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New year at the hospital

On 5th of February a show was organized for the children of the National paediatrics hospital in Hanoi on the occasion of the Lunar New Year. Named fill Tet with smiles, it was intended to bring happiness and fun to all the children who are patients there.
New Year is the most important festival of the year for the Vietnamese people. At that time, they usually return to their home town or village to celebrate the New Year with their families and relatives. It is also the occasion to eat some traditional dishes, like the Chung cake (which is made of green beans, rice and meat). But for children who are treated at the paediatrics hospital, Tet often means staying in their room in Hanoi, far from the warm atmosphere of their home and from their relatives.

So a few days before entering the year of the tiger, a special show was held at the hospital in their honour. In the audience were a lot of children and their families. SJ Vietnam volunteers and partners participated actively by performing songs and dancing. They also ran several games that were intended to involve the children as much as possible. After more than two hours of performance and fun for everyone, the show ended with a distribution of free books for the children. Earlier in the day, hundreds of Chung cakes made by SJV volunteers during the week had already been given to the children and their families. For sure, this special day will remain in the minds and hearts of all the people who took part!

Lunar New Year at the hospital

Lunar New Year at the hospital

Lunar New Year at the hospital

Ha noi, march 8th 2010
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SJ Vietnam in Brussels

On the 20th February, Pierre De Hanscutter and some volunteers attended the Tet celebration in Brussells organized by the committee of the Vietnamese people living in Belgium. they enjoyed an excellent evening with great food and shows.  Many young Belgian people attending the event were enthusiastic about the idea of volunteering with SJ Vietnam next summer.

The team were congratulated by the local Vietnamese authorities for the success of the Tet event.

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ChĂșc Mu+`ng Na(m Mo+'i to all the team of SJ Vietnam!!

We spent 3 months with SJ Vietnam in 2009 from January to April and it was an amazing experience!
We were very well welcomed by Xoan, Hang and all the team of SJ Vietnam in Hanoi. Then, we worked at Xuan Thuy National Park hosted by a very nice family for 2 months. We learned a lot about the Vietnamese way of life and we met a lot of Vietnamese people who were all very friendly and nice! So it was, for us, very interesting and we really enjoyed this volunteer experience.
After this volunteer experience, we travelled during the rest of the year. We are now back in France with our families and friends and we work again in our companies in Paris where we enjoy to go to the Vietnamese quarter to remember a piece of the fantastic atmosphere of Vietnam. The best experience of our trip was the volunteer work with SJ Vietnam because it was very interesting to meet Vietnamese people and to live in a Vietnamese family for 2 months!
So we 'd like to give you a big Thank you! And to wish you an happy new year! We spent the tĂȘt last year in Vietnam, ate a lot of BĂĄnh chu+ng, so we know how important it is for you!!
ChĂșc Mu+`ng Na(m Mo+'i!!

Marie and Manu

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Thank you letter!

Spring was on, spring bring the laugh busy life, the fun and flavor of luxuriant convergence family! On the street are noisy air nu+.c Tet. And eye em poetry, faith keen to clear festival in the morning bright smiles.

Program "Chung Cakes for Sharing" is our implementation and success. The Regards have together brought plenty of joy for baby lying and treatment at Children's Hospital Central. Sincerely appreciate the funding support of your benefactors: Ngoc Toan Joint Stock Company, Joint Stock Company Thai Ha policy, the individual contributors and benefactors volunteers enthusiastic and the project's "Bring a smile, soothe the pain. We all should have done a "Chung Cakes for Sharing" meaningful and contribute more to air on New Year baby. Look radiant joy on the faces of the children. Where he was fun to germinate, and the shared power to overcome all.

 New years to come, wish you and your welcome Tet Canh Dan with much fun. Again sincerely thank and wish good health and an spacious, prosperity!

On behalf of SJ Vietnam


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“Chung Cakes for Sharing” Project

Tet, the most important traditional festival of the Vietnamese people, is coming soon. But in this cold winter, not everyone can return home for Tet, including the children and their parents at the Vietnam National Hospital of Pediatrics.
So “Bring a smile, soothe the pain” – a voluntary group led by SJ Vietnam – have decided to raise the project “Chung cakes for sharing” at the hospital this Tet festival. This project aims to:

-Bring a warm and happy Tet festival to more than 700 pediatric patients in treatment at Vietnam National Hospital of Pediatrics
-Improve the business sector’s participation in social and charity activities
-Call for caring and sharing with disadvantaged groups from every social class  and age in society, particularly the young.

With Tet presents and hundreds of chung cakes made by SJ Vietnam volunteers themselves, along with a singing, dancing and comedy show also organized by these volunteers, the project will bring a lot of happiness to the child patients and their parents during this Tet holiday.

The project includes 2 parts:
Part 1: “Together we make chung cakes” : from 30/1/2010 to 4/2/2010 when all of our volunteers will get together to make chung cakes in preperation for the event.
Part 2: “Fill Tet with smiles”: from 17:45 to 19:45 on 5/2/2010 when the show will be held for the children and chung cakes given out

For the success of the project, we call for participation and contribution of individuals, enterprises and organizations. Let’s come together to warm up the children’s hearts and bring the joy to those lovely little angels

Please send all contributions to:
SJ Vietnam Office, Room 306, Block 1, C6, My Dinh 2, Tu Liem, Hanoi

Contributions can be made in 1 or both of 2 forms:
Money through bank account transference.
Please send to your account with:
ANZ Bank, Hanoi branch ( No 14, Ly Thai To Street, Hanoi):
Account name: SJ VIETNAM
Account number: 4054928
Swift code: ANZBVNVX

Cash and property.
Please contact:
Nguyen Ngoc Tung
Coordinator of the voluntary group “Bring a smile, soothe the pain”
Mobile: 0985984104
Email: bringasmile_sj@yahoo.com
Thanks from the heart!

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Host families needed in Hanoi

SJ Vietnam is currently looking for host families to welcome some of its long-term volunteers in Hanoi. For those who are interested in welcoming an international volunteer, the conditions are that at least one person of the family speaks well English and that the volunteer has his own private room. The families will get a supporting amount of money to cover the costs generated by the presence of the volunteer.

If you would like to apply to be a host family, don’t hesitate to contact us:
Phone: 0462872829 or 0422154993
E-mail: ltv@sjvietnam.org

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Letter of Appreciation

Dear Participants,
On behalf of SJ Vietnam Administration council, we are sincerely grateful for the presence of partners, friends, sponsors, donors and volunteers on the 5th Anniversary of Solidarités Jeunesses Vietnam held in Asean Hotel, Hanoi on December 31, 2009.

The presence of SJ Vietnam’s Administration council and staff as well as nearly 100 guests from domestic and oversea partners contributed to a fabulous and successful anniversary.

Moreover, we look forward to strengthening our partnership with you and welcoming your cooperation for sustainable development in Vietnam

Thank you very much!
Yours sincerely,
On behalf of SJ Vietnam
Director
Do Thi Phuc


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Press Release

The 5th Anniversary of International voluntary organization Solidarités Jeunesses in Vietnam (SJ Vietnam)
Hanoi, 31st
December 2009


In order to respectfully thank to close partners, friends and volunteers for their great contribution during the past 5 years, Solidarités Jeunesses Vietnam would like to celebrate the 5th Anniversary.
SolidaritĂ©s Jeunesses is a youth organization in France which was set up in the international youth movement called “Youth Action for Peace” in 1923, and the movement had the initiative from one international work camp between young French and German volunteers who were hostiles in the 1st World War. This movement also created a wave of youth who live and fight for peace, overcome the difference of nations, religions, cultures to reach justice, solidarity, and to against violence as well as war. This 1st international work camp approved the truth that people in general and the youth in particular all over the world can live together in peace and work effectively for the social development.
Playing an active role in the movement of Youth Action for Peace, Solidarités Jeunesses welcomes volunteers without any distinguish of gender, racism, religion, nationalities, and position in society.
Every year Solidarités Jeunesses exchanges thousands of volunteers who attend in development projects as well as in international work camps cooperated with its partners and friends who have the same goals, mission and non-profit oriented direction.
In Vietnam, Solidarités Jeunesses has had its cooperation with local partners since 2004. The first activity was an international work camp sponsored by United Nation Volunteers with participation of Italian, Belgian, Russian, Korean and Japanese volunteers sent by the network Youth Action for Peace as well as other 20 Vietnamese volunteers, which had quite successful output. Those first volunteers tried their best with really high motivation to investigate and coordinated feasible, meaningful projects, which was a solid foundation for its next development.
In 2006 SolidaritĂ©s Jeunesses officially had permission in Vietnam with the main function is coordinating & implementing projects, hosting volunteers, supporting for community development and disadvantaged people in society, encouraging the active attention of youth in voluntary projects. In Vietnam it is popular with the name SJ Vietnam. 
Since then, SJ Vietnam often hosts around 500 international volunteers every year and it has around 5000 local volunteers who together participate in 50 short-term projects & 20 long-term ones working on different fields to support disadvantaged children in National Pediatrics Hospital, Nguyen Dinh Chieu Blind school, Hold The Future center, Hai Duong welfare center; also it works with many Institutions/ center researching about society, education, environment, as well as cooperates with universities in the North & in the Central of Vietnam.
SJ Vietnam’s volunteers established a small school called Youth House to support for poor, street and disadvantaged children living under Long Bien bridge in equipping knowledge and self-confidence to integrate with official education and help them to find out a future job.
SJ Vietnam also often sends its coordinators, Vietnamese volunteers to join in trainings, exchanges, seminars, conferences….etc abroad, for example; in Belgium, France, Germany, England, Japan, Korea…etc
December 2009, SJ Vietnam is celebrating the 5th Anniversary to respectfully thank to both active and enthusiastic partners, friends and volunteers who have been cooperating, encouraging and contributing for its development in the past 5 years. The Anniversary starts with the film introducing main points, projects and impression images recorded by volunteers during their voluntary duration with SJ Vietnam. Gallery corner will have the most beautiful pictures of the children at Youth House, which not only expresses about their hard daily life but also their attempt for a better life/ future. The corner will bring meaningful sharing, voluntary chances.
The programme will include classical music organized by close partners and performances shown by SJ Vietnam’s local and international volunteers.
Ms Do Thi Phuc, SJ Vietnam’s director, said that “Having the impressive successes today, SJ Vietnam highly appreciates the invaluable contribution as well as faithful encouragement of partners, friends & volunteers. Everyday voluntary activities are happening everywhere, and with practical ones such as planting trees to keep the environment, taking care of orphans, teaching for blind children, having campaigns for better environment, reducing discrimination with people having HIV…etc. We really hope that there will have more & more Vietnamese young people having chances to take part in movements, projects, work camps to support for community development, toward to disadvantaged people, which will create an impression on foreigners about the youth of Vietnam who have active, proactive and ideologist.
The Anniversary will start from 18pm to 21pm 31st December 2009 in Asean Hotel at No.8 Chua Boc street, Dong Da District, Hanoi. The representatives from local authorities, partners, friends and volunteers will join to congratulate the Anniversary.

For further information, please contact:
Ms Cao Thu Trang
SJ Vietnam’s coordinator
Website: www.sjvietnam.org
Email: info@sjvietnam. org

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Dear Volunteers,

SJ Vietnam started in Vietnam on 24th, December, 2004 by international and Vietnamese volunteers in a first work camp granted by United Nation Volunteers. The organization has promoted values of solidarity, peace, tolerance through young citizenship projects to improve society during and after the voluntarism. In 2009, SJ Vietnam officially hosts 500 international volunteers and counts 5000 local members for 50 work camps and 20 long-term projects around Vietnam to help less-fortuned kids and disadvantaged people. On 31st December, SJ Vietnam will celebrate the 5th anniversary. For this special event, we are going to organize a gala dinner to commemorate this special day in the evening of 31st. Therefore, we would like to invite all of you who are interested in joining this event through participating in many exciting activities:
1. Dancing: Any kind of dance
2. Music shows
3. Funny games

This will be a good chance for you to express yourselves, to share your ideas, to join a friendly community with all staffs, Vietnamese and international volunteers and guests from other organizations. Especially, you will have a special gift and enjoy a warm atmosphere with buffet party.
Let’s join with us to contribute your great ideas, express yourselves and receive lovely gift, and to see how you change!

Please contact us before: Friday 25th, December, 2009.
Ms Trang
Email: info@sjvietnam.org or (to CC): pr@sjvietnam.org

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