The second home for orphans

For many years, the Minh Tran Non-Governmental Social Welfare Center (Minh Tran Center) in Minh Hung Ward, Dong Nai Province, has become a second home for 40 orphaned children and children without caregivers from various localities. In addition, 8 elderly people living alone have also chosen this place to settle down in their final years.

A young child is cared for at the Minh Tran non-governmental social welfare facility (Minh Hung ward). Photo: Van Truyen

Here, children are cared for by the monks, provided with food and shelter, given the opportunity to attend school, and taught vocational skills according to their abilities. The elderly are looked after in every aspect of their lives, from meals and sleep to funeral arrangements.

11 years of caring for children

In 2015, the Minh Tran Center was licensed to operate by the State. After 11 years, it has become a second home for 40 orphaned children. Over the years, the children who first came to the center have grown up. Some are university students, some have jobs and are about to start families.

Nun Thich Nu Thong Nhan, Deputy Director of Minh Tran Center, said: "Each child who comes to the center has a different background. Some are abandoned at the center's gate at night by their relatives. Some children are from other localities, brought to the center by their mothers who made mistakes and could no longer be with their children… But no matter the circumstances, the nuns here still try their best to take care of them, providing for their education. Some children have congenital intellectual disabilities and cannot attend school, so the nuns try to teach them to be independent in their daily lives. The remaining children all attend school according to their age."

Nun Thich Nu Thong Nhan happily added: Currently, five of the students are university students in the social sciences field, and one is pursuing a master's degree. For these cases, the nuns have to contact benefactors to request financial support for tuition fees, travel expenses, and clothing. To save on living costs, the nuns have arranged for the students to stay at a temple in Ho Chi Minh City free of charge.

Regarding daily meals, the facility receives attention and support from local people who provide vegetables, fruits, rice, and spices. Many small traders also contribute meat and fish. Nun Thich Nu Thong Nhan said: "At the facility, the monks and nuns are vegetarians. But to help the children develop physically, the facility cooks non-vegetarian dishes. The children only eat vegetarian meals two days a month."

YN (10 years old, currently a 4th grade student), who has lived at the facility for over 10 years, said: “I am picked up and dropped off at school every day. When I get home, the monks and older students help me with my homework. After school, I fold clothes, water the vegetables, and play with the younger children… Everyone cares for and loves each other.”

According to Mr. Nguyen Duc Dung, Head of the Social Policy Department of the Dong Nai Provincial Department of Health , Minh Tran Facility has made a positive contribution to social welfare work in the area. Over the past time, the facility has done a good job of receiving, caring for, and nurturing vulnerable groups such as abandoned children, children in difficult circumstances, elderly people without support, and people with disabilities. Children at the facility are cared for according to age, with separate areas for boys and girls. Each living area is managed by a supervisor to ensure the children's safety. At the same time, the facility always receives the attention and good cooperation of the local government.

Dong Nai province currently has 21 social welfare facilities caring for nearly 1,400 homeless individuals. Among these, Minh Tran Facility is one of 19 non-governmental social welfare facilities licensed by the State to operate.

Humanitarian address for the unfortunate

In addition to providing care and education for children, the elderly, and people with disabilities, Minh Tran Facility also serves as a humanitarian center for the less fortunate in the local area.

According to Mr. Nguyen Anh Toan, a civil servant at the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Minh Hung Ward, for over 10 years, this facility has maintained monthly support for approximately 50 disadvantaged families with gifts of rice, instant noodles, and spices. Additionally, on the first day of each month, the facility prepares 300 meals to donate to freelance workers and people with disabilities.

Nun Thich Nu Thong Nhan, Deputy Director of Minh Tran Non-Governmental Social Welfare Center (Minh Hung Ward), sorts vegetables before preparing a meal.

In addition, Minh Tran Center also serves as a temporary refuge for many women facing difficulties in life. Nun Thich Nu Thong Nhan said: Many young women, for various reasons, come to the temple seeking assistance in caring for themselves and their children during pregnancy. In such cases, the temple always opens its doors to provide a safe place for those in need and then assists in transporting them to medical facilities for safe and smooth childbirth. Many confided that without places like this center, they don't know if they would have the courage or the means to give birth safely.

Many cases were later picked up by relatives to reunite with their families. But there were also women who left their children at the facility after giving birth and never returned. Nun Thich Nu Thong Nhan recounted: During the process of taking in the children, many Buddhist followers who came to the temple to participate in activities were very fond of the children and wanted to adopt them to take home and care for them. The nuns also discussed finding new families for the children. But then they agreed that they did not have the right to find new families for the children. Instead, the facility tried its best to care for and raise the children. After they grew up, whether they found a new family or returned to their roots was up to them to decide. But more importantly, the nuns hoped that someday the children's parents or relatives would come to reclaim their children. Therefore, the nuns tried even harder to raise the children well.

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Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202603/ngoi-nha-thu-2-cua-tre-mo-coi-93d3034/