Market at the school

This year, the school team hosted a Market for the community we support. The market was set up outside at the school and included not only the donations of toys, clothes, toiletries, school supplies we had brought with us, but also kitchen cooking and serving items and other basic household goods. The prices we offered were below that which could have been found at the “real” market in town. Over the past months, families and the children that Catalyst supports have been earning vouchers for tasks such as good behavior in school for the kids, or helping out at school by the family members, etc. The vouchers represented Vietnamese money (Dong). Those with vouchers had first access to the market and could use their voucher money to choose whatever they wanted. Once the vouchers had been used, the general community was allowed in to make purchases with real Dong. Our Catalyst kids were the shop sellers. I heard that our kids were very strict about making sure that the right amount was being paid for in vouchers or Dong. Kristi was sharing with me that it became a madhouse once we put everything on “sale”. This was a creative idea which catalyst had not done in the past. It provided goods of their choice for free or discounted to the community and kids and raises some money for Catalyst. I learned later that there was a situation during the market where some of the Eurekez (Catatlyst hires them to be our translators) staff were taking the money received from market customers and spending it to buy things they wanted. Magali and Caroline had a talking to them of course as soon as they knew.