Arkenstone, Inc., a non-profit organization  www.arkenstone.org   Moffett Field, California, USA.  Received: Open Book 4.01, Ruby Edition, reading system for blind and visually impaired . Value: approximately US$1,000.  We can now scan in our favorite English language books that will be converted to aural text and read to us.

National Library for the Blind, Stockport, England. We have now received many volumes of Braille music and literature.  The cash value is inestimateable.  Its true value to us exceeds all possible cash value.  Thank you.

Hewlett Packard - Vietnam, has donated a HP5200 scanner to work in conjunction with the Arkenstone Open Book software.  Thank you.

Computers to Help People, Inc.  Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Pledged: various Braille magazines.  No value assigned.  We thank you and wait for their delivery

Sight To the Blind by William Davis http://www.sighttotheblind.org has agreed to review the eye exams of the children and consider funding a journey to Vietnam with ophthalmologists to undertake (if it is deemed appropriate) sight restorative surgery for as many of the children as can be treated.  We are simply overwhelmed. Thank you.

AEA International - Vietnam, donna.burr@aeaintl.com  provided the services of one of its affiliated physicians to review and translate from Vietnamese to English the ophthalmologic reports from the eye exams give to most of us.  The translated reports are now being considered by physicians in the United States for possible further assistance.

New World Hotel Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Received (1) Party for 16 children, (2) Party for 20 children.  Value:   approximately US$ 200 plus use of staff supervision.  It was great fun, thank you.  Check them out at: http://www.saigon-tourist.com/hotels/newworld/newworld_info.htm

Saigon Water Park, Thanh Da, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Received (1) Free entry, use of all facilities, and lunch for 40 children.   Value: approximately  US$200 plus use of staff supervision.  This was the most exciting day in our lives. Read about its formation at: http://www.viam.com/june98/coverstory.html

Bettie Downing a Braille writer for the Library of Congress lives in Niceville, Florida has directed us to many potential resources, and we thank her. You can reach Bettie at bdowning@sprintmail.com

Karen Gearreald from Norfolk, Virginia has been a one-person supply shop for Braille music, packages of which are on the way, for which we thank her.  You can reach Karen at hadley@exis.net

Stamperia Braille  from Florence, Italy, under the guidance of Antonio Quatraro, has generously donated three copies Thompson's Piano instruction for beginners, Vols 1 and 2. Thank you.  You can reach Antonio at a.quatraro@fol.it

Associaione Montovan; Cavazzo of Bologna; and Bolzano Town, Italy   

Update - 2002: The two year program ended in November 2001. The School was not able to obtain a license required to take control of the Computer Center.  In December, 2001 control of the center passed to others which was also moved.  Now the kids from Bung Sang must commute - a costly and long bus or Honda-taxi ride - to teach others.  They have learned to accept disappointment, but we have not. Perhaps if we learn the reasons why this project did not fully succeed in its worthwhile goals we will all learn to be better prepared the next time.

Years ago they gave the school its first PC. Then in mid-1999, having found the school's web page, they advised me that funds were approved to donate a computer room, PCs, and an instructor to train 15-20 of the kids in Ho Chi Minh City for one year. Now, using their own hardware as well as that earlier donated, as well as the wonderful software given so generously to the school, it is pleasing that this is now all being put to good use. Thank you.  

Knowing that many are interested, it is very nice to show the completed computer room.

In a building down the alley and to the right from our school The photograph shows our new computer teachers early on the day of moving-in. Daylight and our alley-way can be seen outside the front door.	The room is freshly painted white. This is the first one of its kind that we've had in years. All the new equipment is on the floor waiting to be installed.  This is a view from the front to the back of the room.	Connecting all the wires from the CPU to the printers, embossers, screens and such is a job. Knowing which one goes where is just unbelievably easy, only after we know how.	Finished at last, here are our computer teachers relaxing after a full day's work. Notice - out the front door there is no longer any daylight!  It's been a long, and a productive effort

Henter-Joyce, Inc. in  St. Petersburg, FL  www.hj.com  donated two copies of JAWS for Windows, a gift worth over $1,600. This remarkable software package  gives the children a state-of-art opportunity to become fluent in the Windows family of office software, an essential element for mainstreaming the graduates. Thank you.

VIETNAM AIRLINES in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, donated two, round trip air tickets to assist two exceptional students to visit Bangkok and explore the possibility of attending a four-year, degree-bearing program of music at one of Asia's leading schools of music.  Thank you. The trip would not have been possible without your valued assistance.

VIETNAM VENTURE GROUP, INC.  The management and staff of Vietnam Venture Group, Inc.:  (1) Arrange and accompany the children on all outings, and provide transportation; (2) learn and then train & supervise the children's use of electronic Braille equipment, and computer hardware and software; (3)  assist with the preparation of the Bung Sang School's web page; (4) host the Bung Sang web page; (5) undertake and monitor solicitation campaigns to gather resources for the school by seeking donor support; (6) fund ophthalmologic exams for all the children; (7) seek ophthalmologic surgeons to consider potential for restorative surgery; (8) make all arrangements (including soliciting donations from Vietnam Airlines for tickets), and cover costs for passports, room, board, and ground transport, and making all appointments on a trip to Bangkok, Thailand for two exceptional musicians who auditioned for three schools as the lads seek a four year degree bearing program to study classical music; (9) ....

Dr. Juliana Chong, in association with many others from Australia, spearheaded the collection and transfer to the School's bank account with the HSBC the amazing sum of US$ 7,500 with which the school will purchase a Braille Express 100 Embosser. It has a huge 400-page memory that will allow the school to undertake the largest jobs and embosse at 100 characters per second. In production, it is estimated that a Braille Express 100, used for five hours a day can produce over 350,000 pages of Braille in a year.

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