| SUCCESS STORIES OF BBGV & CHRISTINA NOBEL CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION - MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME (MAP)
As part of the on-going support programme to Charities across Vietnam BBGV is pleased to support the work of Christina Nobel Children’s Foundation (CNCF). CNCF is dedicated to serving vulnerable children in Vietnam in need of medical care, nutritional rehabilitation, educational opportunities, vocational training and job placement, who would otherwise be at high risk of exploitation. BBGV has provided support to CNCF The Medical Assistance Programme (MAP) which directly supports children with health problems and indirectly alleviates the financial hardships of their families.
The family income earners are typically employed in low-income jobs, working as contract labourers in agriculture, fishing or factories. The daily wage for a labourer typically ranges from VND 70,000 (approximately $3 US) to VND 180,000 (approximately $8 US). The availability of work is likely to be both unstable and seasonal. Assuming both parents have full-time jobs for 20 days, the monthly family income would range from VND 2,800,000 ($126 US) to VND 7,200,000 ($324 US) at most. At certain times of the year their income can drop significantly to between VND 1,400,000 ($63 US) and VND 3,000,000 ($162 US).
Many of the families have two, three or more children which puts an added burden on the family resources. The people being supported by CNCF generally live in small rural villages and in remote areas. The typical family lives in a tiny thatched house with poor sanitary conditions. Children from these families often have to drop out of school at an early age to seek employment to help supplement the family income. If a child falls sick, it places an additional financial hardship on the family due to the loss of income and one parent must usually also stop working to care for the sick child.
During 2017, the Medical Assistance Programme received USD 800 (VND 18,000,000) monthly from the BBGV. This support benefitted the treatment costs, for 1-3 children per month. Below are 2 success stories of the CNCF MAP prograramme.
1/ Thanh’s success story: |
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Thanh is nearly 6 years old, the first and only son of a poor young couple who live in Lam Dong Province.
Thanh’s parents are farmers on their own 3,000m2 farmland, used for growing coffee plants. Because of the weak soil, every year they earn a profit of under 90USD. From August to October yearly during the rainy season both parents try to earn money by means of finding and selling bamboo shoots.
The family lives in a tiny 22.5m2 house with a tin roof, tin walls and the bare earth for a floor. Their water source is from an open well and their only electric appliances are some light bulbs. Last year Thanh’s parents had to borrow some finance from their relatives to buy fertilizers for the coffee farmland and to take Thanh to Ho Chi Minh City to receive eye treatment, they borrowed some VND 10,000,000 [USD 441] from their relatives without interest.
Thanh’s eye condition began one and a half years ago, a small clot of blood appeared in his left eye. After being examined at Gia Bac Commune Medical Station and prescribed eye drops to take, the blood clot vanished. A month later however, another condition appeared – a white spot on the eye which gradually increased in size and caused Thanh’s eyesight to decline. Thanh was transferred to Di Linh District Hospital and Bao Loc City Hospital, finally Thanh was checked into HCMC Eye Hospital (EH) in March 2018, with a diagnosis of Cataract – Left Eye. After a successful operation, Thanh was discharged in a state of good health, his entire sight-saving treatment cost VND 6,724,467 [USD 297] and was covered by BBGV who enabled this little boy’s sight to be saved.
Thanh’s left eye’s vision is continuing to improve and it continues to be monitored.
2/ Duong’s success story: |
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7-month-old baby boy Duong is the youngest and only son of a family of 4 children from Dong Nai Province. 17 days after his birth, Duong rejected being breastfed. His mother decided to take him to a private clinic for a check-up and they referred him to Children’s Hospital No. 2 (CH2). On the way to the hospital, his skin turned pale and his breathing became irregular so he was transferred to Dong Nai General Hospital where he was diagnosed with a congenital heart disease. Duong showed no signs of improvement so he was transferred back to Children’s Hospital 2 where he was diagnosed with Ventricular Septal Defect – Atrial Septal Defect – Aortic Stenosis, he was admitted to the hospital and has been treated there since then.
Duong’s family is currently living in a small 70m2 deteriorated house built 15 years ago with the entire financial support from his uncles and aunts. They have basic access to electricity but depend on water pumped from an underground well for water. His sisters are in grade 9, grade 7, and grade 2 – their whole tuition fees of VND 2,800,000 [USD 124] for this school year. The father had worked as a guard at a kindergarten since 1998 with a monthly salary of VND 3,600,000 [USD 159]. However, he has stopped working temporarily for several months to help the mother care for the child at hospital. The mother has been a teacher at a primary school since 2000 with a monthly salary of VND 6,500,000 [USD 287].
When the baby was hospitalized at CH2, family relatives gave VND 10,000,000 [USD 441] – this amount was soon used up to buy nappies for Duong. Duong has the National Health Insurance for children under the age of six but this covers only medical items listed by the Health Insurance. At hospital, his parents looked after him and counted on daily charity meals.
For Duong’s first hospitalization his mother used her maternity allowance to cover his treatment costs of approximately VND 20,000,000 [USD 883] (after Health Insurance). For Duong’s second hospitalization, his total treatment cost (after Health Insurance) VND 27,864,011 [USD 1,230]. BBGV supported him with VND 7,000,000 [USD 309], and the remaining cost was supported by other donors/visitors to the hospital.
The mother happily informed the CNCF Team that Duong has now completely overcome his heart diseases thanks to the treatment he received, he is taking medications daily to strengthen his cardiac muscles and has now gained more than 2 kilograms. Duong’s mother sent sincere thanks to CNCF and all the donors who timely supported the child with his treatment costs.
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