Who are we?
We are orphaned children and we are elderly women and we are dedicated nuns and assistants. Currently the Thien Binh Orphanage houses 172 people: 112 orphaned children, 32 elderly homeless women, 13 nuns and 15 resident assistants.
The children
The children come from a variety of backgrounds. Some were abandoned at birth, often by unmarried mothers. Sometimes babies are simply left at the orphanage gate. Many of the children are from poor rural areas and their parents couldn't afford to keep them. The toll taken by traffic accidents, natural disasters such as the annual monsoonal storms and floods and communicable diseases all add to the number of children in need of care and help and a home.
22 of the children at Thien Binh orphanage are moderately to severely handicapped. The majority of these children suffer from
intellectual impairment such as Down's Syndrome, however ...
of the children are physically disabled.
An estimated 5.3 million Vietnamese people are disabled in
some way. The state has limited resources to cope with this
number and care of the disabled is often left to charitable
organizations like Thien Binh Orphanage.
The elderly
Traditionally Vietnamese families take care of elderly relatives.
In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, however, many women
were widowed, or lost contact with their families. As they grew
older and lost the ability to support themselves, they too became
in a sense orphans. The nuns at the Thien Binh orphanage took
them in. All of the elderly residents at Thien Binh are women
(there is a large imbalance in the ratio of elderly women to men
in Vietnam).
The elderly women are housed in small single rooms....
The children
The children come from a variety of backgrounds. Some were abandoned at birth, often by unmarried mothers. Sometimes babies are simply left at the orphanage gate. Many of the children are from poor rural areas and their parents couldn't afford to keep them. The toll taken by traffic accidents, natural disasters such as the annual monsoonal storms and floods and communicable diseases all add to the number of children in need of care and help and a home.
22 of the children at Thien Binh orphanage are moderately to severely handicapped. The majority of these children suffer from
intellectual impairment such as Down's Syndrome, however ...
of the children are physically disabled.
An estimated 5.3 million Vietnamese people are disabled in
some way. The state has limited resources to cope with this
number and care of the disabled is often left to charitable
organizations like Thien Binh Orphanage.
The elderly
Traditionally Vietnamese families take care of elderly relatives.
In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, however, many women
were widowed, or lost contact with their families. As they grew
older and lost the ability to support themselves, they too became
in a sense orphans. The nuns at the Thien Binh orphanage took
them in. All of the elderly residents at Thien Binh are women
(there is a large imbalance in the ratio of elderly women to men
in Vietnam).
The elderly women are housed in small single rooms....
The staff
13 nuns and 15 assistants care for the needs of the children and the elderly ladies. Volunteer groups such as the students' organization, Blue Summer, also help at the orphanage during the summer university vacation.
The director of the orphanage is Father Giuse Nguyen Van Uy. The day to day operation is in the capable hands of vice director and head of accounting, Sister Teresa Phan Thi Nhan and administrative manager, Sister Anna Nguyen Thi Kim Anh. |