15 Mayschool Hip Hop performers were invited to Be Tho Orphanage in Dong Nai last Sunday (15th July) to share their dancing and circus skills with 70 + orphans of all ages.  This is a collaborative community service project initiated by SOZO volunteers with 15 Mayschool children and volunteers, and the aim is to jointly give back to the community and the less fortunate. Together, we took two bus loads out to the orphanage in Bien Hoa city, about an hour’s drive outside HCMC and despite the winding road and our busses getting stuck in the mud 100m from the orphanage, we made it there with excitement and anticipation. The children at the orphanage were thrilled as soon as they saw us and after a few performances, the Hip Hop and Circus workshops began.  

Be Tho Orphanage was set up in 1993 and is runned by Sister Vinh. The children at Be Tho were either orphaned at birth or are orphans who suffer from disabilities but despite this, the children showed great enthusiasm and participated as much as they could to all the activities and games. This included hip hop dancing, juggling, yoyo tricks and a giant tug-of-war. The children at the orphanage treated us with a highly entertaining fashion show and taught us simple sign language skills.

After having lunch with the children and showing a few more dance moves, we said goodbye and headed back for the city. 15/5 children enjoyed this experience just as much as the children at the orphanage and we would be happy to revisit in the future.

Many thanks to the SOZO organisation team!