Việt Nam has the second fastest growing economy in the world, behind China. But, it is still a developing country with many difficulties to overcome. There is still poverty in Việt Nam, though nobody starves anymore. Poverty falls hardest on children.
I have a third year student named Thành. By any western standards, he is poor. By Vietnamese standards, he is not poor – but he’s just the next level up. He will be a teacher in another year or so, but for now, this young man with so little of his own feels the need to help others. His Christmas wish is to see poor kids blossom.
As always, be sure to click on the pictures to see a larger version.
Liberally translated, the sign says this is a school for street kids. Many of them are orphans, while others have been abandoned by their parents. Many have physical deformities or handicaps. Thành is a volunteer teacher at the school for four hours each week, and he brought me here one morning. This class is early teenagers, and they are part of a total student body of 100. The school only has two fulltime teachers, plus a headmistress and a social worker. The rest of the teaching is done by volunteers like Thành. (He’s the tall guy in the back.)
The facilities are (ahem) less than ideal, yet I noticed the kids are well scrubbed and happy. It was a typical raw rainy-season day, yet they all had warm clothing. Notice the lack of glass in the windows, and the scruffy two-students desks. But, the kids had paper and pencils. The text books were photocopies of originals.
The building belongs to the government, but most of the operating funding comes from the Fund for Children of Thưa Thiên Huê Province. The fund is supported by various charitable organizations around the world. The social worker told me the school probably meets about 10% of the need.
The kids are well fed, and volunteers do the cooking. This lady was preparing part of the noon
meal. It wasn’t until later that I wondered if she was cooking for 100 people by herself, or if some help was forthcoming. Outside the kitchen was a large mound of foodstuffs awaiting the cook.
Thirty of the 100 children live at the school. The quarters are spartan, but very clean and neat. Notice the lack of a door. Don’t be off-put by the lack of a mattress – most Vietnamese sleep on a thin mat, not a mattress. Each child has a small locker for personal possessions and clothes. The children who are boarded at the school are either orphans or abandoned.
This little sweetie captured my heart. She is too young to be in class herself, but her brother and
sister are. They are orphans. Notice too that her left hand and arm are withered. You may notice it, but she didn’t seem to. She was bouncy and laughing and as energetic as any other kid. She has no idea how difficult her life will be. She won’t be physically able to do many kinds of work, and her disability will make her unattractive on the marriage market. The school teaches the kids basic skills, such as sewing – and maybe that will provide her with an income. There is no Social Security in Việt Nam. If you don’t work, you don’t eat.
What do you suppose this pensive young man is thinking? I watched him laugh and smile a lot, but whenever he noticed the camera pointed at him, he became quiet. Do you think his Christmas wish is to find a new bicycle under the tree? Maybe a mobile phone with a camera? Perhaps his wants are simpler and he just wants a new pair of fashion jeans and a Kobe Bryant shirt. Maybe he wants all three wishes.
Merry Christmas to all.
My student Thành has already received his Christmas wish.