by Nguyen Kim Ngan, Communications, World Vision Vietnam 

Thuong could not smile when she gave birth to her first daughter seven years ago. Instead she began to cry. She named the baby, who had been born with no kneecaps, Nho Le, or “falling tears.”

“When my daughter was born, she weighed only 1.8 kilos and her legs were as thin as a pair of chopsticks,” Thuong recalled.

“When she was two, she was unable to walk or stand up on her own legs. My husband and I really worried about her life, as being disabled, she could not go to school and no one wanted to make friends with her.”

“My heart choked when some people in my village told us my daughter’s condition was a result of what we did in a previous incarnation,” Thuong said.

Nho Le is just one of around two million children living with a disability in Vietnam. According to government statistics, around 6% of the population, or over 5.2 million people, have disabilities.

Life for these people is very difficult. Most of them live in rural or poor areas with limited access to healthcare services, income generation opportunities and appropriate education and social integration services.

“I always wanted to see my daughter walking and playing but I knew it would not happen,” Thuong said. “We could do very little for her, though we worked very hard to earn money. But we were also supporting our parents. We dared not think about surgery for our little girl.”

Breaking down barriers

In 2003, World Vision Vietnam supported Le and another five children in the district with orthopaedic surgeries in the central hospital. World Vision also invited the mothers to attend training courses to learn about taking appropriate care for their children after operations.

”World Vision has brought a new life to my daughter. Her legs are getting better and she can walk easily,” Thuong said. “Doctors say my child will undergo another surgery to fix up her kneecaps when she grows up.”

To help children like Le with self-confidence and social interaction, World Vision has established 20 playgrounds across seven communes in Trieu Phong district. Around 30 children come to play at each, including children with physical and mental disabilities.

Since the operation, Le can help her mother with some of the housework such as sweeping the floor and cleaning tables or chairs.

But the most wonderful thing for Le’s parents is that she now can go to school.

”Le is the smallest student in my class but she studies the best. She always gets 10 out of 10 for mathematics,” Hoa, one of her classmates said. “And we have a special rule during dance or gym classes. Teachers allow us to practise without sitting on our heels because Le is unable to sit down. ”

”My little girl loves to go to school and enjoys singing and dancing with her friends. She often talks to me about everything at her school and about her friends at the playing ground,” Thuong said proudly.

“She is our most valuable gift. My husband and I will work harder to give her the opportunity for higher education.”

The Vietnamese government’s Ordinance on Disabled Persons, issued in 1998, publicly highlighted their strong commitment towards supporting people living with a disability and advocating for programs, which work to support their specific needs. However, finding the resources to meet this commitment is a challenge. World Vision and other agencies work alongside the government to complement their programs and improve the standards of living for people, especially children, living with disabilities.