Social Support Center Assistant

Volunteers work at three centers in Da Nang – the Social Support Center, the Red Cross Children Home and the Rehabilitation and Education Center for Children with disabilities. This is the primary placement for our volunteers, although it encompasses a wide array of activities at multiple locations. The assignments volunteers rotate between while working with this program and include:

·       Child care

·       Educational activities for children with special needs

·       Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy

·       Field trips with the seniors

·       General improvement projects

·       Sports & enrichment activities 

The Social Support Center in Da Nang is where the bulk of our program activities occur. This government-run facility is home to 200 residents who are either elderly or physically or mentally disabled. Volunteers are able to participate in a variety of tasks and quickly become familiar with many of the residents. The programs volunteers assist with are:

• Physiotherapy & Occupational Therapy: After some brief training from Vy, our Head of Therapeutic Programming, volunteers are able to assist with physio and occupational therapy. These tasks involve hands-on work with residents who have Cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, or have suffered a stroke. The Center is equipped with an array of supplemental tools and equipment, as well as support staff to guide volunteers through our therapeutic exercises.
• Educational Activities for Children with Disabilities: The Social Support Center is home to several children with disabilities such as Cerebral palsy and Down Syndrome. Volunteers assist with targeted educational activities with the goal of helping these children develop essential life skills and build confidence. You will be able to help with arts & crafts, activities which promote hand-eye coordination, helping the children wash their face and brush their teeth, and playtime! Be prepared to be in high-demand at this time as the children soak up the positive attention and encouragement our volunteers give. 
• Sports Training/Field Trips/Dancing: Volunteer Vietnam organizes regular soccer games for the adults at the Social Support Center. This is a really fun way for residents to get a bit of exercise and show off their skills. We also take residents on once-weekly field trips to local coffee shops, museums, or swimming when the weather is nice. Another way to engage the older people in a fun way are the dancing classes on Friday in the the forenoon. On this occasion the factors creativity, coordination and pleasure can be combined in one.

The Red Cross Children’s Home is another government-run facility that Volunteer Vietnam partners with to provide supplementary services. At the home there are three groups of children: infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities. Volunteers assist with feeding and diaper changing for the infants and playing games and reading books with the older kids. There are several children with disabilities, some who are bed-ridden and others who are not. These kids are mostly non-verbal, however they do manage to communicate their preferences quite clearly to attentive volunteers. Afternoons at the Home are really rewarding for volunteers and children alike!

The Rehabilitation and Education Center  for Children with Disabilities: The center has around 300 children with physical and mental disabilities. Volunteers assist with our staff and the social workers to conduct activities in education and mental therapy for the children. This includes games for group and sport activities. 

You will work in a team with our local staff and volunteers to carry out the above activities. On your arrival, our team will give you a few days of orientation and training. They will plan activities and lessons together with you and accompany you to the placement sites. Some of our staff live in the volunteer house and will help you to enter into the program as smoothly as possible. 

Our Team: Our capacity for teamwork has a high priority at our program. Here you can see a short overview of our team:

Viet: Founder and director of Volunteer Vietnam since 2004

Vy: Coordinator and Head of Therapeutic/Physiotherapy

Ly: Entertainer and allrounder

Hiem: Interpreters and planners 

Co Hai: Cooker

Volunteers work from Monday to Friday morning and have a long weekend from Friday afternoon to explore Da Nang city and the nearby areas.

Here is the schedule for a typical day

• Morning session starts at around 8:00 AM: Volunteers assist our staff and social workers at the Social Support Center with physiotherapy, occupational therapy, sport activities, education for special needs to the disabled children and patients.
• Lunch time: You come back to the volunteer house to have lunch with other volunteers and have a little nap 
• Afternoon session starts at around 2:00 PM; Volunteers assist our staff and social workers at the Red Cross Children Home and the Rehabilitation and Education Center to give childcare and do activities with the disabled children. 
• Evening session: most of evening is free for volunteers to relax or go out to explore the city. Some evenings, volunteers have a meeting with our staff to plan lessons or activities for the next day. 
• Some mornings or afternoons: Volunteers assist our staff and social workers to take the children and patients for outing trips such as playing soccer, swimming in a pool or at the beach, taking the old people to the park, to dance with them or just spending time to pray at a Buddhist temple.

During the weekday, volunteers will have some free time in the evening and this can be filled up with the following activities: 

• Hanging out at cafes near the Green House to see the local way of life
  
• Visiting the Da Nang's city center, e.g. Dragon Bridge (including fire shows on the weekends), Asia Adventure Park, or booking a night tour boat on the river
• See some of the famous beaches in Da Nang and grabing a coconut
• Shopping at the local night market & sampling Vietnamese foods 
• Having movie nights with other volunteers in the Green House living room
• Planning lessons and activities for the next days with volunteers and staff 

On the weekends: 

• Volunteers love to explore the many attractions in and around Da Nang such as: Marble Mountain, Lady Buddha Temple, Han Market, Dragon Bridge, Ba Na Hills and the beaches. 
• Daily motorbike trip at the Son Tra Mountain, known as the monkey mountain
• Make the short drive to Hoi An, a preserved port town recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Hoi An is perfect for a relaxing weekend getaway where volunteers get clothes tailor-made in the day and explore the lantern-filled city at night.
• Take the 2-hour train ride up to Hue, another UNESCO world heritage site and former imperial city. The train ride takes you along the coast and through the mountains of the Hai Van Pass.