Fundraising walk to help children by 2 foreign guys

Sean Down (left) and Jake Norris at a coffee shop in Ho Chi Minh City on the morning of February 23 - Photo: BINH MINH

Departing in December 2023, after 3 months, the two young men arrived in Ho Chi Minh City. Meeting Tuoi Tre Online, they talked a lot about the unforgettable memories on the journey, about their feelings for the country, people and children of Vietnam.

Hope to help Vietnamese children

Jake came to Vietnam with his girlfriend 7 years ago, planning to stay in this S-shaped country for only a year and then leave. But his love for Vietnam has kept the Australian guy here for the past 7 years. And now it's a project to help children.

Similarly, Sean came to Vietnam 5 years ago, also planned to stay for a year but has stayed until now.

The two, who work as English teachers in Hanoi, became close friends before Jake asked Sean to join the walking trip.

"I started the idea about 3 years ago, when I returned to Australia to visit my family and got stuck due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With my love for Vietnam, I had to do something to contribute to the community here," Jake said.

Back in Vietnam, Jake started a fundraising walk with a friend. But only for a short time because of the COVID-19 pandemic, all activities were interrupted.

“Early February last year, I shared this idea with Sean and he suggested we restart the journey together,” he said.

Then they both quit their current jobs, started planning and officially departed on December 2, 2023.

Jake said that according to UNICEF statistics, about 5.5 million Vietnamese children live in a lack of clean water, sanitation, education and health care, and about 5% of children face the risk of human trafficking.

They said the S-shaped strip of land has given them many things, delicious food, beautiful tourist attractions, and good friends. And they want to contribute something to help disadvantaged children and fight against human trafficking. They said they want to give back to Vietnam.

Every child helped can contribute to changing the whole family and further sowing good seeds for the community.

Jake Norris and Sean Down

Sean Down on the Vietnam Charity Walk fundraising journey - Photo: NVCC

Jake Norris on the Vietnam Charity Walk fundraising journey - Photo: NVCC

Get wet in the rain and eat raw tofu

They set off at around 5am and stopped at 3pm each day. Unlike Jake, who is used to exercising, Sean said he struggled to keep up with the journey because he was not used to much exercise.

Both are vegetarians so finding suitable food on the go can be a bit of a hassle.

"Once at a restaurant, even though we tried to describe the words 'fried tofu, fried tofu' using both words and a phone app, our Vietnamese was not fluent, and the locals didn't understand, so they brought out raw tofu for both of us to eat with white rice," Jake laughed.

Because they are vegetarians, many times on the journey they were doubted whether they had enough strength to walk the long distance.

The weather in our country also made it quite difficult for the two of them. When they were near Ha Tinh, they were caught in a rainstorm for nearly two weeks. There was a time when it rained heavily for three consecutive days, but they continued their journey in the rain to ensure progress.

"The camera was wrapped in many layers of plastic, but the luggage and clothes were soaked. I dried the clothes under the fan at the motel, but the next morning they still weren't dry, so I had to wear my wet clothes and set off despite the freezing weather," Jake recalled.

Not to mention Sean was sick for the entire week in Hue. His companion had traveled 73km in one day, but Sean was forced to take a taxi after a few kilometres because he couldn't stand it anymore.

The soles of his feet are still full of calluses and peeling skin from hiking for hours, but for Sean, these experiences have changed him: "I'm more open to new things, doing things I never thought I could do."

Photo taken by Jake and Sean on the journey - Photo: NVCC

Plans to publish a book after the trip

Jake and Sean have raised about $35,000 through the page http://gogetfunding.com/vietnam-charity-walk/. They aim to raise $200,000, which they will send to charities to support disadvantaged children and fight human trafficking.

The fundraising activity from the walk will continue for another month. Meanwhile, Jake plans to publish a photo book with about 60 of the best photos taken along the journey to continue raising funds, expected to be published in Vietnam and Australia.

Jake said the most impressive thing is that Vietnamese people are friendly, open and willing to help others. Despite the ups and downs of war, Vietnamese people are always open to welcome and connect with international friends.

"One day, we passed by a group of four people eating and drinking. They invited us to sit with them. Many people asked us questions and about 5 minutes later, they came back and gave us food and drinks, even though they didn't have much money," they said.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hanh-trinh-di-bo-gay-quy-giup-do-tre-em-cua-2-chang-trai-nuoc-ngoai-20240223141253228.htm