International Day of Persons with Disabilities December 3: A loving support for less fortunate children

Unit representative, Director of Thien Tam Social Assistance Facility Le Thi Ly received a gift from Deputy Director of the City Department of Health Doan Thi Hoai Nhi. Photo: HOANG LIEN — Director of Thien Tam Social Assistance Facility Le Thi Ly (right) receives a gift from Deputy Director of the City Department of Health Doan Thi Hoai Nhi. Photo: HOANG LIEN

The common roof of the "crescent moons"

Established in early 2025, Thien Tam Social Assistance Facility (located in Tay Ho commune) managed by Ms. Le Thi Ly is currently a place for activities and rehabilitation of more than 30 disabled children.

The facility has 5 staff members who are all community volunteers, operating in the spirit of sharing, supporting early education , intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders and physical therapy for children with cerebral palsy.

Every day, this shared home welcomes the children early in the morning so that their parents can go to work with peace of mind, and picks them up late in the afternoon. Most of the children here are severely disabled, from 1 to 15 years old. There are children with cerebral palsy, paralyzed, unable to move or do personal activities on their own, and all their eating and hygiene needs to be taken care of by Ly's mother and the volunteers.

Mr. Nguyen Van Vy (Phu Ninh commune), parent of Nguyen Thi Hoang Nhu (15 years old) with cerebral palsy, emotionally shared: “My wife works for hire all day, before I had to stay home to take care of the children. Since Thien Tam shelter has supported me, in the morning I take my children to the shelter to go to work, do hoeing for hire, and in the afternoon I come to pick them up. Thanks to the dedicated support of the staff, my wife and I feel much more secure, reducing some of the burden of making a living.”

The heart of a mother with a child in the same situation

The motivation for Ms. Le Thi Ly to devote herself to this arduous work comes from her own circumstances. She herself is a mother whose son was born deaf and mute. More than anyone, she understands the pain, hardships and simple desires of families with less fortunate children.

Having worked for more than 10 years at a non -governmental organization caring for disabled children, Ms. Ly has accumulated a lot of experience and skills in caring for special children. Although she is nearly 60 years old, an age when she should be resting, when she meets the children she used to care for, she cannot bear to abandon them.

"Looking at the children is so pitiful, seeing their parents suffer so much, I feel sorry for them. Many severely disabled children are not accepted by other centers because their chances of improvement are low. Looking at the children's eyes, an invisible force urged me to do something," Ms. Ly confided.

Deciding to spend all of her family's savings to rent a house and set up a childcare facility, Ms. Ly received absolute support from her husband, a retired teacher. Not only did he not dissuade her, he also gave her his pension book to help her fulfill her wish. Ms. Ly even sold her house in the countryside to buy a ^1,000m2 plot of land, with the intention of building a more spacious facility for her children in the future.

Bringing love to disabled children in Tay Ho commune. Photo: HOANG LIEN

At Thien Tam, love and perseverance have woven miraculous changes. Many children when they first arrived just lay in one place, but after a period of training and care, they have shown positive changes.

A typical example is Quynh Tran Anh Tien, who has cerebral palsy. Before, Tien could only lie in one place, but now she can walk, get water to drink by herself and call her parents clearly.

Or like Vo Gia Bao (8 years old), motherless, father had to go to the hospital to take care of his seriously ill grandmother, thanks to mother Ly's care, his life is secure, his father's hardship is also reduced.

However, the facility's operations still face numerous difficulties. All costs for rent, food, and living expenses depend on the family's own resources and the support of some benefactors. The facility is still lacking many specialized training equipment and tools for children.

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