Norwich Photos: June 13

Comments Fixed

Well... that explains why comments were way down for the past few months... there was a bug in the comments section that our friend Ray Doherty pointed out to us... I thought I fixed it... but I hadn't... it is fixed now!

Norwich Vietnam Photos Posted

Photos from the Norwich trip will be posted here and to the Clear Path Flickr site.
As they are sent in, the page below will further populate with pictures, so please visit it often:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpi/tags/norwich/
The pictures can also be viewed as a slideshow here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpi/tags/norwich/show/

Norwich: Nicole Blogs From Hue

Dear Friends,
Well, six days into our trip (including travel time) and our group is unanimous - we're having such an amazing time! It's interesting to see how this trip is affecting everyone on our team a little differently. The range of opportunities and experiences we've shared so far is vast, so it's a little difficult to express everything we're feeling, I think.

To give you an example, we've entered the Forbidden City (the historical capitol where the emperor lived) to join the thousands of residnets and visitors to Hue celebrate the 700th birthday of the city - a HUGE celebration a couple evenings ago with dancing, fireworks, reenactments, and kites flying overhead! We've visited and played games with "street children" who spend their days working on the streets earning money for a living and to help pay for their school
fees.

And just this morning, we visited Phan Boi Chau's residence and met his granddaughter. Phan Boi Chau was and remains a Vietnamese hero and visionary for the people here...he believed in attaining the freedom and independence of the Vietnamese through critical thinking and education and even began the first study abroad opportunities for Vietnamese students to Japan in the early 20th century. We spent the morning at his residence planting trees at his grave and those of his fellow patriots as a symbolic act of reconciliation between Americans
and the Vietnamese...to say that it was a moving experience for each one of us would be an understatement, for sure.

We've taken some great pictures that we hope to be able to post prior to our return, so keep checking in to our blog!

Yours in Service,
Nicole

Norwich University Blogs From Vietnam

Hello Norwich administration, alumni, friends and family.

This is Evan George, a sophomore in the Corps of Cadets at Norwich University. I am writing to you from the beautiful city of Hue, Viet Nam. I can not even think of the words that can describe my experience so far.

It has only been 3 days since I arrived and I am already in love with the culture, people, and environment. The climate however is a different story. The people of Viet Nam are the friendliest and kindest people I have ever met or read about. Their hospitality is breath taking. People will stop you on the street just for a chance to chat about America. Everyone is willing to lend a helpful hand and children smile and wave at us when we pass by.

I could write for hours about my journey so far but I wish to keep you in suspense for our next blog. So goodbye for now and check back here soon.

Yakima Herald: Help the World, Bit by Byte

A Washington state-based organization, World Neighborhood Fund has found a creative way to help Clear Path International. A big thanks from Clear Path to Mikelle Charlebois and Troy Haines!

From the Yakima Herald:

A click saves the world.
It's a start, at least.
Mikelle Charlebois, a student at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, has spent her last year at college helping end poverty, little by little, around the globe.

She's one of three founders of the World Neighborhood Fund, a nonprofit that aids inhabitants of the world's poorest regions.

"We want to help people come up to a minimum basic standard of living," Charlebois explains.

Entirely Internet-based, the fund raises money by serving as a Web site for searches and online shopping.

Read the rest of the article here:
http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/286272687701990

Family Catastrophe: Three Children Killed, Three Wounded

On May 30th, 2006, a terrible UXO related accident happened in central highland of Vietnam. Six children from 2 to 11 years old were killed and injured by a cluster bomb explosion. The accident happened in Kong Chro district, Gia Lai province at 10:30 hours.

Earlier, the kids from two neighboring families found a cluster bomb in a stream near their farm. They saw tiny steel balls on the case and attempted to take them out. The kids took the bomb to the back of their farm hut and smashed it against a rock. The explosion that followed killed three of the children that had gathered to watch and injured three others.

* Mr. & Mrs. Dinh Srong have 8 children total and four of them involved in the accident. Two were killed on spot, the other two were injured:
1. Dinh Thi Re, female, born 1995: Killed on spot
2. Dinh Sronh, male, born 2000: Killed on spot
3. Dinh He, male, born 1998: Multiple injuries
4. Dinh Sroch, male, born 2004: Multiple injuries, lung penetrated

* Mr. & Mrs. Dinh Luc have 5 children and two of them involved in the accident:
1. Dinh Khach, male, born 1997: Killed on spot
2. Dinh Bit, male, born 1995: Injured in left leg

Upon the request from local authority, CPI staff arrived at the accident site about 470 miles away less than 24 hours to respond to the accident and conduct assistance. Both families were supported with the family bereavement grants (to assist the family inburial costs) and medical supportfor the injured. Timely assistance from CPI was highly received by the parents and appreciated by local officials.



The Accident Site




Mrs. Dinh Srong sits with her two injured children, the only survivors of the accident.