Geoff runs for Vietnamese kids
Marathon man: Geoff Cope after running to Marathon de Paris to raise awareness for the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation.
AN INTREPID holiday into Vietnam in 2009 was when Geoff and Tamara Cope discovered the Blue Dragon Children’s Centre.
They have been supporting it ever since.
The Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation improves the lives of Vietnamese children forced to work and live on the streets.
“Intrepid trips try to encourage sustainability and respect of the culture, and through this we were shown the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation,” Geoff said.
Fellow Australian Michael Brosowski founded the organisation in 2003.
The foundation aims to get kids off the streets and back to their families.
“Kids often come from rural Vietnam promised better lives by people in Hanoi. Sometimes money changes hands but it’s mostly done on the promise to the parents that the children will have a better life in the city,” Geoff explained.
“The foundation offers a place for the kids to feel safe and it offers pathways to get these kids in schools, and eventually back with their families.”
Some of the children the foundation rescues have been trafficked, forced into prostitution or made drug mules or dealers.
In the worse cases the deprived kids have to be offered medical care, accommodation and food to help return them to health.
“Along with educational training such as school, the foundation also tries to offer trade training in fields such as motorbike mechanics which has employment potential,” Geoff said.
He does what he can to promote the organisation, even running marathons to raise funds.
“I have an email list for each marathon which spreads awareness of the foundation and allows people to donate directly to the cause if they wish to,” Geoff said.
So far this year he has done Marathon de Paris in April, representing the foundation, and is looking forward to competing in the Melbourne Marathon in October.
The goodwilled runner grew up in Middle Tarwin until 1990 when he started travelling. He now resides in North Fitzroy.
The foundation is a not-for-profit organisation. Anyone wishing to know more or to donate to the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation can do so at their web site: www.streetkidsinvietnam.com
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