110 innocent souls and little dreams written on sticky notes.

Walking along the winding road, past the ancient, nearly century-old sloping roof of Long Tho Pagoda, about a hundred meters away, a cluster of single-story buildings with corrugated iron roofs, doors, and iron frames appears, from which unique singing voices can be heard. This is the Long Tho Pagoda Center for the Protection of Children with Disabilities ( Hue ).

Simple happiness

Outside the center is a vibrant mural, just like a normal kindergarten. But behind the door, it's a different story. Laughter, sometimes mixed with shouts, and indistinct speech—these are the sounds of 110 disabled children living here. They range in age from 6 to 46, with various disabilities, and are divided into five classes according to their cognitive level.

Among them, some children struggle for hours just to finish a bowl of rice, while others lose control due to an invisible obsession. There's a 46-year-old man who "still hasn't graduated from school after 26 years." There are children abandoned by their families. There are families where both brothers carry a genetic defect…

110 children are studying and being cared for at the Long Tho Pagoda Center for Children with Disabilities.

Under the roof of the Long Tho Pagoda Center for Disabled Children, all lives are embraced and given a space to dream. Here, happiness doesn't come from luxuries, but from the simple things found in these "children who never grow up."

As a member of the center, 14-year-old Nhu Tran Tinh Thuong always has a radiant smile on her face, wishing for a toy airplane to let her imagination run wild and play with her friends. Hoang Van Phat dreams of a bicycle so he can ride home more often, instead of just once or twice a month as he does now. Some children's dreams are simply a box of cookies, a piece of candy, or a new set of clothes…

Little girl Bui Phan Gia Ngoc was abandoned by her father at the center six months ago and has been completely out of contact ever since. In her heart is a simple yet heartbreaking dream: "I want to go home."

These small wishes make many people realize that happiness sometimes doesn't lie in having everything.

The bringer of happiness

For the past 26 years, the Long Tho Pagoda Center for Disabled Children has been a haven and a place of healing for "children who never grow up," with the guidance of Venerable Nun Thoai Nghiem. Continuing the vow of her teacher when establishing the center, she perseveres on this path. She understands the misfortune of disabled children who are neglected or stigmatized in society.

Nun Thoai Nghiem shared: "These children were born human but are not like their peers. Helping them access society, live like everyone else, and seeing them happy is the greatest motivation for me to maintain the center to this day."

Sister Thoai Nghiem has been with the center for the past 26 years.

Raising children with special needs has never been an easy journey. At Long Tho, every day is a test of patience and love, coupled with economic difficulties.

Teacher Ton Nu Dieu Khanh has also been quietly "sowing seeds of happiness" with the center for 26 years. For her, happiness is "her loving the children and the children loving her, progressing together every day."

Each group of students, whether they stayed or left the school gates, became a vivid memory for Ms. Khanh. There was the young student who ran away from school, causing chaos as the entire center searched for her. Or a former student who grew up, started a family, and whose two children also had similar disabilities, further motivating Ms. Khanh to strive harder.

Teacher Ton Nu Dieu Khanh has been working with children with special needs for 26 years.

What she hopes for most isn't something grand, but simply that the children learn to wash their hands, take care of themselves, stop at red lights when it's green, and write their names if they get lost… These are the simple "seeds" of happiness that they sow.

"The teachers here are very dedicated," a happy smile and heartfelt confession came from the parent of Van Anh, a girl who should be in 11th grade this year and is also the "sweet fruit" that the center has reaped. From a child who couldn't speak, couldn't take care of herself, and often got angry for no reason, after 4-5 years at the center, Van Anh now knows how to wash her hands, sweep the house, write, read, and draw very well.

Despite being 49 years old and never having received a birthday gift, Sister Thoai Nghiem regularly organizes monthly birthday celebrations for the children. For her, "if I feel happy receiving gifts, then the children must be very happy too." From the smallest things, she only hopes to bring more happiness to the children every day.

It is thanks to stories that spread love, the desire to share, and the continuous "sowing of happiness" that are being multiplied in the community. And that is also the reason whySHB 's "Happy Bus" was created.

The car starts moving, and the dream comes true.

Starting from the simple yet heartfelt drawings of the children at Long Tho Pagoda Protection Center, SHB received them and strived to realize them all with respect. Each gift given not only has material value but also represents the result of companionship and carefully packaged heartfelt intentions.

The moment the orange "Happy Bus" stopped at the simple grounds of Long Tho brought with it a lively and warm atmosphere. SHB staff presented gifts that the children themselves had drawn: from bicycles and toy airplanes to boxes of crayons. And happiness erupted.

The children's smiles lit up when they received their dream gifts.

On stage, Hoang Van Phat couldn't hide his joy as he took his first steps on the bicycle. Tran Tinh Thuong, already radiant, had even more sparkling eyes when she received her long-awaited toy airplane, eager to assemble it immediately. And little Gia Ngoc was also very happy with the gift she received at Long Tho House.

On this special day, familiar songs like "My Vietnam," " I Love Vietnam ," "Mother's Burden ," "Mother's Love ," "Chalk Dust ," etc., resonated through the unique voices of the center. These voices touched the emotions of the listeners with their innocence and joy.

SHB's journey of sowing seeds of happiness continues.

"The Happy Bus" may not have been a miracle big enough to completely change the challenging lives of children like Gia Ngoc, Van Phat, or Tinh Thuong. However, it was a small miracle that appeared just in time, changing an afternoon and creating bright and warm memories.

SHB representatives believe that these beautiful memories are powerful enough to warm the children's journey ahead. SHB's "32 Years of Sowing Happiness" journey continues, because each touch and act of sharing yields happiness, contributing to transforming small things into an endless source of motivation for the children to confidently step into the future.

Source: https://znews.vn/110-tam-hon-tre-tho-va-nhung-uoc-mo-nho-tren-to-giay-nho-post1610039.html