Stories: Children, Community, Future

Pin is a mother from Cuoi Ha commune, Kim Boi district, Hoa Binh province. On top of work on the farm, Pin and her husband also work as hired labourers far away from home to make ends meet, leaving their two children with the grandparents. While their house was close to a school, their son, Thanh, did not want to go as he was born with a disability that makes it difficult for him to keep up with his peers in class. “When Thanh was born, his right hand did not have any fingers. He does not do well at school. I also heard that getting a disability certificate for a child is very time consuming”, Pin said.

It all changed in December 2021, when Pin was invited to a training for parents of children with disability organised by the project “Ready for primary school”. She was initially hesitant but with encouragement from teachers and local authorities, she decided to participate and learned about policies for children with disability (CWD) and skills to care for them. With active contributions during the trainings, Pin was elected by the trainees as the leader of the group of parents of CWD. She shared: “I feel like I’ve grown a lot. Before I became the group leader, I rarely talked to others in the commune. If someone asked me about my family, I usually just kept quiet. Now I can communicate more openly.”

Pin helping her son with homework

As the leader, Pin regularly visits and encourages more families with CWD to join the group, assists them to get a disability certificate for CWD, and gives parents guidance on how to care for CWD. Up to now, two children in the commune have been granted disability certificates, including Pin’s son – Thanh. With the success of her group, Pin has been invited to share her experience with other communes in the district.

Despite busy work, Pin still spends time to take her children to school and help them study at home. She proudly shared: “Thanh has been working hard at school. He is very happy when I take him to class. We have also been receiving monthly financial support thanks to the government’s policy, which has lessened our family burden”.

Pin’s story shows the importance of support and solidarity among parents of children with disabilities, and the positive impact it can have on both the parents and the children themselves.

Pin playing with her son