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ANH SANG HOUSE FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED AND DISABLED CHILDREN IN LAGI TOWNSHIP, SOUTH CENTRAL VIETNAM
Approximately 50 children, who are either visually impaired or suffers of Down’s syndrome, aged between four and eighteen are cared for by the Anh Sang House for Visually Impaired and Disabled Children in Lagi township in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam. This small town has a population of 103,000 people and is located about 180 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City. The House was founded in 2001, with the support of Father Nicolas Huynh Van Nghi, the Bishop of Phan Thiet Diocese in Binh Thuan Province and has been managed by Sister Anna Nguyen Thi Thuy Dao of Nha Trang Congregation of the Lovers of the Holy Cross. On legal basis the private Primary class was open based on Decision of People’s Committee of HamTan District, Binh Thuan Province dated May 3rd, 2002. the children are from the Central and Northem regions of Vietnam and are either orphans or from very poor families who cannot attend to their special needs. At present, Monthly living expense for the center is approximately 60,000,000 VND, including educational materials and transport. There are periods when monthly expenses cannot be met by the centre’s finances. Students have to make do with frugal meals at these times.
Approximately eighteen visually impaired students from the centre undertake special educational classes. They have displayed resilience and ability to integrate with un-impaired students in conventional schools. They also show the potential to undertake tertiary education which would ensure them a dignified and stable livelihood. For example, the centre had two students named An and Phuong who graduated from the colleges of Music and Herbal Medicines respectively. However, there initial steps towards this goal, through primary and secondary education, are setback by difficulties that are beyond their remarkable capacity to adapt to their disability.
A major handicap for these students is the cost of Braille texts that are aligned with the curriculum of the Vietnamese training and Educational Ministry. Such Braille books can be ordered for students from a School for Visually Impaired Students namely the Nguyen Dinh Chieu School in Ho Chi Minh City, but their cost is prohibitive. For example, a set of Braille texts for year-eight primary school student currently costs approximately 3,500,000 VND (170 USD) which is least twice the average take-home pay of an average wage earner in Vietnam.
The second major impediment for these students is the lack of availability of Braille English-Vietnamese Dictionary, English Grammar book, ESL texts, Good Essay Books, Reference books and experienced and dedicated teachers. The students still have a great desire for knowledge of English although they can just make notes in Braille from disused calendars and cardboard.
Thirdly, students use blind sticks for a long hike to school and cannot be always accompanied to school. The students’ careers are also sometimes worried about the safety of the visually handicapped young girls. Their 10-year dream is to have a small vehicle for transport of the students with safety. This would also help centre staff with bulk purchasing of food, drinking water and other items which is a considerable hardship in time and effort for the center at present.
Contact:
Nha Khuyet Tat – Khiem Thi Anh Sang.
Add: Khu pho 7, P. Tan An, Tx Lagi, Binh Thuan, Viet Nam
Tel: +84 62 3871794
Email: truongkhiemthianhsang@gmail.com |
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