Ms. Phan Thi Mong Nhi, residing in Hamlet 1, Duc Hanh Commune, Duc Linh, Binh Thuan, is currently participating in a loan program provided by the Thien Chi Center.
Her household consists of four members. Her husband suffers from a stomach ulcer, frequently requiring hospital visits, which incurs significant medical costs. Due to recurring stomach pain, he cannot work steadily. Whenever his health permits, he does odd jobs for others, taking on whatever work is available.
They have two *sào* (about 2,000 square meters) of rubber trees that were planted three years ago, but they have not yet produced latex. Their youngest son, Huynh Nhat Sang, born in 2006, has Down syndrome.
Before Ms. Nhi joined the Thien Chi Center, Sang was not attending school like other children his age and was unable to care for himself. Ms. Nhi stayed home to take care of Sang and couldn’t take on any additional work.
After Thien Chi Center staff visited her home and learned of their situation, they guided Ms. Nhi to bring Sang to the center, where teachers provided him with special intervention.
After a year of learning, Sang is now able to perform personal hygiene tasks, feed himself, stay home and play with his brother while his parents work, recognize colors and numbers, and communicate with friends.
Ms. Nhi took out a loan to care for their rubber trees and rent an additional two *sào* of black beans to cultivate. She also found time to work part-time at a local restaurant for extra income.
After three years of taking out the loan to develop their livelihood, the family’s average income increased from 881,000 VND per person per month to 1,187,000 VND per person per month.
Seeing their son grow more confident, happier, and capable of self-care, Ms. Nhi and her family are deeply grateful to the Thien Chi Center for providing them with a means to improve their income and for the intervention that helped their son.
