The purpose of the foundation known as Stichting K.I.D.S (Kids in Distress) is for the accommodation, care and schooling of the street children in Vietnam. We do this by setting up shelters for street children. In this way K.I.D.S provides a dignified existence, an education and a happy childhood for more than 115 children in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City.
The idea is quite simple and that’s how we like to see it. K.I.D.S recruits and manages the money that is needed for (medical) care, education and accommodation for the street children. In Ho Chi Minh City K.I.D.S. works together with WOCA, a local charity organisation. Locally the WOCA monitors the exploitation of the shelters and makes sure the money is spent correctly.
100 % of the money that K.I.D.S. collects is spent on the children. There is no rake-off. The members of the board of K.I.D.S. and all other volunteers do their work completely selflessly and free of charge. Travel and accommodation fees made by the board are paid completely out of their own pocket. The costs in The Netherlands are limited to the strictly necessary bank and web hosting costs.
115 children between the ages of 4 and 18 live safely, are cared for and receive education, quite normal you would say…
But for the street children in Ho Chi Minh City life is quite different. Many of the children in the shelters come from broken homes. Their father or mother is simply unable to bring up the children. Poverty, serious diseases, addiction, criminality and detention are often the causes of the problems. The children are the victims and end up on the street. Clearly children do not always behave correctly, on the street survival of the fittest applies. Generally they come into contact with the police at a young age. The police have shelters and from there they come into one of our houses via W.O.C.A. If there is room…
The K.I.D.S. policy is that it is best for a child to grow up in a homely surrounding, with a family. K.I.D.S. does the utmost to put up a child with family after a period of rest. In this way places come free again for new children in the shelter. It is not always possible to let children stay with family. In this case a child stays for a longer period in a shelter. On average half of the children stay in a shelter for a long period of time, for the other half this varies.
The first K.I.D.S. house was built in 1999 and was provided with new floors and paint in 2011. 26 girls between the ages of 5 and 17 find a safe home here. In the heart of district 6, 20 minutes by taxi to and from the centre, 5 minutes from the schools ànd the municipal swimming pool!
Once it used to be Julius Jaspers’ prime example house, and after the death of co-founder Jean Houleiman in 2008 it became part of K.I.D.S.. Lemon Grass House is situated in the Red Cross district 3, which is 10 minutes from the centre and at present it houses 26 boys.
Since January 2012 this house has been managed by K.I.D.S. The house can accommodate 20 boys and is situated in district 2, which is 20 minutes-drive to and from the centre of Ho Chi Minh City. In November 2012 the house was re-painted by volunteers from the Netherlands. We are very proud of the result, the house looks beautiful again.
In Vietnam the alarm clock goes at 6 a.m. It’s light and it gets hot quickly. The female cook has been to the market and after washing and getting dressed a typically Vietnamese breakfast awaits. Brushing teeth and off to school! Half of the children go to school in the morning and the other half go in the afternoon. The ‘kids back home’ receive lessons in the shelter. Lunch takes place at home between 11 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. and bikes and cyclos (bicycle taxis for the little ones) come and go. After lunch tranquillity returns and the other half is at school. Time for in-house English lessons and computer lessons. When everyone is at home the homework is done and there is time for sports, playing and relaxing. Vietnam has a 6 day school week, Sundays is for relaxing, sports and culture.
A birthday, an anniversary or business success? Donors and sponsors of K.I..D.S. have the most diverse reasons to support K.I.D.S. But most of the time money is given without a direct cause, simply out of compassion for the street children. For 1.5 Euros a day you give a Vietnamese boy or girl a dignified existence and a better future. Please donate and make a difference to a street child in Vietnam.
The Stichting K.I.D.S. has the PBI status which means that K.I.D.S. is considered by the Belastingdienst [Tax Office] as being a Public Benefit Institution. Therefore your gifts can be deducted from the taxable income. For more information visit the website of the belastingdienst.
Do you wish to make a single financial donation? Have you e.g. organised a sponsor activity in aid of the Stichting K.I.D.S.? Or has your child collected money by doing odd jobs? All donations, small and large, are very welcome.
The Lemongrass House has 30 beds. For each bed the Stichting K.I.D.S. needs a sponsor. We prefer to talk about beds rather than about children. Children come and go, because we always try to let them stay with family. But the beds remain there and are slept in by the new residents. Generally the beds are adopted for a period of 5 years. The yearly amount is 600 Euros.
A sponsor is a person or company connected to one or more shelters for a longer period of time. A sponsor’s contribution can be financial, by means of gifts with which the exploitation of the shelter is covered wholly or partly. A company can also contribute by supplying products or services. In The Netherlands (e.g. for the purpose of a K.I.D.S. charity event) or in Vietnam itself. The sponsors will be mentioned on the sponsor page if they so wish.
