austraLasia 1357
The blind leading the blind: a past pupils story with a difference.
HCM CITY: 14th December 2005 -- It is not everyday that one hears about extraordinary courage, and the ability to turn a disability to a form of service. Enter Mr. Nguyen Quoc Phong, past pupil of Don Bosco Tram Hanh Apostolic School and indeed Salesian for nine years - he left at the end of temporary vows. In 1991 he was involved in a serious road accident where he lost both eyes, went through an extended period in hospital, operation after operation, with all the expected trauma and despair.... and determined at that point to carry out his Salesian vocation in another way, by setting up a school for sight-challenged youngsters. This he began in 1994.
Eleven years on he received permission from the Vietnamese Government to extend his by then successful 'shelter'. which was, and is, much more than a shelter. It is a training centre with a team of three resident volunteers and ten part-time volunteers providing vocational training for sight-challenged youth. They teach Braille, English, Japanese, massage, acupuncture, classical and Vietnamese music. They also produce Braille products for export to Thailand, including the Salesian Centre for the Blind at Pakkred. Now the Training Centre is venturing into computer training with speaking software and producing Catholic Braille prayerbooks, bibles and so on.
It wasn't always easy. His first approach to the Salesians was unsuccessful as there was doubt that it might not be truly a Salesian work. But that changed. His Thien An Foundation is recognised as a work run by a Salesian Past Pupil and Nguyen Quoc Phong ensures that his students know the Salesians and Don Bosco well. When Fr Klement visited recently as Extraordinary Visitor, and asked the students if they knew of Don Bosco, one immediately responded that he was "the holy teacher of my teacher"!
Understandably not just the Salesians but Vietnam is proud of this success story, and Nguyen Quoc Phong has become accustomed to National Television promotion. His students do well, with his example: he can proudly show off his students' paralympic medals (swimming - Vietnam, Athens, and other internationals). He himself has gained a scholarship to France, working in counselling and Braille PC technology.
Vietnam is said to have approximately one million sight-challenged people. The eighteen or so living with Nguyen Quoc Phong are very lucky to be led by one such as him.
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AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
The blind leading the blind: a past pupils story with a difference.
HCM CITY: 14th December 2005 -- It is not everyday that one hears about extraordinary courage, and the ability to turn a disability to a form of service. Enter Mr. Nguyen Quoc Phong, past pupil of Don Bosco Tram Hanh Apostolic School and indeed Salesian for nine years - he left at the end of temporary vows. In 1991 he was involved in a serious road accident where he lost both eyes, went through an extended period in hospital, operation after operation, with all the expected trauma and despair.... and determined at that point to carry out his Salesian vocation in another way, by setting up a school for sight-challenged youngsters. This he began in 1994.
Eleven years on he received permission from the Vietnamese Government to extend his by then successful 'shelter'. which was, and is, much more than a shelter. It is a training centre with a team of three resident volunteers and ten part-time volunteers providing vocational training for sight-challenged youth. They teach Braille, English, Japanese, massage, acupuncture, classical and Vietnamese music. They also produce Braille products for export to Thailand, including the Salesian Centre for the Blind at Pakkred. Now the Training Centre is venturing into computer training with speaking software and producing Catholic Braille prayerbooks, bibles and so on.
It wasn't always easy. His first approach to the Salesians was unsuccessful as there was doubt that it might not be truly a Salesian work. But that changed. His Thien An Foundation is recognised as a work run by a Salesian Past Pupil and Nguyen Quoc Phong ensures that his students know the Salesians and Don Bosco well. When Fr Klement visited recently as Extraordinary Visitor, and asked the students if they knew of Don Bosco, one immediately responded that he was "the holy teacher of my teacher"!
Understandably not just the Salesians but Vietnam is proud of this success story, and Nguyen Quoc Phong has become accustomed to National Television promotion. His students do well, with his example: he can proudly show off his students' paralympic medals (swimming - Vietnam, Athens, and other internationals). He himself has gained a scholarship to France, working in counselling and Braille PC technology.
Vietnam is said to have approximately one million sight-challenged people. The eighteen or so living with Nguyen Quoc Phong are very lucky to be led by one such as him.
___________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
