New Life Page for "Invisible" Children - Vietnam

10 BIRTH CERTIFICATES GRANTED TO THE THACH FAMILY

In July 2022, a coincidence brought us to the home of the Thach family in Hoc Mon District, Ho Chi Minh City where 20 children in the extended family of the four Thach sisters reside.

All four Thach sisters earn their living by selling scraps, and they are devoid of any kind of identity document. Before “A New Life Page” found them, all of the children of the Thach family (some of whom are already 9-10 years old) lived without a birth certificate, proper education, and health insurance.

Acknowledging the situation of the Thach family, the “A New Life Page” project has acted to connect their case with social service officers and lawyers, and has supported them in paying for DNA tests. Up until now, 10 out of 20 children have been assisted to receive their birth certificates, and “A New Life Page” has supported the whole family in calling for donations from philanthropists to help cover their monthly expenses.

M.L – Ms. Thach T. S’s second child has received support from MSD to receive her birthcertificate. She has always hoped that her brothers and sisters can soon get their birth certificates to go to school.

M.N –Ms. Thach T. S’s fourth child, currently attending a charity school in Tan Phu district. For M.N, having a chance to attend school is a joy and a great blessing. Therefore, she is very keen on reading books and studying in her free time.

Nevertheless, 10 out of 20 children are yet to receive their birth certificates. Their greatest desire is to attend school and that their brothers and sisters can all go to school.

That pure and innocent desire is also MSD Vietnam’s crucial mission: to try its best in enabling and facilitating efforts from individuals and organizations to help children with disadvantaged backgrounds receive their birth certificates, and thus, give them a chance to attend school, to receive quality healthcare, and to have their deserved rights and benefits ensured.

MSD Vietnam hopes that with your support for the project, we can help more and more children. Even the smallest donation can help open a new life page and bring a brighter future for children.

All donations received will be used for the following purposes:

• DNA testing procedures.
• Travel expenses and procedural expenses for social service officers or lawyers during the identity confirmation process; admission expenses for children, etc.

If you are interested in “A New Life Page” and our other programs, follow us on:

Website: https://msdvietnam.org/ ; https://msdunitedwayvn.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MSDUnitedWayVietnam

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/msd-united-way-vietnam/

Sincerely thank you for all of your support and we are trying our best to give further good updates for you. Please take good care of yourself.

Best regards,

MSD team

Dear our donors,

We’re pleased to inform you that A new life has helped 3 disadvantaged children in Vietnam to have birth certificates. More children can go to school this September.

P.H.P, P.V.T, and P.H.M.A were born in a family with difficult circumstances, their parents worked as lottery ticket sellers, they had never been to school, were illiterate, and had no identification documents. Therefore, children born without birth registration, cannot go to school but have to go with their parents to sell lottery tickets all over Ho Chi Minh City. Only when they met the project "A new life page" did they receive support to have birth certificates and be registered to study at the love school of a temple near their home.

Disadvantaged children:
- Were born in small alleys and on streets or followed migrated parents and relatives to Hochiminh City
- Grow up without any legal proof of identity
- Be out of school and have no child healthcare insurance
- May be forced to work under hazardous conditions and sometimes illegally

We hope that we can help more and more children. All of your donations will help. All supports - any coin will be counted. Small timely support may open a new life page and a brighter future for a child.

In addition, all donations received will be used only for the implementation of DNA testing procedures, travel and paper works for families/social workers or lawyers for the identity verification process, support for children to enroll in schools, etc.

We will continue sending you updates about the progress of doing certificates. If you use Facebook, please join us at "Trang Moi Cuoc Doi (A new life page)" - https://www.facebook.com/Duantrangmoicuocdoi/ to get frequent updates and information.

Sincerely thank you for all of your support and we are trying our best to give further good updates for you. Please take good care of yourself.

Best regards,

MSD team

Dear donor,

After a year of being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, We send you the report for 2022's first quarter of "A new life page" project.

It is great to inform you that our donations and support helped 22 disadvantaged children in Vietnam to have birth certificates from January to April 2022. Though is not a huge number, it means 22 children can have "new life pages", they can go to school and have health insurance now.

The children we helped are in various cases but not limited to Children of unknown birthplace, or origins; Children from unregistered households, being born out of the wedlock, whose parent(s) lose civil act capacity, serve prison sentences or go missing; Orphans whose parent(s) have died, are unknown or have permanently abandoned them; Children over 10 years old whose notice of birth are missing, etc. Children of course can not do the birth certificates for themselves so they need HELP, adults have to do that.

Within the project, we have established "A new life page" group to help disadvantaged children and their families (if they have) or their shelters (if they are staying in) to provide technical and financial assistance to do so. We hope that we can help more and more children. In addition, we will make all of your donations go directly to support the process of completing birth certifications for disadvantaged children. All of your donations will help.

We will continue sending you updates about the progress of doing certificates. If you use Facebook, please join us at "Trang Moi Cuoc Doi (A new life page)" - https://www.facebook.com/Duantrangmoicuocdoi/ to get frequent updates and information.

Sincerely thank you for all of your support and we are trying our best to give further good updates for you. Please take good care of yourself in.

Best regards,

MSD team

As soon as T.V was born, her mother left, without time to make a birth certificate, she grew up with his father and grandmother. Her father works as a vehiclefixer, the old tool box is thefamily’s only asset. T.V’s father tried to get birth certificate forher for several times, but thelackof necessary documentsdelayed the process. 

Without birth certificate, T.V does not have health insurance. Living with a precarious income has made her family miserable when the child suddenly falls ill. In October 2019, T.V was playing in front of her house when a motorbike hit her and ran away. Thehit left her with serious injuries to the bones of her left arm and shoulder blade. Without healthinsurance, T.V's father and grandmother had to borrow money to pay for hospital fees. 

Previously, T.V's father had applied for a birth certificate at the Legal Aid Center in Ho Chi Minh City and The New Life Page Project for support. At the most difficult time, T.V's father called to ask for the support of Lawyer H.T. - a member of ANew Life page group. Lawyers and project officers quickly carried out the procedures including: re-issuance of birth certificates, paternity testing for T.V and father, birth registration,... 

Immediately after having the birth certificate, T.V was supported to issue Health Insurance, the medical expenses wasreduces. T.V was also very happy to cry "Having a birth certificate, next year T.V can go to school..."

At the age of 11, N.V.T was only in 3rd grade, in the same class with his 9-year-old brother N.Q.M at Thien An Charity School. For more than ten years, two children had lived without birth certificates and the whole family has lived in a cramped, damp and dark motel near Kenh Nuoc Den. Their family had many difficulties with busy earning for living and moving shelter a lot, so they haven't just made birth cerrtificates for their children.

Without birth certificates, when two children were sick, their family could only take a little money to buy medicine instead of taking the children to the hospital. Because they had no birth certificats and no health insurances. Besides, after graduating 5th grade, the children will not be able to continue going to school without birth certificates.

In 2020, thanks to the help and introduction of the nuns at the school, their families were met "A new life page" project. After nearly a year, with the efforts of the A New Life Page Project, V.T and Q.M finally got their own birth certificates. The first new life pages are officially opened, which is the opportunity to improve and develop a bright future like the names of the two children.