Tai Po Fire Emergency Response
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Oanh’s life began with a love story. Her parents met when her father Tung went to Vietnam’s Central Highlands as a hired worker. Oanh’s mother H’Bie was part of the local Gia-rai ethnic group, and though at first they didn’t speak the same language, they soon fell in love. A few years went by, and the couple decided their future lay in Tung’s hometown in Nhu Thanh. They got married and moved to a small timber hut at the foot of a hill, growing a small patch of rice and working to harvest acacia trees for their neighbours to earn a living. It wasn’t an easy life, especially for H’Bie, who couldn’t speak Vietnamese or communicate with her new family or their neighbours beyond smiles and waves. She looked, dressed, cooked and even farmed differently to the people in Nhu Tranh and she felt like an outsider.
Then H’Bie discovered she was pregnant. A year after they arrived in Nhu Tranh, Oanh was born. H’Bie’s diet while she was pregnant was limited to what they could afford, which wasn’t much, and Oanh was born small. H’Bie had no experience with children, her own mother had died, and she couldn’t read, so her information about how to look after her new baby was limited to the local customs of her mother-in-law and the neighbours. They told her to use honey to clean the baby’s mouth right after birth, and to throw away the colostrum before breastfeeding, saying it was bad for the baby’s health. After three months, Oanh was weaned and fed with chewed rice and vegetables.
When Oanh was one year old, H’Bie went to Dubai to work as a housemaid to earn an income for the family, leaving Oanh’s grandmother to care for her while Tung was at work. Oanh was often sick and so when the Child Sponsorship programme opened in Nhu Thanh in 2017, her grandma decided to register her. Oanh was two years old and weighed less than 6kg.
When H’Bie came back home in 2018, she could see how sponsorship had helped Oanh grow stronger and was quick to join in the activities. World Vision staff and volunteers helped H’Bie to learn and practice Vietnamese so she could communicate with the people around her. H’Bie also joined nutrition training and learned what children should eat in a healthy diet and why handwashing matters, and got help to start a garden with a variety of different vegetables and some banana trees. Their family received pigs, chickens and geese and training on how to care for them, giving them a source of eggs and meat as well as income to buy food and other essentials. H’Bie also joined a savings group with some other local mothers and learned about money management – and made some friends.
Oanh is now nine years old and loves school. She plans to be a police officer when she grows up. Tung is now working in Malaysia to help give the family a financial boost. Oanh misses him a lot but knows her mum can take good care of her.
Child Sponsorship programme has been working in Nhu Thanh since 2017. Funded by World Vision Hong Kong, there are 2500 registered children in Nhu Thanh. The programme focuses on improving health and nutrition, child participation and protection, and families’ livelihoods.
Remarks: Do not give honey to babies under 1 year old to avoid causing serious illness. Colostrum is the breastmilk recommended to be taken by babies at the start, as it contains large amounts of antibodies and living immune cells, which help to fight against diseases. Colostrum is also rich in vitamin A and growth factors; most babies are ready to try solid foods when approaching 6 months of age.
Growing Stronger in Love Day by Day
Ha Chu Thu, Ben Adams, Elissa WebsterOanh’s life began with a love story. Her parents met when her father Tung went to Vietnam’s Central Highlands as a hired worker. Oanh’s mother H’Bie was part of the local Gia-rai ethnic group, and though at first they didn’t speak the same language, they soon fell in love. A few years went by, and the couple decided their future lay in Tung’s hometown in Nhu Thanh. They got married and moved to a small timber hut at the foot of a hill, growing a small patch of rice and working to harvest acacia trees for their neighbours to earn a living. It wasn’t an easy life, especially for H’Bie, who couldn’t speak Vietnamese or communicate with her new family or their neighbours beyond smiles and waves. She looked, dressed, cooked and even farmed differently to the people in Nhu Tranh and she felt like an outsider.
Then H’Bie discovered she was pregnant. A year after they arrived in Nhu Tranh, Oanh was born. H’Bie’s diet while she was pregnant was limited to what they could afford, which wasn’t much, and Oanh was born small. H’Bie had no experience with children, her own mother had died, and she couldn’t read, so her information about how to look after her new baby was limited to the local customs of her mother-in-law and the neighbours. They told her to use honey to clean the baby’s mouth right after birth, and to throw away the colostrum before breastfeeding, saying it was bad for the baby’s health. After three months, Oanh was weaned and fed with chewed rice and vegetables.
When Oanh was one year old, H’Bie went to Dubai to work as a housemaid to earn an income for the family, leaving Oanh’s grandmother to care for her while Tung was at work. Oanh was often sick and so when the Child Sponsorship programme opened in Nhu Thanh in 2017, her grandma decided to register her. Oanh was two years old and weighed less than 6kg.
When H’Bie came back home in 2018, she could see how sponsorship had helped Oanh grow stronger and was quick to join in the activities. World Vision staff and volunteers helped H’Bie to learn and practice Vietnamese so she could communicate with the people around her. H’Bie also joined nutrition training and learned what children should eat in a healthy diet and why handwashing matters, and got help to start a garden with a variety of different vegetables and some banana trees. Their family received pigs, chickens and geese and training on how to care for them, giving them a source of eggs and meat as well as income to buy food and other essentials. H’Bie also joined a savings group with some other local mothers and learned about money management – and made some friends.
Oanh is now nine years old and loves school. She plans to be a police officer when she grows up. Tung is now working in Malaysia to help give the family a financial boost. Oanh misses him a lot but knows her mum can take good care of her.
Child Sponsorship programme has been working in Nhu Thanh since 2017. Funded by World Vision Hong Kong, there are 2500 registered children in Nhu Thanh. The programme focuses on improving health and nutrition, child participation and protection, and families’ livelihoods.
Remarks: Do not give honey to babies under 1 year old to avoid causing serious illness. Colostrum is the breastmilk recommended to be taken by babies at the start, as it contains large amounts of antibodies and living immune cells, which help to fight against diseases. Colostrum is also rich in vitamin A and growth factors; most babies are ready to try solid foods when approaching 6 months of age.
