It is wonderful to welcome visitors and Hold the Future is fortunate to receive many. The first week in August was no different with VSO sending an officer from London to pay the Centre a visit.

VSO is the world’s leading independent international development organisation that works through volunteers to fight poverty in developing countries. VSO brings people together to share skills, build capabilities, promote international understanding and action, and change lives to make the world a fairer place for all.

Hold the Future is fortunate that VSO has selected the Centre to become a partner. This means that Hold the Future receives the support of VSO as well as the benefit of the services of a volunteer.

The programmes that VSO supports in Vietnam focus on disability and HIV/AIDS. Recently some volunteers have arrived in the country to work with Minority Groups.

The current volunteer working at Hold the Future is Anja Merret. Anja is at the Centre as a Business Developer to support the handicraft production. She also helps with fund raising. Anja is an MBA graduate and has 30 years experience in managing small to mid-size businesses of which 9 years were as general manager to a vocational training centre.

Claire Whitehill, VSO’s Regional Support Officer, was accompanied by Luong Thi Quynh Lan VSO Vietnam’s Disability Officer. Claire thoroughly enjoyed her visit. She was touched by the wonderful warm reception she received from all the disabled young people studying and learning at the Centre.

She was also amazed at the skills and creative talents and ended up buying many of the lovely handicraft products made by the members of the Centre to take home with her back to London.

On the way there she asked us what the Centre makes. The range is quite something and we had to say in the end, wait until you see it.

There’s traditional Vietnamese embroidery, sewing and tailoring, carpentry used for making picture frames and boxes. Rolled paper is used to make lovely small jewellery boxes and greeting cards, recycled paper is used for notepads. Then there are crocheted toys, bamboo art and the list goes on.

Have a look at Hold the Future’s new Wikipedia page to view a few of the products made by the very talented young people working at Hold the Future.