"Visiting the orphanage was a great experience. It is heartwarming to see the children and know they are receiving support for improving their lives."

Rita Cherry—Louisville, Kentucky

Minh Tu Orphanage - Duc Son Pagoda

In the early 1980s, the Minh Tu Orphanage/Duc Son Pagoda began with just five children. Today, this rapidly growing orphanage—a nonprofit, privately-funded institution run by two Buddhist nuns— is home to more than 200 children. Grand Circle Foundation funds have helped to renovate bedrooms and the dining hall and to purchase ten computers for the computer room, new washing machines, new bicycles, and milk powder. We've also purchased an organ for the orphanage so that the children can enjoy music lessons. As the nuns who run the orphanage put it, "Traveler visits bring pleasure to the children's routine and show them they are not alone in this world."

School in session:

We can visit Minh Tu Orphanage year round.

Gifts to bring if you're visiting:

• Stationery supplies, especially crayons and coloring books
• Beginners' English storybooks and picture books
• Small toys (like dolls) for baby girls
• Baseball caps for boys and colorful barrettes or hair clips for girls
• CDs/DVDs of children's music or cartoons
• Cookbooks of different cuisines for older students working at the pagoda's on-site vegetarian restaurant