Thanh Xuan Peace Village - Ethics

This past week at Thanh Xuan was a tumultuous one. On Monday it was raining so the time usually spent outdoors was spent inside, and emotions were running high. A girl Yen, who usually is very friendly and firey, was upset with our whole group, saying that we didn’t play with her enough so she spent most of the day saying she hated people. Another boy Tho was trying to amuse us and himself which ended up angering another girl Hien, to the point where she was ready for a physical confrontation. The situation had to be diffused by us, but mostly was Peter’s doing as he captured the girl’s hearts (literally) by saying that he loved them whenever any negative feelings were thrown his way.
All this was compounded by the fact that Mai and I received another lecture from our teacher, this time about how the Vietnamese grandparents in the states killed many of the Vietnamese grandparents here in Vietnam, and again talking about how upon their return to Vietnam they’re bringing in the bad influence of foreigners. And again, despite how this teacher can say such revolting and hurtful comments to those trying to help her (saying that we’re only trying to pay reparations for what out country did to Vietnam in the past) she is very, very good to the children. I still feel guilty for leaving the other class we had previously helped, where many of the children couldn’t speak or were not understandable and where the teacher spent most of her time on the phone or reading the newspaper. That decision is not in line with my usual ethic standing where I would stay where I was placed and try to help the children that I was assigned to, and not move to somewhere where I would feel more comfortable. I feel as if I abandoned those children, and though I still see some of them after classes get out, I can tell some of them are starting not to recognize me anymore.
When I began working at Thanh Xuan I heavily questioned their ethics, especially when it seems that they do not want our actual physical help, or when children would be given water from a bucket in a corner. But as I got to know the organization more, and began to develop my relationships with the people there I feel more welcomed physically into the space, though I still question the difficulty of getting water (because it is constantly being asked for). I understand that the large water bottles were probably messed with, effectively wasting more water than helping, but a bucket in the corner that the kids stick their dirty hands in does not feel like a viable solution to me, especially when this is water for children that have the most difficulty communicating. If anything there should at least be a class water break time where they can all go get water at the same supervised time, minimizing waste and ensuring that the kids do not get dehydrated on very hot days.