Looking at the handicrafts such as lacquer paintings, embroidered pictures and handmade paper products… so creative and skilful, few would think they were made by hands that are bent and deformed, by eyes that have never once seen the light of day, by ears that have never heard the sounds of everyday life. Making these products is the result of the hard training of the teachers and students of the Vi Ngay Mai (For Tomorrow) Centre. Over the past 11 years, the centre has trained more than 800 students. The good news is that when they leave, they can support themselves, integrate into the community and rise in life.
Based at No. 96, Group 19B, Co Nhue, Tu Liem, Hanoi, the centre now has 62 students with disabilities from all over the country, learning and working in various trades such as sewing, embroidery, lacquer painting, crochet, souvenirs… Ms Le Minh Hien, Director of the Centre, said: “Our joy is that more and more people with disabilities come here to learn a trade, and half of them are children of veterans exposed to Agent Orange/dioxin. From the centre, many people with disabilities have succeeded, such as Dang Tran Thanh, now Director of Khiem Thinh 5 Sac Mau Handicrafts Co., Ltd., based on Hoang Hoa Tham Street, Ba Dinh, Hanoi. Or Nguyen Thu Thuong, who lives with brittle bone disease and always felt ashamed and lacking in confidence, but now Thuong is Director of the famous handmade brand Handmade Thuong Thuong. At the centre, 30 couples have married so far”.
Students during a sewing class at the centre.
People with disabilities who come to the centre are aged 15 to 35 and have all types of disabilities, such as: paralysis of the limbs, intellectual disabilities, hearing impairments and visual impairments. Before joining the centre, most of them often felt ashamed, lacked confidence and lived withdrawn lives. But after a while, they see this place as their home, getting along together and working hard at their current jobs. Nguyen Thi Huong, 27, from Duy Tien District, Ha Nam Province, has only two fingers and three toes, but Huong is quite lively and quick-witted. Huong said: “My younger brother, my two cousins and I were all exposed to Agent Orange. Seeing many friends grow up, settle into stable jobs and marry at the centre, I am striving to integrate into the community and become a useful person. I always remember the centre’s slogan: “Only knowledge, a trade and a job can help us overcome the misfortune of fate and escape poverty”.
Mr Thai Van Tang, who has been with the children since 2007 and is now Deputy Director of the Centre, is regarded as a teacher and a father guiding the children to maturity. Mr Tang shared: “I am a veteran and a wounded soldier who fought in the Southwest and Northwest border wars. Although I still carry many wounds, seeing many of my comrades’ children living with disabilities and in difficult circumstances, every week I have to travel hundreds of kilometres to the centre to teach the children embroidery, hoping only that people with disabilities will have a stable life. Training a person with a disability to learn a trade is a very laborious process, because most of the children have limited health and awareness and face certain barriers in life. That is why we must be extremely patient and persevering”.
From old newspapers, pieces of cardboard and scraps of fabric that seemed fit to throw away, the skilful hands of the young people with disabilities at the centre have created products that are aesthetic and creative, such as: vases, cups, baskets, cushions, pot holders, hair bows… These products carry the centre’s logo and are now popular with consumers at home and abroad. Since 2009, after gaining legal status, the centre has built a very professional organisation, with office, training, business, accounting, security and daily-life care units. Its operating costs come from the help of generous organisations and individuals and from sales of its products. According to Ms Le Minh Hien, at first graduates tried to find jobs at outside establishments but found it hard to integrate, so while still at the centre they worked together in groups and, once their skills were solid, set up their own establishments. That is why they understand each other, sympathise and overcome their circumstances together to integrate.
Article and photos: NGUYEN CHI HOA – http://www.qdnd.vn