Charity House Program for Ms. Lê Trinh Ngọc's Family – Bình Thuận

About her…

“My family went to the pagoda in Đức Linh, Bình Thuận to celebrate Tết (Lunar New Year), and that is where I met her. It was simply fate: we didn't know each other and hadn't arranged to meet.

Sitting with her over tea at the pagoda, we chatted idly about life and faith.

The more I got to know her, the more I sensed her simple, genuine goodness. She is from the Châu Ro ethnic minority and is a single mother raising 3 children: the eldest started working as a factory worker just a month ago, and the other two are still in school.

Every day she takes on odd jobs, whatever anyone asks of her, and together with what her child earns, it is enough to feed the family. But there is never enough money to repair the house, which has been run-down and falling apart for years.

She told me that recently the pagoda gave her another 2m of land, so she could put up a lean-to beside the house and she and her children would have enough room to sleep, and she was so happy. Then she invited me to visit her home…

I asked around among her neighbors, and everyone praised her as warm-hearted and well liked by the whole neighborhood. The house she lives in is itself a charity house built in 2005; back then it was worth only 6 million VND, unplastered and without doors…

I made no promises; I just quietly looked further into the land she lives on and asked for the local authorities' views, and I knew her family truly needed help. That is why I made a point of seeing her again after Tết:

– If you could have a dream, what would you wish for?
– Just a kitchen at the back to cook in
– Only that? Is there anything else you'd wish for? Go ahead, tell me
- There is, but I don't dare
- Why not?
- Because just having a kitchen would make me so happy. Fixing up the front of the house, I don't dare even think about that; it's too much
– That's all right, you have every right to dream of it. What matters most is this: are you ready to work with me and with Y Tam to build that dream?
– I agree, but tell me, what do I need to do?
– Commitment. That's what I need from you; as for exactly what you'll commit to, I'll explain the details to you later”

From a story shared by Ms. Nguyệt Đình Khôi, director of Y Tam

Ms. Ngọc's current kitchen

That is her story. Seeing that her family truly needs a helping hand, Y Tam has decided to help her repair the front of the house and extend it with 2 rooms at the back, so that she and her children have a place to sleep and a kitchen to cook in. All the corrugated metal roofing from the front will be reused for the kitchen at the back, and the front will get new roofing

After meeting with her relatives and agreeing on the house design, the total cost is estimated at about 40 million VND, of which her family will contribute 6 million VND plus labor as builders' helpers. In addition, Y Tam volunteers will travel to Đức Linh to lend her a hand

Cost breakdown for Ms. Ngọc's charity house

Drawing of Ms. Ngọc's charity house

Y Tam plans to break ground in mid-April 2018, once enough funds have been raised.

Let's share, each of us giving a brick or a bag of cement, a small gift from a big heart, so that together we can help Ms. Ngọc's family have a roof to shelter them from sun and rain.

ALL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROGRAM CAN BE SENT TO:

Y Tam Volunteer Organization

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

Phone: 098 567 4772 – 0934 197 772

Bank accounts:

1/ DongA Bank: Account number: 0101607577 – Account name: Đào Thị Minh Lệ, Branch: 343 Lê Văn Sỹ – 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: 107001354465 – 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 making a transfer, please state clearly: Donor's name + Support for the charity house program

Sincerely
Y Tam Volunteer Organization