Working under the auspices of Viên Thông Pagoda, Từ Tâm Charity is a program that brings joy to Viên Thông congregation. It is a program that was created to provide assistance to the poor and the needy, especially in Việt Nam. The Từ Tâm team in Việt Nam is directed by Ven. Minh Liên. In Houston, the program is the work of the whole Viên Thông congregation. Since the beginning of 2004, this charity has offered the following programs:

1. Shelters. Donated 15 houses to the poor in remote areas. Working through the Red Cross in Việt Nam, the Từ Tâm team went to remote villages and met with the villagers. The number of houses offered depends on available finance. The villagers vote among themselves as to who the most needy recipients are. Từ Tâm donates the concrete frame and tin roof; the lucky new owners, with the help of the villagers, are to finish the house with walls and any other partitions. Each house costs US$300 in donations.
   
   
   Shelter provided by Từ Tâm Charity
   
   
2. Education
   
   
   • Scholarships
     
     - Financial grants.  In 2004, Từ Tâm distributed 20 scholarships to secondary school students; each student is to receive US $7 per month; two grants were given to university students, each student is supported with US $300 per year. Good scholastic achievement and moral conduct is mandatory for the continuation of receiving scholarships.
     
     
     
     Kindergarten school donated by Từ Tâm Charity
     
     
     
     
     
     Enjoying their time with kindergarten students
     
     
     
     - Cattle. In the mountain region, a cow is a very valuable commodity. To encourage the education of school age children, Từ Tâm donates a cow to an underprivileged family who has the desire to send their child to school, but is too poor to do so. If that child stays in school for three years, the cow becomes the property of that family, with the exception that the first calf born from that cow is to be given to Từ Tâm. That calf will be then given to another family, and the cycle continues. If for some reason, the child fails to attend school, the cow is returned to Từ Tâm. To date, Từ Tâm has given 2 cows; each cow costs US $300.
     
     
   
   
   
   • Kindergarten School. One school was built at Daklak, a highlander village; another one is budgeted for Quảng Bình, Central Việt Nam. The cost of a kindergarten school is US $3,000.
     
     
3. Supporting Medical Patients. Two thousand dollars were given to pay for heart surgery for a child who was born with a birth defect. Care packages and small amounts of cash were given to cancer patients.
   
   


Child in need of open heart surgery



4. Water Wells. The project is being analyzed by Ven. Minh Liên and her team. Sóc Trăng, a remote and deep southern region of the delta, is being considered as a pilot site.
   
   


Dân làng phải dùng nước không được tinh khiết để sống.




5. Lunar New Year’s Care Packages. It has been a tradition for Ven. Minh Liên to give care packages to the poor villages in remote areas, to help them welcome the New Year, a spring time to start anew. Each year, the day before New Year’s eve, Ven. Minh Liên and her charity team will distribute rice, condiments, instant noodles, and a small amount of cash to the needy folks; so that they may have some food to place on the family altar and to make offerings to their ancestors on New Year’s eve, and also to enjoy a decent meal during this traditional celebration. This year, this noble activity is dedicated to Viên Thông. From the generous heart of Viên Thông’s still small congregation, two hundred care packages were prepared and delivered to those villagers by the Từ Tâm charity team in Việt Nam.
   
   
6. Tsunami. Donation was sent to Sri Lanka to help rebuild the Buddhist temples that were destroyed by disastrous tidal waves.