Program: Building a Charity House for Ms. Nhãn and Her Mother in Sóc Trăng

After finishing our field survey in Phụng Hiệp, Hậu Giang, we rode our motorbikes on to Mỹ Tú district, Sóc Trăng, to revisit a very special family!

A story from 3 years ago: DISABLED BUT NEVER DEFEATED

This is the story of Ms. Nguyễn Thị Nhãn in Hưng Phú commune, Mỹ Tú district, Sóc Trăng province. From birth, she was not as lucky as other children: both her hands and her feet were disabled. Her father was the family's main breadwinner. While he was alive, he cast the cement pillars for the house himself, but only the front wall had been built when he suddenly passed away. The roof had not even been put on yet.

After he died, mother and daughter fell into destitution: her mother was old and frail, and she herself, being disabled, could not work… Feeling sorry for them, the neighbors bought palm leaves and bamboo slats to put up a makeshift roof so the two could have somewhere to live for the time being.

3 years ago, a friend of ours learned about her situation and bought her a wheelchair and a household sewing machine. At the time she did not know how to sew. With guidance from the women next door and her own determination to improve her life, she learned. Those hands and feet that had seemed useless seemed to gain new life as she set out to master the sewing machine. And she did it. Her simplest product is the pot holder.

To this day, she still sits tirelessly at her sewing machine, making 5 sets a day and asking various people to sell them for her, at 3,000 VND a set. Although she does not earn much each day, she is very happy to have work and to do something she loves, and her life is always full of laughter.

As for us, we are full of admiration for her efforts, a living example of being “disabled but never defeated”, and more than ever we understand how precious it is to give someone a “fishing rod”.

Her wheelchair has also broken down, and Y Tam will do our best to rally donors to help her get a new one.

UNDER A CRUMBLING ROOF

Looking up at the roof over mother and daughter, our hearts sank: the sheets of rubber tarp were in tatters, and when the rainy season comes they certainly will not keep the rain out. So we decided to help them rebuild the house on the foundation of the old one, reusing the cement pillars her father had cast long ago.

Y Tam plans to build a 4m x 10m house with a poured foundation, a cement floor, 1m-high brick walls, and a steel frame with a corrugated metal roof.

Our cost estimate is as follows:

Total estimated cost: 26,715,000 VND

Of this, we have raised 4,000,000 VND from her relatives, friends and neighbors

So Y Tam will contribute 22,715,000 VND

Timeline:

-We plan to start rebuilding the house on: 11/01/2016

-Completion: 20/1/2016

Y Tam sincerely hopes to receive support from donors near and far so that together we can give Ms. Nhãn and her mother a sound roof over their heads.

All contributions to the house-building program for Ms. Nhãn and her mother can be sent to:

Y Tam Charity

Office address: No. X1, CMT8 Apartment Complex, Thép Mới Street (near the Hoàng Hoa Thám – Trường Chinh intersection), Ward 12, Tân Bình District, Ho Chi Minh City.

Phone: 098 567 4772 – 0934 197 772

Bank accounts:

1/ Đông Á Bank: Account number: 0101607577 – Account name: Đào Thị Minh Lệ, 343 Lê Văn Sỹ Branch – District 3 – Ho Chi Minh City

2/ Vietcombank: Account number: 044 1000 664 969 – Account name: Đào Thị Minh Lệ, card issued at: 188B Lê Văn Sỹ, Ward 10, Phú Nhuận District, Ho Chi Minh City, Tân Bình District Branch.

3/ Vietinbank: Account number: 711AA7741285 – Account name: Đào Thị Minh Lệ, issuing branch address: 207 Lê Văn Sỹ – District 3 – Ho Chi Minh City

4/ Agribank: Account number: 1606 205 971 141 – Account name: Đào Thị Minh Lệ, An Phú Branch

Note: When transferring, please clearly state: Donor's name + Support for Ms. Nhãn's house

Sincerely,
Y Tam Charity