SAYING YES TO YESD - Hanoi, Vietnam Apr 2016

SAYING "YES" TO YESD

Hanoi, Vietnam April 2016

Volunteers and staff

With apologies to Forrest Gump, "Volunteering is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you are going to get." When we applied to volunteer with YESD (Youth Employment and Society Development), we were really not sure how it would go. 

We knew that it was a social enterprise, dedicated to promoting responsible tourism and that one of its goals was to train disadvantaged youth to become tour guides. We also knew that we would be housed and fed by this organization. 

Living quarters - Week 1

What we didn't realize was that YESD sustained itself financially by having its volunteers teach English--often in areas requiring hour-long buses or nail-biting rides on the back of a moto, driven by one of its interns (no, we didn't). 

Our home for the two weeks was a high-rise apartment located above a mall, shared by the three young women who co-founded YESD, Trang, Tuyet, and Tuoi. They had worked for other NGOs and, after raising money from family and friends, came up with their vision for how to help their country and those who were less fortunate, especially the indigenous people.

An enthusiastic welcome

We were joined by fellow volunteers Carol (a bit of a lost soul from Poland, who also managed to lose his ATM card) and Michele (a lovely Belgium woman getting her advanced degree in China) who graciously agreed to share a bedroom--a.k.a. floor--so the two of us could have the second bedroom to ourselves. They were great companions during our stay.

Creating their futures

The three founders shared floor space in the "living room" and tried, on their meager budget, to cook three meals a day for all of us. We filled in with supplies when needed. While there was an air conditioner in the apartment, it was rarely turned on and we ended up buying a small fan to get us through the sweltering Hanoi nights. .

Even the shy ones spoke up

It was fine until it wasn't. Mike ended up getting bronchitis and, with a little urging, we ended up moving to a nearby hotel which costs $15 per night, air conditioning and all, arranged by our Vietnamese friends.

Despite the long climb up 11 flights of stairs each time we had a class (Eileen didn't trust the elevator), we approached each class eager to get started. 

Vietnamese leaders in training

Mike helped  with their web site, making sure the English was understandable, and taught Business English classes in the evening.
Eileen assisted with marketing, and both of us delivered our leadership curriculum to three separate groups.

Our students were warm, enthusiastic, and eager to learn--the next generation of Vietnamese leaders.