The Bach family moved today. No moving vans. No movers. They only crossed the yard, and there are only 4 or 5 pieces of furniture. But for them it was like a thousand miles.
The dad fought in the Vietnam-Cambodian War that brought an end to the Khmer Rouge genocide and was exposed to Agent Orange in the border region that had been heavily sprayed during the American War. He has lung cancer but still travels far from home looking for work. Two of the three kids are afflicted with disabilities resulting from their dad’s exposure. Luom, 21 years old, has the physical stature of a 10 year old and both she and her 15 year old sister Loan are severely cognitively challenged.
Mom (r), Luom (21 years, center) and Loan (15 years) Luom can only communicate with those big, brown eyes.
When Orangehel
pers met them in Tuy An in February, they were living in a dilapidated mud house on some land chopped out of a hillside. More light streamed in through gaps in their roof than through their windows. They walked on an uneven hardened mud floor and their rooms were dark and unwelcoming. In the rainy season they were exposed to wind and dampness, if not rain. During the rainy season, their front yard flooded from water pouring down the hillside.
The old house was dark and crumbling and afforded limited protection from the elements.
Orangehelpers was thrilled with the opportunity to help this Agent Orange family find a better life. While our usual modus operandi is to help families by providing micro grants to improve their economic (working) situation, some families’ living conditions are so poor as to render our normal approach inadequate. Such was the case with the Bach family, so we decided to donate $1200 to build them a new house. Today we were invited to the dedication ceremony for the new house.
It was a beautiful sunny day and when we arrived after a one hour motor scooter ride, we were greeted by a smiling group consisting of family, neighbors, and various local government officials. At first we were surprised by an empty space where the old house had stood. Someone had had the foresight to build the new house up the hillside away from the floods that afflicted the old house.
The new house up on the hill. Family and dignitaries pose on front porch.
This sign will identify the house as an Orangehelper(OH) project. The family receives housewarming gifts.
“Hoa Ky” identifies it as a gift from America.
There were speeches by various local and provincial dignitaries, including one by me in English that was translated by Salem. The provincial TV station was there to film the “news story”. Lots of neighbors listened and applauded, but the most eloquent and meaningful speech of the day was a simple “Cam on” or “Thank You” from the mom. It was appropriate that these were the final words of the day and we all headed down the hill to our motorbikes with smiles on our faces and warmth in our hearts.
Below are some before and after pictures of the Bach family residence.
No comments:
Post a Comment