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Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation
is an Australian charity rescuing kids in crisis in Vietnam
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The COURAGE Appeal
What does courage mean to you? For Blue Dragon kids, courage is the essential ingredient in creating a life free from harm. We need to raise $350,000 for vital care to trafficked, abused and at-risk kids. Your donation will be a gift of courage, practical help, protection from exploitation, and safe homes.
                    
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IN VIETNAM, BLUE DRAGON HAS:
Sent 3,073 kids to school & trainingProvided shelter to 235 girls & boysServed 377,261 mealsBuilt 79 homes for familiesDistributed 38,561 litres of milkHanded out 54,204 kilos of riceReunited 244 runaways with their familiesTaken 1,250 kids for health checksPut 6 teens through drug rehabObtained legal papers for 5,167 peopleRescued 457 trafficked childrenPlaced 184 teens in jobsPlayed 1,774 games of soccer!      
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The difference between bravery and stupidityJune 15, 2015Just by chance, I was sitting on a boat when the call came. The 'boat' was a café moored in Hanoi's West Lake. I was on the top deck with some friends on a sunny Sunday afternoon, and when my phone rang I was surprised to see it was an international call.Hugh, a close friend who had left Hanoi a few years earlier, was living in Fiji now. His call came out of the blue, but as it turned out he had an offer that I immediately accepted. Hugh had bought a boat in San Fransisco - a 42 foot Peterson - and needed to get it to his home in Fiji. Would I be willing to help him take it on the journey home? Having never been sailing before, my immediate thought was of blue skies and smooth seas. How could I say no!? And so, two weeks later, Hugh and I set sail from San Fransisco, bound for Fiji. Usually when I tell people the story of my one-and-only sailing adventure, the immediate response is: "You were brave to do that!" I quite like the compliment, but it's not true. I wasn't brave at all, because I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Had I known, I might not have boarded the flight to the US. My enthusiasm to go wasn't bravery. It was stupidity - I went into something with my eyes closed. Having said that, I am glad I went. Parts of the trip were frightening, and it took me a full 5 days to overcome sea sickness - but in hindsight it was one of the best things I have ever done. Never have I learned so much about myself and tested my own limits. (And, for the record, I didn't make it to Fiji - I only reached Hawaii). It's easy to mistake stupidity for bravery . The results are often the same, or at least similar. But b