Suzanne Hook, was found under a bush in Vietnam when she was only a few hours old in 1969. At the height of the Vietnam conflict, she was just one of the hundreds of thousands of babies abandoned during the war.
She was one of the lucky ones as she was discovered by a Policeman and taken to a local Orphanage in Saigon which cared for her and gave Suzanne the name “Thi Hein”.
Three years later, Suzanne was flown to the UK where she settled into her new life with her British family – but she has never been able to forget her roots and has always dreamt of giving back the care and support she received as a baby.
Now, at 41 years old, Suzanne has made the brave decision to sell her house worth half a million pounds, her beauty business and give up her friends and family in the UK to set-up her own orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Suzanne lives in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire and is due to open the Allambie Orphanage in November 2010, which will initially care for eight children. She has built a relationship with these children over recent years as she has visited the country several times to support the temporary home these children are in.
A property is now being built especially for Allambie, staff are being found and funds are being sought to make Suzanne’s dream a reality. Her aim is to give these special children the base to achieve a successful life in the real world.
At the end of the war in 1975, many orphans were simply left to fend for themselves on the streets after the Government did not want to fund the orphanages. Many of them are still on the streets and continue to beg for money and food to this day.
This is something Suzanne fears, so she is now setting up links with local businesses to secure training and jobs. All children will receive full-time education and will be encouraged to develop their extra curricular activities – unlike any other orphanage in the country.
Now is the most tense time of Suzanne’s life and emotions are running high each and every day as she realises her whole future is at stake.
MEDIA INVITATION
Photographers and film crews are invited to interview Suzanne about her mission and see the amazing country house which is being sold to fund the orphanage.
An exclusive story can be offered to interested outlets for a donation towards the orphanage.
For more information on the Allambie Orphanage, please visit www.allambie.co.uk
ABOUT SUSSEX PRESS AGENCY
Owner, Paul Gibson is an Independent Producer for BBC and was the name behind a recent documentary following Vietnamese Orphan, Viktoria Cowley’s journey back to the country to discover her routes.
Following two separate visits to Vietnam, Paul is now extremely knowledgeable on the culture and life in Vietnamese Orphanages.
Viktoria’s story was broadcast as an Inside Out piece, and then a special one-off ‘Impact Fund’ 30 minute documentary on BBC1 in March 2010. Footage shot by Sussex Press Agency from the second visit was also used in a news item in May 2010.
CONTACT
Please call Paul Gibson on 07970 245934 for more information or email paulgibson@sussexpressagency.com