Saigon Giai Phong newspaper shares stories of people with disabilities’ efforts to rise up not only for their families’ sake but also for society’s sake.
Don’t just make an effort for yourself.
SGGP Saturday, 08:06 on 20 April 2019
In society, there are many people with disabilities who always think positively, turning their shortcomings into the motivation to strive and rise, to live well, to take care of the family, and to be responsible for the community and society.
Be used to help the poor
“Uncle Trieu, there is a child in the ward who died in a traffic accident. But the family is being so difficult. I am calling for each person to take care of his funeral. Will you help them a little?”
Listening to Mr. Le Ngoc Thi (vice chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee of Truong Thanh Ward, District 9) say that, Mr. Tran Van Trieu (66 years old, living in Ich Thanh Quarter, Truong Thanh Ward) rushed to visit the child and donate 1 million VND for aftercare efforts.
“Uncle Trieu is like that, even though he is disabled, he does not live for himself. My husband and I have just moved here for about 3 years, but there are people who are in difficulty, and when they call on me, I will wholeheartedly support them,” Thi added.
Mr. Trieu was born in a poor farming family in Binh Minh District (Vinh Long Province). He was orphaned at the age of 11. Difficulties and suffering followed him for decades. At the age of 36, an accident caused him to lose the use of his legs. There was nothing valuable in the house, so his family sold all its fields and gardens to fly to North and South Vietnam and treat his illness.
Eventually, Mr. Trieu stopped his treatment, started using a wheelchair, and started helping his wife raise their children. After overcoming his own difficulties to revive his family fortunes and raise his three children to study well, Mr. Trieu devoted himself to the people around him, especially poor families.
Mr. Trieu confided that his whole life, he had seen the greatest poverty and desperation, so he understood the plight of the poor very well. Therefore, he always did what he could do to help the poor.
When he was a young man, he had no money. He earned an income by helping his neighbors, showing up for work early in the morning. Later, when the economy improved, he spent his entire monthly state allowance to help the disabled and his older children’s allowance to start a fund to help the poor.
There is no one like Mr. Trieu. When he returned to his new place, there were still many surprises, but the first thing he did was contact local officials to “ask” for help for families in the ward in need.
On the third Sunday of each month, he and his wife prepare 33 gifts and give them to lonely elderly people and families in need in the ward.
In addition to donating necessities, Mr. Trieu also regularly awards scholarships and health insurance to poor students to encourage them to strive to study and change their lives using knowledge.
The heart is as beautiful as a picture
Alice’s twisted paper painting facility (in Ward 4, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City) is always bustling with laughter. It is a place where dozens of people with disabilities put their dreams into paintings.
The owner of the establishment is Ms. Tran Thuy Thuy Vi, who is 40 years old (living in Tan Phu District). Vi herself was disabled when her legs atrophied after she contracted polio at the age of three. Living among friends of the same age in an orphanage, she did not pay much attention to her disability.
Only later did she realize her own loss. Not complaining, not surrendering to her fate, she determined to rise up on her own and not become a burden to her family and society.
Discussing twisted paper paintings on the occasion of participating in innovation contests at the university, Ms. Vi confided, “At that time, I was very impressed with paper paintings. I think, with this type of painting, it will be easy for people with disabilities like me to access it, so I researched and hoped that one day, twisted paper paintings would be a fishing rod to help us become independent.”
After two years of studying and practicing, Ms. Vi brought to the market many fancy paintings and unique souvenir products. Receiving positive feedback from everyone, she boldly opened a twisted paper painting factory. The factory carries out both processing for export businesses and designs products for display and domestic sales to create jobs for local people.
“Many people think that people with disabilities are a burden to their families and society, I want to prove that thinking wrong. We live optimistically, independently, and sometimes even support healthy people,” Ms. Vi stated.
Ms. Ly Xuan Tham (from Can Tho), who is 32 years old, joined Vi’s Alice Paper Painting Facility more than two years ago. She said, “Thanks to Ms. Vi, I have a good working environment with a stable income. I am provided with food and decent accommodation. For more than two years now, I have not only been able to take care of myself but also send money back to my elderly parents in the countryside.
In addition to being trained, working, and getting paid, Ms. Tham gained a sense of optimism, confidence in herself, and zest for life, all thanks to the inspiration Ms. Vi provided.
During the past six years, Ms. Vi’s paper painting establishment has provided jobs for dozens of people, mainly people with disabilities. To create job opportunities for people in the same situation, Ms. Vi also contacted disability centers in Ho Chi Minh City to offer free vocational training as well as provide opportunities to work in a loving environment at Alice.
“I don’t dare to be proud of myself, but I am always proud of my family and of the employees in my company.” – Sharing of Mr. Tran Van Tinh (Tony Tinh) when reading this artical
“Dr. Chu Dinhkhac and Dr. Thuy Le, there are group of more than 30 families in this article; We will examine this group of elderly people on the upcoming 5/May. The ward committee has allowed me to group the old people together. I will arrange for a fleet of vehicles to take the elderly to their homes, cook vegetarian food, examine each person, and then drive them home again. We will do this every month on the day my parents give them their monthly allowance until they “pass away.”
