30 years of sowing faith and nurturing hope for children with intellectual disabilities and autism

On the morning of November 12, Sao Mai Center held a ceremony to celebrate its 30th anniversary, marking a three-decade journey of love, sharing and dedication to the special children community in the North.

The event is an opportunity to look back on the journey of "creating and spreading values" of Sao Mai Center, a unit under the Vietnam Association for the Relief of Disabled Children, and one of the typical and effective models in the field of care, examination and early intervention for children with disabilities, especially children with autism spectrum disorder in Vietnam.

The Association for Education for All Vietnam awarded a Certificate of Merit to Sao Mai Center. Photo: Mai Van.

When it was first established, the Center faced many difficulties and challenges, having to rent a house with only 2 teachers and 15 students. However, thanks to the valuable support of the international community such as the Netherlands Commission II (1993-2011) supporting the purchase of facilities and sending experts, the Hanoi International Women's Club, and the Catholic Relief Services Organization (USA), the Center has steadily developed.

An important turning point took place from 2002 to 2007, when the Hanoi People's Committee granted 1,000m² of land in Nhan Chinh and the Atlantic Philantropies Fund (USA) sponsored 400,000 USD to build a new facility. In 2005, the 4-storey building, with an area of ​​nearly 1,000m² at No. 6, Lane 8, Hoang Dao Thuy, was inaugurated, opening a period of intensive development.

Since 2006, Sao Mai Center has entered the stage of "Steady development, standardization according to international models". The Center has approached the world's advanced methods of Special Education and developed a variety of therapy types.

Rewarding outstanding teachers. Photo: Mai Van

In particular, Sao Mai has pioneered in building and applying the Denver Early Intervention Model (ESDM). Thanks to the sponsorship of the Dora Foundation and Fishing Rod (Australia), the Center invited Australian experts to train, and by 2017, 3 Sao Mai teachers were granted international standard ESDM therapist certificates. In 2018, the Center implemented the G-ESDM group intervention model, making Sao Mai the first center in Vietnam to apply and build the most comprehensive ESDM model (along with Singapore and Thailand in Asia).

Innocent and fun performance by children in the Early Intervention class at the Center. Video: Mai Hoa

Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the Vietnam Association for the Relief of Disabled Children Ngo Sach Thuc praised the outstanding achievements of Sao Mai Center and emphasized the Center's deeply humane mission of "giving disabled children the opportunity to live up to their abilities, contributing to changing public awareness of children with intellectual disabilities and autistic children". At the same time, he requested Sao Mai Center to continue to pioneer in administrative innovation, application of science and technology, digital transformation, and proactively coordinate to acquire and apply advanced care, therapy, and education methods.

The Central Committee of the Vietnam Association for the Relief of Disabled Children presented Sao Mai Center with a Certificate of Merit, along with a banner with 9 golden words: "Sow trust - Nurture hope - Create happiness". Photo: Mai Van

Sao Mai's 30-year journey of success is a vivid testament to the spirit of "Overcoming difficulties - Compassion - Professionalism", indispensable for the companionship and support of authorities at all levels, partners, experts, and sponsors. Along with that is the participation of parents, students, and especially the dedication of the staff and teachers, with perseverance, overcoming all prejudices, supporting care and education, helping children with intellectual disabilities and autistic children to develop their abilities. Sao Mai Center has been, is and will continue to be a "warm home, a loving home", a trusted address, lighting up hope for thousands of disabled children and families across the North.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/30-nam-sow-niem-tin-uom-hy-vong-cho-tre-khuet-tat-tri-tue-va-tu-ky-723023.html