ESBI visits Christina Noble Children Foundation Centre in Vietnam

On a recent business trip to Vietnam, an ESBI Management delegation took time out to visit the Christina Noble Children Foundation (CNCF) centre in Ho Chi Minh City. The delegation met with Nick Pistolas, Vietnamese Project Director, who gave the group a tour of the facilities catering for newborn babies and children aged up to those in their early teens.

The centre is comprised of classrooms, day care facilities and a medical clinic that provides support for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, some of whom are without any family support. Over the past 10 years, both ElectricAid and ESBI have sponsored a number of projects to help the Foundation run various outreach initiatives, including street shelters, as well as a very active sports programme. As part of the sports programme, football matches are regularly arranged between the Foundation's young Sunshine team and some of the prestigious international schools in the city.

"The sense of dignity displayed by the children is a direct result of the loving care they have received at the centre," says Ollie Brogan, Manager ESBI Engineering and Facility Management. "It seems far removed from the horror of the street life that they have endured previously. Over the years that ESBI has worked in Vietnam, a large number of staff have visited the Foundation and all have been struck by the high level of professionalism and commitment of the staff. This experience has left a lasting impression on staff and like Ciarna PHAM VAN (née Hackett), one of the few expatriate full time staff, the experience has led people to volunteer."

During the recent visit, CNCF Project Director Nick Pistolas spoke of his appreciation of the long association that has existed between ESB and the Foundation in Vietnam. Projects sponsored by ESB include a shelter for girls in Ho Chi Minh city, which was initiated by Chief Executive, Padraig McManus, during his tenure as Director of ESB International. Currently, ElectricAid is involved in sponsoring a kindergarten in Phu Dien, located in the southwest of Vietnam close to Cambodia and about 170 km from Ho Chi Minh City. The kindergarten will provide facilities for up to 150 children aged between three and six. We will bring you further developments in a future.