ADAPT

PCC and Pacific Links Foundation members in front of the office: Our warmest welcome.

On October 17, 2007, the Pacific Links Foundation/ADAPT office in Long Xuyen had the great pleasure of receiving 16 visitors from halfway across the globe. Emerging out of the pouring rain, the visitors stepped into our tiny office, immediately filling the atmosphere with warmth and excitement. They came with bright smiles and infectious positive energy. We have a very small office space but the size of their hearts more than made up for the lack of room.

The 16 visitors are members of the Piedmont Community Church (PCC) that is based in Piedmont, California (USA). They, and other members of the church, have made a generous donation of $40,000 to ADAPT through the East Meets West Foundation, one of our partners in ADAPT, to support scholarships for at-risk girls over a three-year period. This contribution means a significant difference for many young girls between a life with an education and viable employment options and that of a life of poverty, chronic under-employment, and high trafficking risks.

In the past, our scholarship girls have expressed to us on innumerable occasions their gratitude for the support they receive. For us, it is moving to have 16 visitors, many of which have never been to Viet Nam, come all the way from California to An Giang Province. We, for the first time, get to meet these benefactors and pass on the gratitude that is long over-due.

PCC members also had the opportunity to visit girls in the vocational training and scholarship program and see for themselves, firsthand, the humbling impact their contribution has had on the girls' lives. The girls in our sewing class in Chau Phu and the scholarship recipients in Quoc Thai cherished the chance to meet and personally thank the PCC members face-to-face. We're sure PCC members were just as inspired and moved by the meeting as our girls were.

Of additional significance, we greatly appreciate the moral support of Piedmont Community Church members. Not only did these visitors travel thousands of miles to visit us and benevolently bring along new backpacks to donate to the students, Reverend Don Ashburn warmly stated that, "Visiting ADAPT is the highlight of our trip!"

Well, the feeling is mutual! As a small project team of only 9 members, 3 of whom are volunteers, ADAPT has taken on the fight to reverse human trafficking in the Mekong Delta. We are touched by the outpouring of support we receive from people from all over the world. The visit of these generous 16 guests certainly has left a memorable imprint in our hearts, reminding us that we are not the alone in this struggle.

Introduction: 20 people in a tiny meeting room. We never have had this many visitors before!