COMMUNITY CENTER  The Community Center will be ten different buildings to provide families with access to all of our programs and services that contribute to their community’s long-term growth and sustainability.  Our Community Center will provide a centralized point for all Catalyst programs and services.

DISPLACED PERSONS PROGRAM, IDENTITY PAPERS  Our goal is to obtain an identity card so that every community member has access to public schools, right to own housing, medical care and banks; so that they can obtain a marriage and birth certificates.

ANTI TRAFFICKING PROGRAM  Our Anti-Trafficking Program provides intensive case management for victims including social and legal services, as well as referrals for other support.

EARLY CHILDHOOD FAMILY EDUCATION  Our Early Childhood Family Education Program provides children with insurance and access to the public health clinic, and prenatal and postnatal care.

PROTECTION OF SEXUALLY ABUSED CHILDREN  Our social workers and local authorities organize activities to improve the living standards and spirits of the victims and to teach others about abuse and create a rape awareness and prevention program.

HOUSING  Catalyst Foundation works to provide safe housing for families living in extreme poverty.

The lives of the families in the community are highly uncertain. They are extremely vulnerable to the smallest of economic shocks or catastrophic ones such as an illness or death. There is no option for saving or a program in place to help these families in need. 51.4% of the community is in debt to pay just for basic needs. 32.4% for health care and medical emergencies. 71.6% of the community borrows from an individual, such as “loan sharks”, with compounding interest schemes.

Catalyst Foundation’s microcredit loans are offered in stages where borrowers demonstrate credit worthiness by their participation in the savings program.  Previously savings and credit were only available at high interest rates and were not an option to community members without any identity papers. Available to the community, Catalyst Foundation’s revolving funds require a mandatory weekly deposit amounts are 10,000 VND from each participant (not family) and the mandatory savings interest rate is 0.5% on a monthly basis. Vocational Training students qualify for a microcredit loans after completing the step of vocational training and apprenticeship. The school children are are also actively participating in their own Children’s Savings Fund.

Catalyst Foundation firmly believes that the most effective way to break the cycle of poverty in an individual child’s life is to strategically empower whole communities by educating, providing training and employment, building safe dwellings, and empowering children to stand up with dignity.  There has been no internal organization for the community to educate, help one another and vocalize their needs.

Catalyst Foundation has developed a program to establish core life skills within the community including decision-making and problem solving, developing self-awareness and empathy, raising awareness of and actively combating child trafficking, and household financial literacy.  Catalyst Foundation is currently working to obtain identity cards for all of our community members within the next 2 years.  Without an identity card, a person has no access to public schools, doctors, hospitals or banks, cannot obtain a marriage certificate, which then cancels any right to a birth certificate and then repeats the cycle another generation.

The children in the community have no real employment opportunities except to follow their parents and work in the garbage dump. 64.9% of the community’s families work at the dumpsite and collect waste material. 25.7% of the children under the ages of 18 work with their families at the dumpsite.

The Project Backpack Sponsorship Program is focused on providing full physical and mental health resources for students, ages 5-18.  It allows at-risk children for the first time to have a normal, healthy life. A life we take for granted but to them is a luxury that includes the basic necessities of education, food and safety.

We have tailored each level of sponsorship to address the specific age and educational requirements of our children.

1.  Project Milkbox – $250 annual donation for our primary school students.  This is our original “project backpack”, which includes education, uniforms, books, family food allowance, and starting soon a balanced nutritional lunch at the school everyday.

2. Project Lunchbox – $280 annual donation for our high school students. This package is designed to support our teen’s educational needs, supplementary learning supplies, pre-vocational classes, additional food, and life skills instruction.

3.  Project Toolbox – $350 annual donation for our vocational training students. This package supports the young adults learning a trade and provides additional funds for wage compensation, training supplies, certified instructors, and certification costs upon completion.

As avid photographers, we feel the need to extend that beauty and feeling of individualized expression to all.  As part of our social worker’s individual program with each adopted child, we will be using a wonderful program called “Photovoice”.

“Photovoice” is a participatory photography and digital storytelling methodology proposed by Caroline C. Wang and Mary Ann Burris 1994. They described it as a process that “entrusts cameras to the hands of people to enable them to act as recorders, and potential catalysts for change, in their own communities.”

We feel that it is appropriate for our participants to fully capture their thoughts before, during, and after the trip, especially in moments where words may be inadequate.  This takes the tour to the next level as it becomes more than just a travel experience but builds an understanding of who each participant is on this journey.

In preparation for the Culture Tour, you will work directly with Caroline Ticarro-Parker, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Catalyst Foundation, and Linh Song.  Linh has a Masters of Social Work from the University of Michigan. She has been working with the adoption community for nearly 10 years.  She has extensive experience working closely with adoptive families, including supporting a variety of cultural events, over 5 years experience with the Vietnam Culture Camp, and founder of a Michigan based mentoring program for children adopted from Asia.

Prior to the trip, you will hear first-hand accounts by adoptees and their parents about their own homeland tour experiences. We will provide supplemental materials that include webinar presentations and readings appropriate for the family to share and discuss with each other.  As participants map out their activities, the same approach will be taken to map out what can be done to make the trip an emotionally empowering one.

Our next Cultural Tour will be:

August 1-12, 2012 – Hanoi to HCMC
(Arrive in Hanoi on August 2 – Tour Ends in Saigon-HCMC on August 12)

The tour will start off in the stylishly quaint city of Hanoi, then visit the natural beauty of Ha Long Bay, moving farther south to the ancient capital of Hue, stopping to visit the historic town and relaxing beaches of Hoi An, and finally touring the Mekong Delta and stopping in the hypnotically busy modern Saigon.  This tour will immerse you in Vietnam’s cultural and geographic diversity while including historical tours and a lot of relaxation.

The cost is $2500 per person, which includes:

• 4/5-Star accommodations and meals (evening of Day 2 through Day 12)
• Personalized guided tour with Caroline Nguyen Ticarro-Parker
• Private transportation

The Tour fee does NOT include:

• International airfare/visas to Hanoi
• Domestic airfare in Vietnam (estimated $200/person)
• Personal expenses (laundry, bar, snacks, etc.)

Terms: Deposit $500 per person non-refundable
Reservations must be made by May 1, 2012.
Balance due 45 days before departure.

Parties of ten or more can customize their own itinerary and schedule. Prices will be adjusted accordingly.  Please contact us via email tour@catalystfoundation.org.