Local priest founds effort to aid blind Vietnamese children
During a 1998 trip to his native Vietnam, Father Thuan Hoang was shocked to find blind children living on the streets.
An official in the Archdiocese of San Francisco's Metropolitan Tribunal and Department of Canonical Affairs as well as parochial vicar at Church of the Visitacion in San Francisco, the priest contacted nuns in the area and asked what was being done to care for the children. He found that the Sisters were sheltering as many as they could. Their limited resources, however, meant "as many" was not many.
Inspired, Father Hoang started the Blind Vietnamese Children Foundation in 2000. The organization has since help support the opening of six centers that now serve around 250 children, plus it helps another 200 blind and disabled children in other programs.
"That's a small number," Father Hoang said. "We have plans for more centers." Members of the Congregation of Lovers of the Holy Cross own the facilities and oversee the program. The Sisters teach children to read and write in Braille, a language system using raised dots to represent letters. They also teach the children orientation skills that allow them more freedom of movement.
Some children, particularly those whose only disability is blindness, go to integrated schools with sighted children. Education continues through secondary school, and eight of the youth are now in college. The program includes tracks for college - bound students as well as those seeking vocational training. The program also provides full - time care for children with mental and physical disabilities in addition to their blindness.
Father Hoang said BVCF has been influential in helping shift cultural attitudes toward the blind in the areas it serves. As the culture becomes more aware of blindness' causes and treatments, fewer children find themselves on the street, he said.
"In the old days, kids were abandoned," Father Hoang said. "Now they recognize the value of human beings. The parents don't feel shame."
"We're so fortunate in the United States," said Father Hoang, who fled Vietnam in 1987 when he was 30. "We have great resources. I felt I owed something to my native country to do something for the children there."
BVCF holds fundraisers once a year and sends out an informational newsletter twice a year. The priest said the amount raised at the yearly event- held this year in early August at Our Lady of Peace Parish in Santa Clara- coupled with individuals' donations netted the organization about $118,000 last year.
Robert Shelly, a member of the BVCF board of advisors, said one cornerstone of the organization is that almost all of that money goes directly to helping the children.
"We're conscious of keeping our costs to a minimum," Shelly said. "I'm extremely pleased with the high amount of our total fundraising which goes to the kids."
Shelly visited Vietnam last December. Seeing the program for himself was an uplifting experience, he said. "You really see the fruit of your efforts when you go and actually see the kids, seeing their smiling faces, seeing the results," Shelly said. "It's a remarkable program, and in eight years it has grown remarkably well. I'm very proud to be a part of the organization."
For more information about BVCF, visit www.bvcf.net.
(By Michael Vick)
