The end of the year according to the Lunar calendar is a time when people in Vietnam look back on the successes or failures of the past year. It is a time for reflecting on lessons learned and looking forward to making the year ahead a success. During Tet, the Lunar New Year, Vietnamese people always want to share and give love to others with the hope that everyone will have a warm and full celebration.

Leading up to the Tet holiday, CDS wanted to extend a loving hand to children in Phu Ninh district, Quang Nam province, which is about 80 km from Da Nang City. CDS visited and gave gifts to students at two centers, one for disabled children and one for Deaf students.

The gifts included suitable second-hand clothes, second-hand toys, Banh Chung, Banh Tet (traditional cakes enjoyed during the Tet holiday in Vietnam), and bags of rice. All these gifts were collected by the parents, students, teachers, and employees of CDS, who desired to share love with other children.

It was a meaningful trip, with students and teachers gaining a new respect and appreciation for each other. One CDS student commented, “I really admire the teachers at the center who are teaching other children with disabilities… so that they can integrate into society. After the trip, I love the teachers of CDS – who always work hard to teach us.”

Another student shared, “Although there was a language barrier, the children were very friendly, and wanted to communicate and take pictures. I felt very emotional.”

CDS students were also able to reunite with their friends from Summer Camp. One enthusiastically reported, “I enjoyed this trip very much, because I got to see Deaf students from the school in Phu Ninh. Every year on the occasion of camp, I get to meet my friends from Phu Ninh, but this was the first time to visit their school.”

This pre-Tet trip was a wonderful opportunity for all involved!