We’re Making Progress and Look Forward to our Volunteers

Visually impaired students study classroom subjects in their training to become licensed professional massage therapists.

At the meeting yesterday between Blind-Link and the Center of Training and Rehabilitation for the Blind (CTRB), we agreed to sign an agreement of cooperation to organize the English Communication Program for blind and partially sighted students of the Center. The English Communication Program will comprise two components: Short-term On-site teaching by native English speakers from Global Volunteers, USA and online teaching by native English volunteers via Skype. We also agreed with the 2013 and 2014 teaching calendar on Global Volunteers’ web site.

Both Blind-Link and the CTRB are your host partners with clear responsibilities. The CTRB is in charge of students enrollment and classrooms ((http://trungtamdaotaohnm.edu.vn). We need to collaborate with the CTRB because it is the unique school of the Vietnamese Blind Association that providing accommodations, food and training courses in all areas including English lessons for Vietnamese youth blind coming from the whole country.  Blind-Link is in charge of providing volunteers as teachers and teaching assistants and the overall teaching and learning performance. We are trying our best to “link” effectively between Vietnamese blind community and students to Global Volunteers. No barriers requirements such as age or teaching qualification of foreign volunteers. As one of the most common reasons for blindness in Vietnam is Agent Orange, I do hope that it’s a good chance for American veterans to return to Vietnam as volunteers!

We are planning that there are 30-40 attendees in our 1st course in November and each group of attendees will study in 1 hour and 50 minutes with ten-minute tea breaks. The CTRB is committed to work with us to rearrange timetable for attendees in November.  This is the beginning of a model international private-non-profit partnership unlike any other in Vietnam!

-Gratefully, Huong Nguyen, Blind-Link Founder and Director