A mother's sacrifices

Mrs. Tran Thi Binh 29 years old, Thieu Duong, Thieu Hoa, Thanh Hoa 135
Hundreds of people with disabilities surrounded me at the Thanh Hoa wheelchair distribution ceremony, each with their own specific needs. I made my way to the corner of the hall, where I met a gentle young woman: Mrs Tran Thi Binh. Her eyes were dark and lively, making me wonder what emotion was contained behind their veil.
Mrs. Binh was born in 1979. Her twin sister died at birth and Mrs.Binh was left paralyzed. Her father passed away in 2006 after a long battle with toxic chemical poisoning; a consequence of his soldiering in Cambodia. It was believed that these poisons were passed onto his children, leaving Mrs Binh in her current position.
It was with joy that Mrs. Binh revealed that she has an 18 month old son. As I asked about his father she just smiled sadly with a shake of head. The ungrateful husband could not stand a life of poverty with a disabled wife and had left, with no promise of return.
“Sometimes I feel so much self pity, and so disadvantaged that I just want to burst into tears!” Mrs Binh told me. “However I have to try to fight and overcome my difficulties because I must stand on my own feet to bring up my son.”
Mrs Binh’s most fervent inner wish is to gain stable employment so that she can bring up her son and support him through school like other normal children. Needless to say, her son is her future; the most significant aspect in her life.
The wheelchair will help her to hold her son and carry him around the house more easily, feed him and do other errands if possible. She said that this was the first time she had ever received such a valued gift and she would keep it forever.
I am so pleased for her that this gift will allow her to bring up her son, and I only hope that her son will grow into a young man deserving of his mother’s sacrifices. If he is anything like his mother, I am sure that he will.

Interviewed and written by Mai Nga, Edited by Jodie-Lee Trembath

A young man needs a dream

Le Duc Manh, 24 years old, Trung Chinh, Nong Cong, Thanh Hoa
A young man needs a dream, but Manh’s dream was taken away from him. It has been more than a year since the terrible accident that took away the use of Manh’s legs, and in the blink of an eye Manh was reduced from a strong, hard working, healthy young boy to being a burden on his family. Tired, confused and depressed, in the months after the accident Manh seemed to lose all hope for the future and allowed himself to drift on the wings of destiny.
Mạnh is the eldest of 3 brothers. His parents are rice farmers with a minimal income. After graduating from high school, Manh passed the entrance exam to Mechanic’s Technical School at Ninh Binh province and was soon expected to graduate, at which time he could have left the contruction company and found a job with less dangerous conditions and better pay, to support his parents and his brothers. But now that door has been shut in his face.
The accident happened while Manh was driving an excavator for a forestry construction company. It had been a normal day, when suddenly there was a landslide, and the huge machine upturned and fell across his body. Manh was promptly rescued from death but he forever lost the use of his left leg. The other leg was fractured. A full year later, he is still receiving medical treatment and has not yet completely recovered. For the most part he has to stay inside the narrow space of the family’s small house, giving up the desires and wishes of his youth. It is a bleak, unsatisfying life. In addition to his own personal grief, he bears the guilt of being a burden on his family; he cannot take care of his personal needs, and many a night he has lain awake worrying because of the money his parents had to spend on his medical treatment.
The way before him may be long and difficult but thanks to this generous opportunity, it is not quite hopeless. Mạnh confided in me that he would take part in a computer course and eventually, open a maintenance and repairs shop. Now with this wheelchair, Manh is one very large step closer to making his new dream come true.
Manh’s ability to continue to dream, in spite of all he has been through, helps me understand that tomorrow can be brighter and happier no matter how horrible or desperate the present is. It all comes down to attitude. And a willingness to dream.

Interviewed and written by Mai Nga, Edited by Jodie-Lee Trembath

Fun at UNIS PTA Spring Fair

HSCV was invited by Hanoi United Nations International School (UNIS) to have a information table at their PTA Spring Fair on April 19th. Thanks to HSCV team members and volunteers HSCV has a great day selling t-shirts, hats and key chains.

However, as usual the most popular attraction was the face painting. Children of all ages lined up to have flower, balloons, spiders and cats painted on their face, hands and arms. The painters painted non-stop from 10 am to 2 pm. It was one of the first hot days of the year, surely a sign of more to come.

This was our first year at this event and we hope we get invited back next year. Thanks to the painting and sale of HSCV items we raised over $300 usd. This money will go directly to our emergency rice funds where we are currently most in need of funding.

Free to dream again ~ Wheelchair for Tran Minh Tan

Tran Minh Tan, 16 years old
A casual chat with the manager of HSCV made me decide to take part in the “Free Wheelchair mission” programme.
At 6.30am in the morning, we set off on our mission to Phu Ly. My grandmother recounted her memories of her hometown as a place where people were poor and miserable.
Contrary to her memories, the villagers in Phu Ly were friendly and joyous. They welcomed us with their sincere and radiant smiles that instantaneously warmed our hearts. I chatted with a young boy, Tran who looked at me with his friendly and soulful eyes. “What is your dream?” I asked him. His reply was short but firm, “I want to be a photographer.” Residing in Dong Ly with his family, Tan’s parents own a small camera shop and shared the same passion in photography.
Tran was a studious boy and never failed to go to school daily. At school, he studied hard and played alongside with his friends. In the afternoon, he would tag along with his father around the village for his photographic assignments.
Fate played a cruel trick on this young 12-year-old boy. A severe cold snowballed to brain infection (encephalitis) and paralysis, leaving his side of his body completely dysfunctional. Tan’s paralyzed legs prevented him from going to school. His dream of becoming a photographer shattered and his wonderful childhood lost.
The strong boy did not shed a tear, but the deep sadness in his eyes was intense and heart-wretching when he confided in me about his medical condition.
“I would really like to go back to school to study but I cannot do it anymore. Whenever I try to study, I get a very unbearable headache that causes extreme pain,” shared the young boy.
Tran has been confined within the four walls of his home since his illness and handicap. The youngest in the family, Tran’s doting parents and caring siblings took great care of him. The matured boy wished that he could help his parents and relieve his relatives of their obligations to take care of him, but there is little he could do.
The wheelchair is a wish come true for Tran. Tran is determined to pursue his passion in photography despite his handicap.
Tran can now move around at ease in his home and do things independently. He can even use his right hand to work and take photographs
With sparkling eyes, he said, “From now on, when my father is away from home, I can help him take photographs. I can even go into the darkroom with my father and go out of the house by myself.”=The burning flame of faith and hope in his eyes was evident.
This new wheelchair has transformed Tran’s life and rekindled the passion in photography for the young boy. The best is yet to come.

A chance to go to school ~ Wheelchair for Pham Van Doan

Pham Van Doan, 10 years old,
Truong Son hamlet, Truong Lam commune, Tinh Gia district, Thanh Hoa province
Doan was born with cerebral palsy, a condition that caused his legs to be paralysed. Thankfully, he is able to hear, speak and understand clearly.
Despite his physical handicap, Doan never fails to leave a lasting impression on others, with his handsome looks, eyes that sparkle with curiousity and hope, and his wide, sincere smile.
At the age of 10, Doan is unable to live a life like a normal child. He does not go to school and spends a majority of his life either sitting or lying on the bed. His doting mother has been constantly by his side to look after him, shower him and prepare meals.
Both parents often take turns to carry him to the toilet or to take a shower. His humble parents, both farmers love him dearly and try their best to make him happy.
Like any child, Doan longs to go out of his home to play and meet with his friends.
“I have been dreaming about a wheelchair countless times.. Today, this dream has finally become a reality.
I am very happy! I can get my mother to push me around in the wheelchair to visit my friends. Now, I can move around much more easily and even go to the school. I would like to
say a big thank you for your generousity."