Reflections from Vietnam: My first international content collection trip with Caritas Australia
25 Jun 24
A Glimpse into Project Compassion 2025
My name is Serena, and as a Content Marketing Specialist at Caritas Australia, I had the privilege to recently travel to Vietnam with the Content Marketing Manager, Tim. As my first content collection trip, I wanted to share my reflections on our time overseas filming and collecting images for next year’s Project Compassion appeal.
I can’t give too much away about this story because I want to keep some secrets close to my chest for Project Compassion 2025, so no spoilers! But what I can say is that the story is situated around the lives of people who have disabilities in Vietnam and the barriers of poverty that can be perpetuated by living with a disability. This is where our partners Catholic Relief Services (CRS) come in with their program called I-SHINE. This program is designed to help children and youth with disabilities access education, health, vocational opportunities and social services.
Warm Heat and Humidity
In the mornings, the team were up bright and early to avoid the heat and humidity as much as possible for the participant and family being filmed along with the partners. But by 10am the heat was in full force as we all worked hard to do the job justice. I can’t fathom how tiresome and laborious it would be for farmers working in rural Vietnam every day in such intense heat. The reality of global warming only making working conditions harder for locals in the coming years is daunting.
A Warm Welcome
It felt like a true honour to be welcomed into people's homes and the programs in Vietnam. I was grateful to be accompanied by our partners who helped in many ways – they were incredibly generous with their time and efforts, becoming a bridge between language barriers and helping the tight agenda to run smoothly with their locally led knowledge and expertise.
CRS and their Passion for the Purpose
I had the opportunity to witness how our partners CRS interact with program participants. I could see first-hand that through every interaction there was a profound level of care and willingness to go above and beyond along with a genuine passion for the purpose.
Cultural Insights and Personal Reflections
The authenticity with which I experienced Vietnamese culture was unique. I had the chance to learn from how other people live which brought forth some reflection.
Lessons on Gratitude and Connection
It was Tim who made a point over a meal one day about how while people experiencing poverty are facing real challenges – from education barriers to health impacts, they also have such rich connections and find joy and gratitude in many things. It felt important to remember how nuanced these experiences are. Sometimes, experiences of joy and connectedness can simultaneously live alongside experiences of poverty, co-existing without ruling the other out.
What I witnessed in my short time in Vietnam and what was echoed through Tim’s experiences travelling to various countries, was that happiness can sometimes come from strong relationships, a supportive community and a deep sense of gratitude. That is something I’ve been able to learn from.
My Reflections on Gratitude
After the content collection trip, I also reflect on my gratitude for being a part of Caritas Australia. It’s special to have a small part in helping to uplift others who experience poverty or disadvantage. And for supporters, what a wonderful thing it is that your donation can be felt by people around the world who you may never meet, and yet whose lives you have helped change. This act of generosity does make a difference in the world. It connects us from different walks of life, creating invisible strings of compassion.
Looking Forward
It was wonderful to be a part of capturing a personal story for Project Compassion and to experience Vietnamese culture in such an authentic way. Most of all, the value of being up close and personal to the daily life of one of our program participants and seeing one of our programs in full swing was priceless. It will help to inform the content I create by giving more perspective on the life-changing work of Caritas Australia and our partners who work with such dedication on the ground.
I look forward to the story, footage and photography that Tim and I collected coming to life next year for Project Compassion 2025. Stay tuned!