Good Shepherd Sisters in Vinh Long, 1967
Photos ©2005 Peter Shay - used by permission

In the late 1950’s the Sisters of the Good Shepherd (of Irish heritage) established an orphanage and training center for young wayward girls in the Mekong Delta city of Vinh Long, Vietnam. Until the end of the war in 1975, it served the community by training young uneducated girls, many of whom were in poverty and at great risk. Training comprised of sewing classes, laundry work, handicrafts and reading, writing and arithmetic. This provided the training and fabric to help the girls find employment and to enable the girls to lead healthy and productive lives. Many hundreds of girls were graduated from this institution.
 

Now, Rosalie, one of the former aspiring nuns who was present in Saigon when the war ended, has returned to once again serve the community in need and her country. She has been instrumental in starting seamstress lessons in a classroom on the grounds of the famous Tan Dinh Catholic Church in Ho Chi Minh City.
 

SAORE Foundation seeks charitable contributions for the purchase of sewing machines and other related equipment and for instructor pay to start a sewing school for girls at risk at the Ao Kho Church in Camau.
 

Tan Dinh Catholic Church
Photos ©2005 Hanh Duong Van - used by permission

Rosalie in her sewing class
Photos ©2005 Peter Shay - used by permission

Twelve year old at risk, selling lotto tickets in bus station
Photos ©2005 Peter Shay - used by permission