Vietnam has undergone rapid development over the past decade, but it still lags behind many of its Southeast Asian neighbors. There are many ways that volunteers can get involved and make a real and profound difference, not least through helping with projects that care for children with mental and physical disabilities.

Unfortunately, public support for programs that assist the mentally ill is spotty in Vietnam. A study published by the Stanford Undergraduate Research Journal found that traditional beliefs often attribute psychiatric disorders to past moral transgressions. While this is only one facet of a highly complex social response to disabilities, it at least illustrates the importance of raising awareness of the reality of mental and physical disabilities.

Volunteers who enroll in a two-week or longer project generally help out in one or more ways, including playing with and caring for disabled children, lending a hand with feeding during lunchtime, assisting with gardening in the compound, organizing charity campaigns, and contributing to networking and fundraising efforts.

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