Because of Trish Franklin, 55,000 children in Vietnam have been able to gain access to an education.
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An education they most likely would never have had the chance to receive.
Sister Franklin AO is considered by some to be a modern day saint, although that isn't a title that sits well with her.
The Ballarat expat’s work in Vietnam has been applauded by many, helping poor and disadvantaged children and those with special needs develop a love of learning. A passion that would most likely not develop if it was not for her Loreto Vietnam-Australia Project (LVAP) of which she was the founder and, until recently, the chief executive.
“It was never planned, I went to Vietnam in 1995 for one year and then my superior here said why don’t you try and develop a developmental prong of the Loreto Sisters there,” she said.
“It just grew and grew and grew and you just got hundreds of kids into school.”
With tens of thousands of children now receiving education as a result and around 80 projects set up across the country in some of the poorest areas Sister Franklin has changed the lives of many.
“It gives me a buzz to think about it,” she said.
“The kids were so poor they couldn't go to school, they didn't have kindergartens. We were keen to get them early so they could develop a love of learning, so they could go home to mum and dad and say ‘oh school is fantastic’.
“It is just to develop a love of learning, we did that through building kindergartens, classrooms, computer rooms and toilets.”
A biography of Sister Franklin was recently released The Wonder of Her Love: the Biography of Trish Franklin IBVM.
The author, Michael Adams makes a number of comparisons between the work done by Sr Franklin and that done by saints.
“It is very strange, I don’t sit pretty with that, I disagreed with my author on that,” she said.
“I don’t sit comfortable with that, I am a very simple humble lady.”
Sr Franklin recently retired from her position leading the project handing it over to a number of locals who she had worked with for some time.
Although even she admits she won’t stay away forever.
“So I will go back some times, there are projects that were started when I left, so I will go back for openings or just to play with the kids out in the countryside,” she said.
“I am spending wonderful time with family, i was never home sick but it is wonderful to spend time with them.”
All proceeds raised from the sale of the book are being given to the Loreto Vietnam-Australia Project.
