Paddy's Jewel

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.