On our last trip to Khai Tri Orphanage (Summer 2009), I gave my flip video to some of the kids and then uploaded a dozen small vldeos to my YouTube channel.

Today's visit was to provide some basic medical aid for the kids

We visited the Khai Tri orphanage today with some medical supplies. We think most of the cuts and infections are a result of poor hygiene and lack of proper adult supervision.



Currently there are only three full-time adult staff (Mr. Thi, Mr. Son, Ms. Nguyet). Mr. Son is in charge of the medicine cabinet and clearly is not trained with the skills that most Mother's in the U.S. learn the first year of raising a kid. The kids scrapes and bruises are much worst than last year or the year before.

Last July, we had a bus load of Doctors, Dentist & Nurses from Medical Aid for Vietnam and the kids were healthy. In 2007 on our trip, we noticed the kids were spotless and washed their hands before each meal. Now the lack of adult supervision is causing the kids hardship which could be easily resolved with more staff.

Spring 2009 Update from Vietnam

I am in Vietnam and taught a workshop on emerging learning technologies at An Giang University this week. There are several learning technologies that we discussed would be good to research for elementary classrooms.

We have purchase some of the classroom learning technologies for donating to a needy school in Vietnam that will be able to provide teachers skilled and able to teach with technology. Next week, I will visit Khai Tri Orphanage and publish my status report on this blog.

e-Learning for Kids Announces New Advisory Board Member

E-Learning for Kids (EFK, www.e-learningforkids.org), a global nonprofit foundation dedicated to providing free online learning for children 5-12, today announced the addition of Dirk Tussing, the Executive Director of the Learning Executive Exchange in Chicago, to its Advisory Board.

To read the press release which includes a reference to our project at Khai Tri, click here.

"Mr. Tussing has been involved with e-Learning for Kids for more than a year now and has supported the organization in numerous ways. These include championing the foundation with the Rotary Clubs from around the world, implementing the EFK courses in Vietnam at the Khai Tri Orphanage, building a social networking site for the foundation (http://elearningforkids.ning.com/) where one can join a group, view photos from schools around the world using the EFK courseware, download a poster about EFK in over ten languages, teleport to an Orientation Center for the foundation in SecondLife, read a blog, or informally learn more. "

Chicago fundraising event with e-Learning For Kids founder, Nick van Dam

e-Learning For Kids founder, Nick van Dam, visited us in Chicago from Amsterdam while he was in the United States for work. Nick shared information on the free and fun computer-based learning programs that now has grown to over 150 courses to 250 executives who help provide learning programs to companies.

Photos of this e-learningforkids fundraising Chicago event are available on facebook: visit
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=176856&l=9e7ca&id=668525312 to see pics.

THANK YOU DONORS FOR OUR PROJECT: An Giang University & Rotary Helping Homeless Children at Khai Tri in Vietnam

We have raised enough money for purchasing two SMART Boards through their Seed Program and eight www.ClassmatePC.com with Solid-State-Drives.

Our Chicago Volunteers helping in the Kitchen

Newest young visitor from Tom's home town in Long Xuyen (thanks to Dillon International)

Our Team Expressing our Thank You to Our Donors

We had a wonderful turn out for our 2nd Annual Vietnamese Benefit Dinner at Hadley School for the Blind (Winnetka, IL). We have raised enough donations (nearly $5,000) to start working purchasing the new state-of-the-art technology for Khai Tri Orphanage & An Giang University Foreign Language Department to help build English skills by adding creativity curricula in rural elementary education. You can click the SMART Board below and take a flash tour of the wall-mounted version we plan to donate two SMART Boards: one at Khai Tri Orphanage and one at An Giang University in the Foreign Language Department (English). Now that we have the funds donated we will need to next work on the Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with the help of the Library of Vietnam NGO (www.LibraryOfVietnam.com).



We still need to find donors for two LCD Projectors (required for each SMART Board) and eight more CMPC with SSD to complete the desired next phase. Please contact me via email at Rotary@learningexecutive.com if you want to help.

Emerging Technology Fair for Kids Learning (Oct 9th, Chicago)

As I get to know Nick van Dam better and have watched the ways our network of thought leaders have been helping kids around the world, it’s amazing to learn about the new technologies that are now available. With my travels this last year to remote corners of the earth, I have been able to collect several hard to find emerging technologies. For example, have you heard of MIT’s $100 OLPC laptop or the new Intel-powered ClassmatePC – would you like trying to use them? If you would, then join us at this emerging technology fair for kids.

We are hosting this session at SMART Technologies’ downtown Chicago office; they are helping us secure a state-of-the-art interactive whiteboard for the Khai Tri Orphanage Innovation Center we helped built with the Rotary Club of Winnetka-Northfield and Library Project of Vietnam.

We also will be dem9nstrating Nick van Dam’s e-LearningForKids free and fun educational computer software for kids ages 5-12. You can watch a recent global CNBC broadcast on July, 12th 2008 of Nick’s foundation directly from YouTube:



For more information, click here.