Father Nguyen, from Nghe An province, told AsiaNews that “my parish and I have worked with the target group for over four years; that is more than 40 disabled children. Their parents are very poor and are in no condition to take care for their children. So we take care for them, helping the parents participate in our work.”
With his group behind him, Father Nguyen set up a shelter recognised by the government. “Our work,” he said, “helps parents learn how to take care of their children. Our centre is a place where disabled children can stay for three to five years. We are fully committed to see children reintegrate their families and see the latter reintegrate the community. But it is big challenge.”
For years, the Church has been involved in helping the disabled with initiatives and centres located across the country, which are usually recognised by public authorities.
Nguyen Cong Hung is one of the many children welcomed in one of these centres. Today he runs a training centre in Saigon helping the disabled learn to use the computer.
About 600 young people have taken his courses up to now. Many have found jobs afterwards but there are still obstacles that disabled children and teenagers must face.
Mr Hung came up with the idea of computer literacy courses. He was inspired by a simple idea, namely that “technical skills offer greater job opportunities and make communication in society easier.”
Despite the success of his centre, he is not going to stop at computer courses; instead, he wants to “help them [the disabled] go to university” so that he can “further contribute to their social promotion.”
For years, the Betania Charity community of the Congregation of the Lovers of the Holy Cross has worked with disable children in Bien Hoa City where it runs a home and a workshop.
The Vietnamese-founded congregation cares for more than 120 children and teenagers, 2 to 17 years old. All those of school age go to regular schools.
“All our children can go to school. We encourage and help them deal with the difficulties of studying and its psychological impact,” Sister Thao told AsiaNews.
“Disable people are normal people,” Ms Huong, a social worker, said. “They have intelligence and talent like others. However, the social context is very competitive nowadays and disabled people have to compete with more successful people.”
Indeed, some people with disabilities occupy important positions of responsibility. One example is Dr Thien who was born blind and is now a professor of computer science at Saigon’s Van Lang University.