Love in the mountains
Smiling sweetly, Thao Thi Bang reaches for the candy offered to her, but the 10-year-old’s hands are barely strong enough to hold the packet. Paralysed at only six months old, the girl, who belongs to an ethnic minority, can’t stand or walk and has only a limited ability to speak.
“It was very difficult at first,” says her father, Thao A Lang. “We worked hard to make a living, but my little girl couldn’t do anything. She depended on my wife and me for everything.”
“She was afraid of meeting other people,” the 51-year-old continues. “We were heartbroken whenever we looked at her.”
Despite struggling with poverty, Bang’s family has always stood beside her. Her mother looks after her with great care, while her siblings play with her after school when they’re not helping with the housework. Neighbours and village leaders also drop by to offer emotional support.
Living a colourless life for many years, Bang now joins other children to enjoy World Vision’s activities in Tua Chua, a mountainous district in Vietnam’s north-western Dien Bien province.
Every year, the organisation and local authorities organise events, such as birthday parties and painting competitions, for the children in Bang’s community. And even though the girl can’t communicate fluently or draw, the experience has been overwhelmingly positive.
“My daughter is much happier,” says Lang. “She isn’t nervous with other people any more.”
World Vision has also improved the family’s financial conditions. The child-focused organisation gave her parents some goats, which backed by its animal husbandry training allowed the couple to launch a small business.
Bang's family feeds the goats given by World Vision.
The head of World Vision’s Tua Chua project, Nguyen Xuan An, says: “Around 40 children with disabilities live in our area and we will focus more on them.
“We plan to encourage them to participate in extracurricular activities, including our newly established reading groups in the villages. The move will help children like Bang enjoy life as much as their friends.”
Vietnamese text and photos: Nguyen Thi Thuong – Tua Chua ADP Sponsorship Facilitator