It was the afternoon of 14 September 1994. Brother Dominique brought some members of Japa Vietnam to us for a visit to a small group of 9 ethnic children who were living with us. Four of the children were Muong and the rest Stieng.

Ando took a piece of chalk and wrote on the blackboard a simple mathematical operation: 1+1=? One of the children stood up and answered: teacher, one and one makes two. To the surprise of the children who were then in the second grade of primary school, Ando gave a different answer: one and one makes one. He, then, humorously explained: "One cat and one mouse equal one cat".

We told our visitors about the ethnic children in Long Dien and Phuoc Long. They were born and grew up in bamboo made houses with grass roofs in villages faraway from the district center, from 5 to 100 km. There is no school, no clinic, no electricity, and no church in the villages. There are no basic roads for transportation. Villagers eat every day cassava roots cooked with edible leaves found in the jungle. At times they have good meals if they get good rice harvests or catch wild animals like birds, chickens or pigs. They also eat lizards, snakes, crickets, ants and mice. Children of seven or eight begin to follow their parents to the fields to search for food and do not come home until dark.

In order to bring love, happiness and education to the ethnic people we have built a boarding house for their children and created the favorable conditions so that they can go to school. During the school year 1994-95 we had 17 boarders attending primary school. So far the numbers have grown to 40 boarders. We expect it to grow more so that every poor ethnic child is able to enjoy a better life. Attaining such a goal, however, remains a big challenge.

In reality, we have problems with the boarders. They become homesick and used to schooling they often leave the boarding house and go back to their villages. Nevertheless, their parents indulge them too much, letting them do what they like without encouraging them to go back to school.

As for us, we are in financial difficulties. In helping the children, we have to make every effort, growing cashew and cassava to feed the children every day. They need housing, school fees, books, medicines, clothes, etc.

In the past, Japa Vietnam members have generously assisted us in various ways. They have helped us to build dining rooms, bathrooms and toilets, a well, fresh water systems and a road from the village to the fields. Besides that, Japa Vietnam has assisted us to grow rubber trees, 2�@ha of which are 4 years old and need just two more years to be harvested.

We have great admiration for the generosity, enthusiasm, devotion and determination of Japa Vietnam members in their activities for the poor. It is the love for the ethnic children and the poverty-stricken people in Vietnam that links the two countries in the name of the association: Japa Vietnam. The simple mathematical operation that the director of the group gave to the ethnic children when they first met is increasingly significant: 1 Japan + 1 Vietnam = One Japa Vietnam.

The cooperation between Japa Vietnam and our community has had good results, with the life of the ethnic pupils being improved. We hope that our relationship and cooperation will be stronger, creating a better future for our lovely ethnic people.