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o Chi Minh City is always deluged with motorbikes. Thousands of children, living in the street like buried in its uproarious environment, move dynamically through town. It is said that over 20,000 street children work and live in the city. The "doi moi" economic policies helped to drive Vietnam into economic development, but the poverty gap has increased and many families have broken down provoking an increase in the numbers of street children. They make some earnings by selling lottery or flowers, by shoe shining or begging. Life in the street is not easy. The children get sick or wounded and are often exploited by various groups. They are implicated in crimes and dangerous situations. Girls are easily lured into prostitution.
here are people actively interested in those children who are always ready to take care of them. Thao Dan is one of the citizens' groups that care for street children in Ho Chi Minh. Its staff is made out of 9 members, most of them in their 20s, with about 40 volunteers. Day and night they patrol the streets on motorbikes to look for street children and lend them a helping hand, whenever is needed. The staff works incessantly providing temporary shelter to those who need it, making arrangements with the families of those who can go back home and teaching in the street those who never attended school.
onsidering that the volunteers deal with hundreds of street children in the center of the city, one might think that such activities are just drops of water sown in the desert. Nevertheless, the volunteers look warmly at the children and assist them as much as they need, without coercion. How much support and energy are children receiving from them! In fact, many street children seek refuge in Thao Dan under the guidance of their own companions. Thao Dan, as a shelter for street children, is playing a very important role. The children know that anybody, any time s/he has a problem can knock at the door of Thao Dan looking for help.
(Edited from "CHAO VIETNAM", n. 16)
A staff and children of Thao Dan
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