By Ha Thu Chu | Event and Communication Officer
Abandoned by his mother as soon as he was born, N.L.Ph. was nurturedwith the love of his grandies. Ph’s mother left him nothing when she walked away, neither did she give him a name. Working from dust till dawn, his grandparents took upmany jobs in order to securedaily life needs of 3 people under the same roof, especially Ph., who was then still a baby who thirsted for his mother’s breastfeeding. Ph. grew up in the love of his grandparents. Encountering the burden they bear, some offered to adopt Ph., yethis grandparents declined and been decided to raise their grandson on their own.
At a first glimpse of his plump appearance, many may think that boy may enjoy a life of abundance. However, unlike other children surrounding him, Ph. could not be as out and about so often as most kids of his age were. He was holed up in a room which is less than 6 meters square and was merely seperated from the outside by a fragile wooden divider. Some time ago, Ph’s grandparents were hired to peel garlics since they were old, besides, they also wanted to take care of Ph. and to earn their livings at the same time. Ph’s grandparents had to leave him cooped up in that room. Ph. just hung around in the house all day and over time, he becomes a friend of his grandparents. He had no idea about the feeling of happiness and excitement asthe farthest place he had ever been to wass the bridge nearby. If not given the chance to go to school, might his life be stuck in that slum?
So how the dream of going to school could come true whilehis grandparents have spent so many years trying to register him to “no or only little avail”, still.
Already over 6 years old, Ph. had not got a birth certificate. Not being able to attend school and to experience the wonderful and magical world outdoors, nonetheless, the smile of optimism and the dream of going to school could always be seen on his face. He was so happy when he received a white board and a marker. He began to write all the mathematical operations that he knew.“What a pity if such a confident and curious child like him cannot go to school!” we grieved.
It was the end of 2019 when Ph. could start off his dream journey with an early glimmer of hope being unravelled. Ph’s family was connected to Mrs. Dung, who was a member of “A new life page” group. As it all began, his story was taken over and supported by “A new life page” Project and lawyer Huynh Tan Dat.
After all the years, Ph’s grandparents held finally his birth certificate in their hands, which madehis granny burst into tears, telling how happy she was to receive the certificate and there was such no words to describe that.
More than anyone else, being the companions of the project, we understand the happiness of parents, grandparents and those who have gone a long way searching and struggling for their child a formal identity. We cannot claim that birth certificate is all a child need. But admittedly,having a birth certificate is where the true journey of a person begins.
© Project information:
“A new life page” is a project launched by Management and Sustainbale Development Institute (MSD) in 2014 and via this project, more than 100 birth certificates have been sucessfully given to the children who are struggling with difficult situations in HCMC. From 2019 to 2020, MSD, along with the Department of Justice HCMC and the Legal Aid Center HCMC, has supported social organizations, homes and communities to give birth certificates to the disadvantaged children, with the sponsor from Justice Initiatives Facilitation Fund (JIFF). Currently, the project has supported an additional 65 cases andplan to solve 50-60 other cases.
#Anewlifepage #Trangmoicuocdoi #Msdvietnam
By Ha Chu | MSD Event and Communication Officer
By Ha Thu Chu | Project Officer
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