Hanoi (AsiaNews/EDA) - Children who have at least one leper in the family, and for this reason are the object of discrimination and marginalisation: for them, studying would be unheard of if it were not for a community of sisters of Saint-Paul de Chartres, who welcome them in Pleiku, in the region of the Vietnamese highlands.

There are 160 young people studying in their convent: they come from ethnic minority groups in the region - Sedang and Jarai - and the sisters represent their hope for a better future.  This is the case, Thérèse Dinh Chuc tells Eglises d'Asie, of a 14-year-old girl who is now in sixth grade.  Coming from the village of 19 families that include a least one leper, she found food and lodging among the sisters, and even the payment of her schooling expenses.  She lives with her brother and another six children from her village, in accommodations inside the convent of Pleiku, capital of the province of Gai Lai.  She has also joined a group of traditional dancers.

For one young man, now 22 years old, contact with the sisters emerged from job hunting.  The orphan of parents who died from leprosy, at the age of 10 he had left school to contribute to the support of the family that adopted him.  Having come to the convent to look for work, he is now finishing high school, and wants to become a musician, since the sisters taught him to play the harmonium.

In addition to studying, in fact, the 160 children welcomed by the sisters practice sport and music, as well as having the opportunity to deepen their understanding of religion.  There is also a daytime centre that cares for another 200 young people.

The sisters of Saint-Paul de Chartres have dedicated themselves to the lepers of the highlands since 1962: today, they care for about 700 people with the disease each day.