34 members of the Consular Club from 22 nations in the world put all their hearts into the International Charity Bazzar – the biggest event in the year – which took place in White Palace Convention Center in HCMC’s Phu Nhuan District.
Though the event is the last event of the year 2015, it started a journey “ to bring better lives to low-income families in HCMC and the Mekong delta. Accordingly ladies devoted their time and energy to the work at the charity fair. All came to the revenue in the breakdown and were run off their feet to decorate their stands.
Ms. Alesia Malchow, the wife of a vice consul general of Germany in HCMC and the president of the Consular Club, said that all members of the club work voluntarily in the club without salary yet we are working under a strict regulation.
She added that Bazzar could be considered as an event connect the globe as member of the clubs come from different nation and specific products of various nations are displayed in the event for fund raising. In 2014, the club collect over VND2 billion (US$ 89,928) to carry out tens of charity projects in HCMC and the Mekong delta.
She both talked and introduced imported goodies in her stands such as toast Lebkuchen, traditional dried fruits Stollen and calendar Adventskalender and other products.
The most interesting stand in the event is Russian stands. Employees of the Russian Consulate General in traditional costume talk about delicious cakes and pretty Russian nesting dolls Matryoshka. Ms. Maria Misonova from Russian Consulate said that all members of the club are very excited about the annual event as ladies understand that after the event, the club can bring better lives to unfortunate people.
Ms. Maria Misonova has lived in the Southeast Asian country for a long time so she is fluent at Vietnamese and interested in Vietnamese specific dishes such as pho, spring rolls and noodles and grilled meat.
Ms. Arni Sofian, the wife of Malaysian Consul excitedly said that this year is the first year she joined the event in Vietnam, adding that as the two countries are near; so she returned her country to encourage benefactors have more products for the event. Happily, many her country products are favored by visitors making her really excited.
Each stand in the event has its own specific feature ; accordingly the event becomes a multicultural event attracting many visitors. Many visitors said that they waited for the event for long time because they can buy traditional products of many nations and explore cuisine of many nations. But most of all, they can contribute to doing charity deeds.
| Since its establishment in 1994, the club with its ambitions to improve the quality of life of the most disadvantaged groups in HCMC and neighboring provinces has supported small yet necessary projects for people in need. The Consular Club focuses on three main areas of need: education, medical, and basic needs. This year’s event is in the continuation of the tradition of the past International Charity Bazaars: selling goods and food from all over the world for a good cause. For further information about the Charity Bazaar, including limited advanced ticket sales and raffle tickets, contact the Consular Club at CharityBazaarHCMC2015@gmail.com or the Consulate General of the State of Kuwait at 24 Phung Khac Khoan Street in HCMC’s District 1, tel: (08) 3827 0555. |
