Emer Handly

A group of foreigners living in Việt Nam has raised VNĐ153 million (US$6,700) for charity amid the current COVID-19 outbreak.

The group held a 24-hour online fitness event in which they did a total of 109,000 burpees (a fitness exercise). The event was a huge success and raised a total of VNĐ153,490,000 in donations.

The event was hosted by CLFitness Hanoi and Saigon Online Community via Zoom. They are fitness organisations run by foreigners for people living in Việt Nam.

A burpee is an exercise that uses the whole body. Photo Fiona To

“Due to COVID restrictions in Việt Nam, we felt an online event would be a great way to reconnect everybody and lift the community while raising money for charities who do amazing work,” said Chris Loft, owner of CLFitness Hanoi.

The group decided to raise money for three different charities in Việt Nam that they feel play a crucial role in providing support to people in need.

The charities they chose are Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, The Christina Noble Children’s Foundation (CNCF) and Humanitarian Services for Children in Việt Nam (HSCF Blossom House).

Chris Loft and Fiona To are personal trainers from England who currently live in Hà Nội. They talked about the importance of working with charities to help people who are suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Needless to say, all three charities provide much-needed care for children and families who need it most, especially during the difficult times we are facing in Việt Nam,” said Chris.

“We have worked with Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation for two years. We are always amazed by the work they do and the changes they make within the community. Blossom House is also an amazing charity that provides care and help to vulnerable girls in Việt Nam.”

Chris Loft shows participants how to do a burpee. Photo Fiona To

“As we paired with Saigon Online Community, we wanted to include a charity from their locality too. CNCF also do great work for the community."

The charity organisations are very grateful for the fun event that raised a huge amount of money for those in need in Việt Nam.

“Now more than ever we really do need our community to come together for those that are in desperate need of help. Especially during these austere lockdowns,” said Helenita Noble of the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation.

“We say at CNCF; one person can make a difference. To all our burpee challengers and those who made donations, you really, truly are making a difference,” she said.  

Last week, the online event began at 11am and didn’t finish until 24 hours later.

Friends and family of the organisers joined the event online from all over the world to raise money for a good cause.

The group had initially aimed to do 100,000 burpees and raise VNĐ100 million in donations. However, it soon became clear that they would beat their target.

They did 109,000 burpees and raised VNĐ153,490,000.

“We are overwhelmed and grateful by how many people joined, donated, and helped us achieve more than our target. Thank you all so much,” said Chris.

The fun-filled event included a range of different themes to keep the participants motivated to do as many burpees as they could.

Every hour a different fitness coach hosted a themed burpee challenge. Some of the themes were; 80’s hour, Hip-hop hour, pyjama party, Super Mario, and even a children’s hour for kids who wanted to get involved.

The participants did as many burpees as they could via the Zoom event. Then they chose which of the three charities they wanted to donate their money to.

Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation helps street kids and rescues victims from slavery and human trafficking in Việt Nam. They received just over VNĐ73 million in donations.

The Christina Noble Children’s Foundation provides physical, medical, educational, and emotional support for vulnerable children in Việt Nam. They received almost VNĐ58 million in donations.

Humanitarian Services for Children in Vietnam (HSCV Blossom House) provides holistic care and support for girls in the country who live in extreme poverty or abusive environments. They received just over VNĐ21 million in donations.

Foreigners living in Việt Nam know how difficult the COVID-19 situation is, especially for vulnerable children.

CLFitness Hanoi and Saigon Online community hope to hold more fitness events in the future to raise money and spread awareness for charities in Việt Nam. VNS