Though they have physical disabilities themselves, some people are committed to helping others, particularly children, with similarly unfortunate fates.
A visually impaired teacher's dreams
Dang Ngoc Duy, 38, who lives in Quang Nam Province’s Tam Ky City in central Vietnam, became blind in both eyes following an accident when he was in the 6th grade.
Against all odds, he managed to finish both high school and university.
Upon graduating from university in 2009, to everyone’s astonishment, he turned down an offer to become a high school teacher.
Duy then launched a center for physically and mentally challenged kids and orphans ,called Huong Duong Home, in Tam Ky City, offering them free education and skills training, accommodation and meals.
His center is currently home to 22 students of different disabilities, but constantly needs funding to run it.
“I used to be in deep despair and was later sent to school, which has given me a chance for better social integration. So my greatest dream is to help the kids earn access to a decent education, and thus a brighter future,” Duy shared.
Apart from philanthropists’ monetary contribution, his center has also received donations from local residents.
Duy hopes to receive regular funding from local and international organizations to better support his students’ education and cover daily expenses.
His center plans to receive up to 100 physically challenged students by 2020.
A physically-challenged ‘knight’ of the poor
When he began his charitable activities some ten years ago, Le Quang Toan, now 35, of central Quang Binh Province, was upset at mindless comments that he could hardly support himself, let alone care for others.
Due to a premature birth, Toan only began to walk, and with difficulty, when he turned five.
He still can’t walk firmly, and his head tilts to one side.
Toan, who overcame these hurdles to graduate from university and now works at the provincial Orphan and Disabled Support Association, has thus cherished his dream to help other physically challenged people.
He joined a forum which gathers young people who are active in charity work, and has never missed a charity trip to remote areas of Quang Binh and other provinces.
Toan has received several local awards for his charitable contributions, and was named an International Volunteer by the United Nations in 2012.
A kind-hearted, blind elderly man
Thai Van Hop, a 70-year-old blind man, is quite popular in his hometown in Soc Trang Province, in the Mekong Delta, for his good deeds over the last 30 years.
Whenever he learns of someone who needs help on television or radio, he finds ways to reach them and assist them.
He raises money and used clothes and personally presents gifts to the poor, and seeks scholarships for needy students.
One day, he received a telephone call from a woman named Do Hien Tam, who offered to donate one of her eyes to him.
The woman turned out to be a beneficiary who he had helped a long time ago.
“What I’ve been doing is nothing. I really don’t expect to receive anything in return, and was really astonished at the woman’s offer of donating part of her body to me as a thank you. Of course I turned it down, but I was deeply moved,” Hop shared.
Tam explained that she wanted to help him regain part of his eyesight and help more people in need.
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Đăng ký: VietNam News
