outcome. “It was eye opening to see people with very little have such a positive and cheerful outlook on life, where we who are truly blessed are always displeased with something. It definitely makes you re-evaluate what you classify as significant in your life,” added Naomi.

Alison Hemsley, Student Resident Manger of International House added, “It’s great to be able to provide these opportunities to students.  The whole project is a perfect fit with the International House vision of global wellbeing. Not only did the Cancer Council and Starlight Children’s Foundation benefit, but so did Thi and her village.”

For further information about World Vision’s work visit www.worldvision.com.au.