Growing, Growing, Growing........

June 2013
It's hard to believe a year has slipped by with no BLOG. Despite my best intentions time has gotten away from me.
We have had a busy year at Paddy's Jewel with many changes. From just 2 children when we began Paddy's Jewel we know have 7 ....... with at least 3 more on the waiting list. One of our teachers left after getting married & we have employed another teacher.

Last year I was saddened to hear that two of our children have left Paddy's Jewel. Trinh & Linh have both returned to the Boarding School in Da Nang. Trinh's Mum came to see me to thank us for our assistance. She explained the reason she had taken Trinh out of our school and sent her back to the boarding school was because the family were having so many problems controlling her. Her Mum reported that while Trinh was extremely well behaved while she was at school with us every day the family were not able to control her at home. I wish I had known about this before as we could have looked at some methods of helping the family with their difficulties. Trinh's Mum hopes that when Trinh can behave "normally" we will accept her back at Paddy's Jewel. I had to explain to her that it would depend on whether or not we will have any vacancies at the time. Linh left because her Mum had to go to work in Da Nang & her Dad wasn't able to manage both Linh & her younger sister alone!

We have since accepted four more children into our school. I will post more information on the children in the next BLOG ...... which will not be in 12 months!

Last December we were thrilled to meet Michael Schwartz, his wife Trisha & their daughter Brianna. Michael is a Professor at Syracuse University in the US ...... he is also deaf. We had a wonderful visit with them including taking our children & parents out for dinner. It was such a unique opportunity for our parents to meet someone who is deaf AND has a fantastically successful life. Michael is in the process of, hopefully, organising ongoing contact & support between Paddy's Jewel & Syracuse University. For me personally, it was wonderful to have this family tell me that we are doing great work - I have no experience in education ....... let alone education for Deaf & Hard of Hearing. So it was great to receive such positive feedback from Michael, Trisha & Brianna.

Before I left Hoi An in April I had several families come to me with their two year old children wanting them to join us. For a long time now I have been aware of the need for an Early Intervention Programme but, due to a severe lack of funds, I have pushed it to the back of my mind in the "Too Hard" basket! However, with families now coming directly to me I think the Universe is telling me something & I need to listen. So I am now actively looking for financial help to start this much needed programme. Don't get me wrong ..... I'm not looking for mega bucks. Looking at the figures we can start this programme for $300.00 per month. Due to my commitments with the two classrooms we currently run there is no way I can stretch my budget to include another programme. I'm hoping that if I can't find individuals who will commit to a small monthly donation maybe there are some groups out there who would like to fund this classroom. Groups can be anyone ....... extended family members, work colleagues, friends, classmates ...... the more people in the group the cheaper it is!!! If you are interested in supporting this programme please send me an email at mai@paddysjewel.org Obviously I would love it if you would pass this on to others.

Summer Holidays

Summer Holidays have begun in Hoi An & our staff are enjoying a well earned break. The school term ended with a party for the children & their parents and all the children receiving certificates for their work. 

Our teacher, Vui, (2nd from the left in the back row) is spending her vacation attending a training course in Ha Noi. The knowledge & skills that she will receive will benefit not only Vui but also Paddy's Jewel children.

Thanks to a group of students from Brighton Secondary School in South Australia we have now employed a second teacher. Lan (at the right in the back row) joined us in the last few weeks of the term. With a second teacher we are now able to take on a few  more children. Initial screenings have begun with these new students & they will begin class when school starts again in a month.

Thanks to some good friends we were able to borrow the money needed to move into a bigger house. We now have 2 separate classrooms & the rent has been paid for 6 months! Both teachers live at the house, rent free, as part of their employment package. 

In April we were visited by our namesake Paddy McCann from Coastal Villas in New Zealand. Paddy enjoyed his 6 days in Hoi An - especially meeting our "Jewels". 

Paddy time spent helping the children with their school work - especially Trinh seen below.

When school re-commences in a month we will begin the task of trying to find sponsors for our children. As we expand I am finding it difficult to fund Paddy's Jewel from my salary. I am hoping that there will be people out there who are interested in sponsoring a child. Please feel free to pass on our details to family, friends & work colleagues. In the meantime we are enjoying our summer holiday. Best Wishes, Mai

March 2012

It's hard to believe we are already 3/4 of the way through March. We have had several changes since our last Blog.
A very stressful time was had by all as our teacher decided that teaching was not the career he wanted. It was a particularly stressful time for me as I was worried we would have to close the classroom so soon after we opened. After many sleepless nights a solution was found. We have a new teacher - although she is not a qualified teacher. Pham Thi Kim Vui has a university degree and is proving to be one of the best teachers I have seen. She has a natural teaching ability and is loved by the children. We hope that Vui will spend many long and happy years with us.

Our teacher Vui

The house we rent for the classroom is proving to be too small, too hot and too dangerous – electrically. Thanks to local friends we have found a bigger house. Unfortunately, I cannot be seen anywhere near the house until the contract has been signed – the rent will double if a Westerner is involved! We had to have many discussions with our current landlord for him to agree that we could leave the house 6 months earlier than the contract states. Very sincere thanks to the friends & family involved who have lent me the money to pay six months’ rent in advance.

We are currently turning away, on average, one child a week. Word is spreading in the community that there is a school for deaf children in Hoi An. Unfortunately, we are unable to take on more children until we can afford (and find) a second teacher.

We have received word from the Vietnamese parishioners of Bellingham (USA) that they will make a donation to Paddy’s Jewel. From April until November they have elected to donate a percentage of their collections from one Mass a month. Our very grateful thanks to these parishioners for their generosity – even though they are no longer living in Viet Nam they continue to help children from their home country.


This month we purchased a new hearing aid for one of our children. Trinh's hearing aid was already broken when we started our classroom in December 2011. We were able to fit her with a second hand hearing aid that was kindly donated to us by Scott Panter of Bay Audiology on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand. Last week this hearing aid was also broken - I have no idea what this child does with her hearing aids! Unfortunately here in Viet Nam they won't repair hearing aids that you haven't bought from them! We decided it was time for Trinh to have a new hearing aid. After a trip to Da Nang Trinh now has a new hearing aid ..... that she tells is is very loud! 

Trinh in class

At the beginning of April we will welcome one of our namesakes to Hoi An. My Father, Paddy McCann, arrives from New Zealand on April 3rd. We are all very excited about his visit and I am looking forward to introducing him to his latest "Jewels". Watch for an update on his visit next month. Best Wishes, Mai.

Boxing Day 2011

As most people in the West enjoy the Boxing Day Sales & (in Australia) the Boxing Day Test I am sitting in my "office" (aka my Lounge) listening to the children upstairs going through their lessons. Who would have thought that Hearing Impaired children could be so noisy! After a few initial teething problems Paddy's Jewel classes are well under way. Many of the parents were reluctant to take their children out of the Boarding School - mainly because they were concerned that we will be a "fly by night" organisation (here one day, gone the next) & their children will be left with no education. I'm pleased to say the parents, & more importantly the children, are now very settled & happy. This is due largely to our fantastic teacher Xuân Thông Phan (pictured below with the children). Thông has shown me that teaching methods in Việt Nam ARE changing for the better. He is a very progressive young teacher who shows great promise.

The teenage girl on the Right of the photo is Nguyễn Thị Lành. Lành, ( also Hearing Impaired). Like the majority of Hearing Impaired children in Việt Nam she has never been to school. Until 2 weeks ago Lành was working 7 days a week, for up to 12 hours a day, making lanterns for the tourists - earning AUS$42.00 a month. Although Paddy's Jewel can only afford to pay her AUS$46.00 a month her working conditions have greatly improved. Lành now works 5 days a week from 7.30am - 4.30pm. During that time she shops for food at the local market, cooks lunch for the children & washes up after lunch. For the remainder of the day she is free to join in the classes with the other children. This child is such a quick learner - if someone had been able to help her when she was the age of the other children in Paddy's Jewel I have no doubt she would now be at University. For the first time in her life Lành is enjoying learning - but not only learning. She is enjoying communicating & socialising with others. Life has changed for one child in Hội An.

The children, staff & volunteers of Paddy's Jewel wish you all a belated Merry Christmas. With Best Wishes, Mái.

October 2011

October 2011

It's been a long while since our first Blog - apologies for the delay. Life has been busy & our Blog has definitely been pushed to the back burner. I have been working in Sydney to earn enough money to pay for the children's educational costs - hopefully for the next 6 months. I'm due to return home to Viêt Nam on November 5th ..... just in time for some huge changes within Paddy's Jewel .......

We have been feeling somewhat dissatisfied with the Boarding School the children are attending in Đà Nẵng. Our intention was always to find a Vietnamese teacher who would teach the children in their hometown of Hôi An. However, for a variety of reasons, this has been an impossible task to accomplish. Recently, thanks to my good friend Lê Nguễn Diệu Trinh , we now have a teacher for the children.

Lê Nguễn Diệu Trinh

This is great news as they will soon be taught in their hometown which means they can remain at home with their families. At the moment our teacher, Phan Xuân Thông is learning Sign Language but we hope to have him start teaching by the end of November. Along with the new teacher we also need a "school". We are currently looking for a suitable house in Hôi An that we can rent as a classroom.

When I return to Hôi An I will finally have some time to begin compiling a Biography on each child. 2012 will be a year changes for Paddy's Jewel & we are looking forward to a fantastic year. Best Wishes, Mái. 

Welcome to the Paddy's Jewel Blog. The website has taken much longer than anticipated to get up & running but we are finally there. We are still performing some fine tuning so please bear with us for a little longer. Over the coming weeks we will be updating our information & photos on our children so please re-visit the Website & Blog or join our mailing list for automatic updates.

April 2011 is a great month to become fully operational as April 28th is International Pay It Forward Day 2011 www.payitforwardday.com

Although our children had hearing tests before they began attending the Boarding School last year I am not convinced of the accuracy of these tests. We have just been given the name of a different hearing service in Da Nang so, next month, we will take the children to be re-tested. On a recent trip home to New Zealand I was fortunate to meet Scott Panter. Scott is the Charge Clinician at Bay Audiology Ltd on the Kapiti Coast. Scott has kindly agreed to offer his support to Paddy’s Jewel & will be assessing the hearing results of our children & offering his expert advice. Thanks Scott, we are very grateful for your expertise.

Our first fundraising event was held in New Zealand in 2010. Organized by my eldest sister Teresa Francis, & our friend Laura van Peer, we had a very successful night selling products from Viet Nam. The night was made all the more enjoyable by the homemade breads & soups also on sale – Thanks also to another 2 sisters, Cait Barrett & Roisin Hannah for helping with the cooking …. & the cleaning up!

School fees are due again this month. Thanks to my lovely sister, Teresa, the money is already in the bank! Teresa has been quietly fundraising over the past year through her numerous craft groups.  

After a rather slow beginning (nothing happens quickly in Viet Nam!) we are beginning to see results. Our three children are very happy at school & are showing great improvement. Now they have a chance at a future. As our funds increase we can look to increasing the number of children we send to school. Our very grateful thanks to those who have helped us to be where we are today. Best Wishes, Mai.