I. Proposal
II. Foundation, the hope that gives energy for accomplishing this proposal
III. Content of the Charitable Activities
   1. Shelter and teach children with harsh backgrounds
   2. Care for elders with no one or place to depend on
   3. Train technical skills to poor teenagers for free
   4. Scholarships for poor students that love to continue their education
   5. Build caring homes for poor families
   6. Build wells so that poor citizens have clean water to drink
   7. Build concrete bridges to replace boarded bridges and temporary bamboo bridges
   8. Urgent relief for poor people with hardship
IV. Measures to carry out these projects
V. Establishment
VI. Conclusion

Over the past 30 years, our nation has bare too many sadness and loss. The energy of our people has been wasted on warfare and the living conditions of the Vietnamese people have dropped in comparison to other countries due to the economy and political system.

Ten years ago, the country implemented an open door policy. Since then, it has erased many bars and invited investments from foreign countries, which improved Vietnam’s economy greatly. Even the living conditions of the people have improved. However, though the economy continues to develop, other aspects such as: politics, society… have yet to catch up. Therefore a few people may find new gains, but overall, most people, especially farmers in deep, remote areas and poor villagers are being left behind in increasing numbers as they strive to compete for a little bit of rice and clothing to survive.

Today, many inhabitants of Vietnam still live a life of poverty. Stricken by poverty, many families are forced to break up and abandon their children. These children search the streets for used bags to resell or selling lotto tickets in order to survive. Because of poverty, elders have no family or relatives to depend on for support, homeless have no shelter to take cover from rain or sun, children cannot go to school to receive an education, and thus they do not have the technical skills to support themselves. Because of poverty, people who live in the countryside must walk unpaved streets where it is dirt filled when sunny and muddy when rainy. They must crawl across unstable bridges made of bamboo to get across creeks and rivers, and drink water from ponds or pits.

Seeing people living in such poor conditions, anybody who has a heart cannot just close their eyes and pretend it doesn’t exist. “Thương người như thể thương thân (Love others like you love yourself)” is the Vietnamese spirit that we have passed down from generation to generation and will continue to be a tradition for years to come.

Consequently, Sakya Charity Foundation boldly writes this charitable activity proposal wishing to appeal to people with golden hearts both domestically and internationally to join us with the spirit “Lá lành đùm lá rách (A healthy leaf must protect the ripped ones)” in supporting these unfortunate people living in Vietnam.

We know that citizens are always ready to help out other fellow citizens that are living in poverty. Nevertheless, citizens are hesitant to help out because:

° uncertainty if their aid will reach the people who need assistance
° uncertainty if their aid will be welcomed by the people in need of assistance and if it will create a favorable condition for these people
° uncertainty of “chọn mặt gởi vàng (choose who to give gold to)" who would truly be worthy of the assistance

We write this proposal believing in the foundation and the hope that we ourselves have already been through.

First of all, we place our strong hopes in the traditional hospitality of the Vietnamese people that our ancestors have developed and handed down across countless generations which is still being displayed today. Moreover, most Vietnamese, if not whole heartedly then a little, believe in karma, good deeds – bad deeds, therefore our fellow Vietnamese are readily willing to help out citizens in troubled times. Our ancestors have a saying:

Traditional kindness of heart aforementioned is especially expressed clearly in common Vietnamese settlings in foreign countries. Over the past 10 years, many charitable projects from our fellow Vietnamese who live overseas, have aimed to assist domestic citizens living in poverty pass through difficult times.

Over the years of doing charity, we have created an image that is acquainted with the local government, from there on the regime often creates opportunities that assist and encourage our charitable affairs in reaching very notable results.

1. Shelter and teach children with harsh backgrounds:
Children with harsh backgrounds include: orphans who have lost both father and mother, children who have lost either their father or mother (the remaining guardian is not adequate to take care of his/her child), children abandoned by his/her parents, children put to doing labor early because their family is too poor (search the streets for used bags to resell, selling lotto tickets, physical labor...).

Currently we are supporting 120 children with such backgrounds. Each child is cared for with food and shelter, and will receive an education with similar conditions to that of other normal children. After each child graduates from ninth grade, he/she will receive vocational training in the direction of the industry he/she chooses. After they finish their vocational training, they have the option of going off on their own and finding work in the community or return to our institution and work a position suitable for their talents and skills. Currently, for the children from first to eighth grade, we have encouraged able enthusiasts to provide industrial sewing classes as well as domestic sewing classes, every class will be equipped with 20 sewing machines. These classes have not yet trained students to sew because the students are still learning the general core curriculums. We have made plans to use these classes to teach local teenagers that come from poor families beginning the year of the Rat - 2008 (please see part 3 of the proposal).

2. Care for elders with no one or place to depend on:
We have already started to build nursing homes on a piece of land owned by Phật Quang Institution. We foresee enrolling 80 elders to these homes. We are making every effort to finish three nursing homes first by mid 2008; each home will take in and care for ten elders.

a) As mentioned before in part 1, currently the institution offers industrial and domestic sewing classes. At the beginning of the year (after New Years the year of the Rat) the institution will have enrollment for industrial sewing. The number of people that will take this course is 25 coming from poor background who has requested to learn this craftsmanship in order to find a job. Every course is three months in length. After the course is over, the institution will certify the students and introduce them to sewing companies that export sewing goods (currently they are understaffed and looking to hire).

The sewing classes and computer technology classes will eventually open for enrollment within the year 2008.

In addition, we will continue to provide carpentry courses and automobile/motor bike repair courses to provide a wider range of opportunities for the prospective students to choose from.

b) Along with teaching craftsmanship at the institution reserved for prospective students in village My Lâm and Rạch Gia city, we have submitted a proposal requesting the permission to open technical training classes for regions that are far from the city. The purpose of these classes is to provide free technical training for poor teenagers that find it too difficult to travel far to learn the necessary skills. Every expense to learn will be waived, and also we will provide free lunch to the students that find it too difficult to go home to eat because of distance.

The courses that teach technical skills at every place will be three months in length, after that, they will transfer to another place.

4. Scholarships for poor students that love to continue their education:
At Kien Giang alone, and generally speaking of the whole country, currently there are many students still making every effort to learn while facing difficult environments. If these students’ education were supported and funded, they will become very talented individuals who will benefit their hometown. To help provide opportunities for these students, Sakya Charity Foundation plans to encourage eager enthusiasts to provide monthly scholarship plan to ease the burden on the students’ families so that they can complete their education. Depending on the ability of the movement, the more scholarships we can reward, the better it is for the students.

5. Build caring homes for poor families:
There are a lot of people both in the city and the countryside alike without a roof to put over their heads. With the spirit “Có an cư mới lạc nghiệp (without food one can’t start a career)” we are calling forth all the charitable people to help assist our poor citizens in getting shelter to avoid rain and sun. The matter of constructing a caring home can be accomplished in two solutions:

a) Concentrate on inhabitant areas: campaign for land in a region that centralizes the poor so they can reside in the caring homes in which we have encouraged eager enthusiasts to build. This solution is aimed at assisting people without a community to call home, living in garbage and dumps, living in cemeteries or under bridges, etc…

b) Build caring homes uniquely: For the poor people who already have a piece of land to call home but financially challenged to build a house, we encourage the assistance of enthusiasts to establish caring homes for these folks right on the foundation of their old home.

6. Build wells so that poor citizens have clean water to drink:
Kien Giang and other coastal provinces often times are faced with drought, causing a scarcity in clean water to use for living. We schedule to appeal to enthusiasts everywhere to assist by way of constructing wells to provide fresh and clean water for people to use.

7. Build concrete bridges to replace boarded bridges and temporary bamboo bridges:
At the regions deep in southern Vietnam, traveling becomes very difficult because of numerous intertwined rivers; this effects the education of children and the businesses of the people in the community. One of the reasons that cause lack of education for young children in these rural areas is because walking to school becomes too difficult, especially during the rainy season. Currently building a bridge so that the people of these regions can freely move is necessary.

8. Urgent relief for poor people with hardship:
In the past year, we have witnessed too many heart breaking scenes like:

° Incapable of receiving medical attention when gravely ill because of no money
° Deceased with no proper coffins or burial
° Natural disasters, floods, and fires causing one to lose all assets
° Frequent starvation, no money for food, etc…

Every one of these situations needs our immediate attention and support to assist these people to pass through trials and tribulations, regaining a small light of hope in life.

If this proposal has the support of kind hearted generous people everywhere, Sakya Charity Foundation –USA will be the connection to carry out the projected contributions mentioned above based on the principles of:

° Free will
° Explicit manifest
° Non profit

Every charitable project accomplished will go through the following stages:

a) Establish physical evidence along with pictures and other materials to show authenticity during the process as well as the results of the project.

b) Organize field trips (including a representative for collective sponsors) to inspect/investigate and rate identification degree, feasible nature of project.

c) Request permission from laws and regulations of local government.

d) Sign contracts with construction.

e) Launch project according to each minute matter, then working on to more imperative matter and resolving them with the supervision of a representative from the sponsors.

f) Reconcile and hand over all projects. Hold a change over ceremony with the participation of all delegates: home sponsor representative, government representative, construction representative construction side and a representative from the beneficiaries.

In the process of accomplishing the project, our organization has the responsibility to propose, appeal to sponsors, contact government officials to complete each executive stage and organize the 6 phases mentioned above. Each project will have a commemorative tablet which will be inscribed with the merits and virtues of the sponsors.

In Vietnam, Phat Quang Charity Organization at Kien Giang is the currently the office representing Sakya Charity Foundation’s.

In turn, according to the effective nature and need, SAKYA Charity Foundation will establish more representative offices in Saigon and other provinces.

With the spirit of compassion for helping others, we encourage all kind hearted and every perseverance estate to join together to bring console and hope for the unfortunate human beings who bear many pain in life. A bit of love from each person can come together to make a colorful magic that will ease the sorrow and pain of less fortunate ones. These merits and virtues will forever be etched in the hearts of the Vietnamese people from generation to generation.