OPEN DOOR has had the distinct honor of meeting some special children in need in southeast Asia. They are served by very dedicated staff. We have adopted several programs to support them, and we ask for your help. Please take a minute to read the information below about each project.

You can now donate directly to OPEN DOOR programs through our website using your credit or debit card, simply by clicking on DONATE NOW and following the instructions. Of course, you can also send a check if you prefer. OPEN DOOR is a non-profit 501(C)(3) organization.

Please take a minute to click on ASIA PHOTOS on the left and look at some of the faces your gift will be supporting. Remember, no gift is too small; even one dollar will buy enough rice for a child for several days. Mail your gift to:

             OPEN DOOR
             5812 S. Semoran Blvd.
             Orlando, FL 32822


TAIWAN, VIETNAM, AND THAILAND:

Our President has had the privilege of meeting with representatives of the governments in Taiwan, Vietnam, and Thailand. Each government has extended the best programs possible given their varied situations. The government leaders have proven to be committed public servants in keeping the children's issues a priority.

As in many places, unfortunately, there are limitations and constraints. Funding is the common denominator. There is never enough to provide all the programs the children need.

Let us tell you about some of our hopes and dreams for the children in these lands...these are the differences your donation or foundation grant can make.

TAIWAN:

Taiwan has a wonderful superstructure of government support and very dedicated leaders in both government and the private sector. One of the dreams for Taiwan is to provide the group home layer of placement for children and youth in out-of-home care. The gap between foster care and institutional settings is too wide.

Also, there is interest in developing a network of services for in-home preventative services. This is therapy and counseling in the home before it becomes necessary to remove the child from the home. This kind of intervention very often preserves the family and spares the child of the trauma of being removed from the home. It is also more cost-effective than placement.

OPEN DOOR has only recently initiated contact with the government leaders in Taiwan, and we hope to be of service to them in some form when funding allows. If you represent a grant-making organization, you may wish to consider the numerous advantages of these two programs for the children and youth of Taiwan.

VIETNAM:

OPEN DOOR has had the pleasure of supporting three homes for children in Vietnam; two in Ho Chi Minh City, and one in Dong Thap province. The children are absolutely delightful and gracious, and the leaders exude warmth and concern.

Take a look at the pictures by clicking the link on the left since most of the pictures are of these children. Unfortunately, our funding that we can send overseas is limited by law, and we ask for your individual donations to help support these goals:

1. Continued support of rice and clothing for the three homes we currently support: Long Hoa Home, Little Rose Shelter, and Maison Amour.

2. OPEN DOOR would like to conduct a six week study of forty homes for children in the Ho Chi Minh City area. The focus of the study is to evaluate the efforts and abilities of the homes to provide some form of occupational training or educational program for the children and youth.

The children raised in homes like these are at a major disadvantage for a healthy future. Their educations have often been disrupted, even their basic skills cannot compete with the average child. What is their hope of self-sufficiency in the future? What more can be done to help level the playing field for this segment of the child population?

3. Following the study, OPEN DOOR would like to seek grants and donations support to fund the recommended learning tools for the varied programs the homes may be able to provide. Perhaps a home for boys would like to build a classroom to teach the electrical or carpentry trades; another may have resources for teaching motorbike mechanics but lacks the funding for tools; and yet again a girls' home may wish to teach seamstress skills or cosmetology but lacks the equipment. Any or all of them may have a dream of educational programs to help the children in their charge have a better chance at entering college.

The relatively low cost of providing these buildings, tools, and teachers is insignificant in comparison with the loss of a single child's future, not to mention the loss to society if these children cannot become productive members.

THAILAND:

Our President has met with leaders three times in Thailand's Department of Juvenile Observation & Protection. It is the juvenile justice system in Thailand, which is responsible, among other duties, for providing a safe environment for youth who have been arrested while awaiting their trial.

The question that begs is this basic one with which all social workers struggle. What happens to these teens when they are returned home to the same environment that caused the problem in the first place?

Our dream for a project in Thailand is the establishment of a halfway house and sheltered workshop program. The teens need an array of counseling services that will foster a hope in them for earning a living honestly, without the need for selling drugs for income or to support a habit.

The government provides the action that interrupts a teen's drug affiliation; but who sustains the progress? Turning teens away from drugs and other crimes at this point in their lives is crucial. They need more than the laws can provide. They need hope, job training, and job placement assistance.

CONCLUSION:

If you have any questions at all about the dreams, goals, and programs in Asia that OPEN DOOR supports, please feel free to call the President of OPEN DOOR directly at (407) 381-3400. Thank you so much for caring. Come back and visit this page often. We'll do our best to keep it updated. Once we have a number of regular donors, we will send newsletters by e-mail to anyone who wishes them to keep you posted on the progress at each program.

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