Y Tam Spring Festival – A TẾT (LUNAR NEW YEAR) CELEBRATION IN THE BORDER HIGHLANDS

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I/ PURPOSE AND MEANING

In Saigon, every time Tết comes and spring returns, the streets come alive. Spring is everywhere, a hundred flowers vie in color, and crowds dress up in their áo dài to stroll in the spring air and attend festivals.

Yet at the same time, in remote areas, our ethnic minority villagers still don't know what Tết is, what spring is, what nice clothes are. They are so absorbed in worrying about their daily meals that they have no thought to spare for Tết or spring.

As spring opens its door, Y Tam is eager to bring the whole spring sky to the villagers and children in remote areas, with one simple, humble wish: that this Tết, the villagers and children can touch the colors of spring, their hearts full of joy.

Y Tam also hopes this will be a chance for Y Tam volunteers to leave the city, experience a very different spring in a faraway place, and make some of the most beautiful memories of their youth as volunteers…

This year Y Tam chose An Khương commune, Hớn Quản district, Bình Phước for the program. As much as 75% of the people here are Stiêng and M’Nông, and there are a great many children: more than 700, counting both kindergarten and primary school.

Dates: 19-20/1/2019 (solar calendar), corresponding to the 14th-15th day of the 12th lunar month

II/ SPRING FESTIVAL ACTIVITIES

1/ Give 32 scholarships to ethnic minority children in especially difficult circumstances who cannot afford their school fees for the 2018-2019 school year. Each scholarship is worth 200,000 VND, equal to the school fees the children cannot yet pay. Y Tam will pay the school directly and will not give cash to the children.
– 32 children x 200,000 VND: 6,400,000 VND

2/ Hold a spring festival for the ethnic minority children, with an estimated budget of about 21,000,000 VND
– Give 700 packages of sweets and milk to the children attending the festival, both kindergarten and primary: estimated at about 10,000,000 VND
– Cook 500 portions of bánh canh noodle soup and nước sâm (herbal drink) for the children at the festival: about 4 million VND
– Hold the festival with 15 stalls of folk games, food and lô tô (bingo): 5,000,000 VND
– Performances, games and a spring-night campfire: 1,000,000 VND
– Year-end review and thank-you for Y Tam volunteers after a year of dedicated volunteering: 1,000,000 VND

3/ Give Tết gifts to the villagers, with an estimated budget of about 15,000,000 VND

– Wrap 200 rolls of bánh tét (sticky rice cakes) for the villagers: about 3,000,000 VND
– Give 120 Tết gift packages to 120 ethnic minority households in hardship, each including cooking oil, sugar, fish sauce… estimated at about 100,000 VND per package x 120 = 12,000,000 VND

4/ Transportation
– Truck: 2,000,000 VND
– 45-seat coach: 7,000,000 VND

III/ TOTAL ESTIMATED FUNDS AND IN-KIND DONATIONS FOR THE PROGRAM:

1/ Scholarships for 32 children: 6,400,000 VND
2/ Spring festival: 21,000,000 VND
3/ Tết gifts for the villagers: 15,000,000 VND
4/ Truck transport costs: 9,000,000 VND
5/ Estimated contingency costs: 3,000,000 VND

– TOTAL ESTIMATED BUDGET FOR THE WHOLE PROGRAM: 54,400,000 VND

III/ TRANSPORTATION, TIME AND LOCATION

1/ Transportation: 45-seat coach

2/ Planned schedule:

Friday evening, 18/1/2019 (solar calendar), corresponding to the 14th-15th day of the 12th lunar month of 2018: depart for Bình Phước (we will email you the detailed schedule)

Saturday, 19/1/2019

+ 3 a.m.: arrive and gather at the village cultural house
+ 6:30 a.m.: wash up, breakfast
+ 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.: one team wraps and cooks bánh tét, and one team decorates for the spring festival
+ 6:00 p.m.: dinner
+ 7 p.m.: performances and a campfire with the children
+ 9 p.m.: Y Tam members' get-together

Sunday, 20/01/2019

+ 4:00 – 6:00 a.m.: festival logistics preparation
+ 7:00 – 11:30 a.m.: spring festival; giving gifts to the children and the villagers
+ 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.: Y Tam wrap-up meeting
+ 2:00 p.m.: get ready to board the coach back to Saigon
+ 6:00 p.m.: arrive in Saigon

3/ Meeting point: to be announced

IV/ SIGN UP FOR THE PROGRAM

The Y Tam Spring Festival is held not only for the villagers but also as a chance for volunteers to take part and gain experience.

If you are ready to leave the city for a faraway, peaceful place and leave your volunteer footprints and handprints on unfamiliar land, don't hesitate to sign up with Y Tam. Remember to sign up early, because every year the registration link closes sooner than expected.

1/ Sign up via this link; it will close once the list is full: https://bitly.vn/2k8
Or contact Ms. Nguyệt 0985674772
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nguyetdinhkhoi

2/ Participation fee:

- The participation fee for each member is 200,000 VND (covering transport + meals).

V/ SUPPORT THE PROGRAM

Y Tam believes our donors will understand the meaning and the community value that Y Tam brings to the villagers and the volunteers through this spring festival.

So every contribution and every bit of support from our donors helps make our lives more beautiful!

ALL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROGRAM CAN BE SENT TO:

Y Tam Volunteer Organization

Office address: 958/65/24 Lạc Long Quân Street, Ward 8, Tân Bình District, Ho Chi Minh City.
Phone: 098 567 4772 – 0934 197 772

Bank accounts:

1/ DongA Bank: Account number: 0101607577 – Account name: Đào Thị Minh Lệ, Branch: 343 Lê Văn Sỹ, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

2/ Vietcombank: Account number: 0721000640139 – Account name: Đào Thị Minh Lệ, Kỳ Đồng Branch – Lê Văn Sỹ Transaction Office, Ho Chi Minh City

3/ Vietinbank: Account number: 107001354465 – Account name: Đào Thị Minh Lệ, Card issuing branch address: 207 Lê Văn Sỹ, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

4/ Agribank: Account number: 1606 205 971 141 – Account name: Đào Thị Minh Lệ, An Phú Branch.

Note: When making a transfer, please state clearly: Donor's name + Support for the spring program

Sincerely
Y Tam Volunteer Organization