Fundraising Vietnam Festival on Saturday 11:30-2 (Prague)

Last year, a Vietnamese student began a Vietnam Club in the high school. The main goal of this club was to raise awareness of the Vietnamese community in CR, and also to raise money for victims of Agent Orange in Vietnam. She, the student, was attempting to counter-balance the discrimination facing Vietnamese in CR, and also to pay respects to those in Vietnam who are still suffering from the effects of war. The club at school was a hit, and soon, we made plans to go to Vietnam.

Through her relatives, we made a connection to a center that takes in, cares for, and educates or rehabilitates children who suffer from deformities caused by Agent Orange. The center is called Frienship Village, and as a club last year, we raised funds and donated it to the village. More importantly, we were able to visit the village with 8 of our students (sadly, limited to those who could pay his/her own way) from ISP and spent a week in the Village with the children, gardening, painting walls, and playing games in the grime and heat with them. It was a life-changing experience for many of the western ISP students who went. For many, it was the first time they had seen poverty, let alone extreme deformities.

The experience caused a great spark in the ISP community, and this year, we are hoping to raise money to bring back to the village in our return visit this spring.

So, that is why I am writing this message to everyone. This Saturday, the Vietnamese community of Prague has pulled together to produce a Vietnam Festival to be held on the grounds of International School of Prague in Nebušice to raise money for the Friendship Village. It's going to be amazing. I have never seen a community give so much support to a single project as I have seen happen with this. Here are the highlights:

-The two top restaurants, normally rivals, in Sappa are providing a buffet of half-priced (donating time, energy, and many resources) Vietnamese food
-Popular stores are donating prizes
-A dance troupe will perform a Lion Dance
-A martial arts company will do a demonstration
-Two top Vietnamese-Czech singers, Son and Huong, will give a special performance
-A photo exhibition, featured last weekend in Old Town, will be on display again on campus
-Students from ISP will also be perform and teach a dance from Grease
-Raffle and prizes

All of the performances and prizes are being donated, so all of the ticket money will go directly to the Village. I really hope that many are able to show support for the efforts our youth are making towards BIG changes in a global society.

Details:
Saturday, Oct.8, Protected content the International School of Prague in Nebusice, Prague 6
11: Protected content Buffet, Game stations for kids (and kids at heart!), video of the village
12:30-2: Protected content and raffle drawings
Tickets in advanced Protected content Protected content
Tickets at the door Protected content

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