Fundraising campaign created for Singaporean who set up Vietnamese orphanage
SINGAPORE — A Singaporean, who started an orphanage in Vietnam in 2011, is asking for funds to help foot his hospital bills after he was injured in an accident.
Poh Wei Ye, 36, was on his motorcycle when he crashed into an object on the road last Saturday (25 May) in the city of Vung Tau, near Ho Chi Minh City, his wife Tran Thi Thanh Thuy said in an email to Yahoo News Singapore.
The accident left him with a broken left leg and a dislocated left arm, which would take him about four months to fully recover from, she added.
Online fundraising site GIVE.asia said on his campaign page,“As a foreigner in Vietnam, Wei Ye does not have any subsidies for his medical, and he is not covered under any insurance. His hospital bill is mounting and he is in a lot of pain.”
All funds raised will be paid to the hospital for Poh’s medical fees, it added. As of 8.50pm on Thursday, over $11,000 out of a targetted $25,000 has been raised.
In 2011, the former corporate finance executive co-founded the Thi An Orphanage - which means “to accept everyone” - with a Vietnamese nun in Vung Tau. For its initial set-up, Poh contributed US$10,000 (S$13,800) out of his own pocket.
According to GIVE.asia, the operating costs of the orphanage are covered by Poh’s Blessed Discoveries, a social enterprise that arranges humanitarian trips for institutions and businesses in Singapore.
Poh was on his way to meet up with a team of National University of Singapore (NUS) student volunteers when the accident happened.
He remains hospitalised in Ho Chi Minh City’s FV Hospital, where he is undergoing physiotherapy.
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