Until now, although she is over 30 years old and a mother of two children, Nguyen Thi Chau Anh still feels sad every time she remembers her school days. In those distant years, Chau Anh was a disabled female student who "lived like a small snail". During recess, she hid behind the door, looked out into the schoolyard and saw her friends running and jumping, and could only cry "I wish I could be like them".
Chau Anh is the eldest daughter in a family where both parents are civil servants. The family's circumstances were not too difficult, so when she was born, the whole family devoted all their love to this beautiful daughter. The unfortunate things started to happen when Chau Anh was old enough to learn to walk. Her parents quickly discovered something unusual because the little girl looked healthy and strong, but her "walking wobbly" was not like other children. They thought the illness was simple, but after going to many hospitals in and outside the province, examining and treating with a combination of Eastern and Western medicine, the answer the family always received was a shake of the head. The medical records at that time also did not clearly indicate what disease Chau Anh had. All suspicions were directed towards the conjecture of "injecting a nerve when she was young" which later caused complications.
Just one medical mistake put Chau Anh in a situation of permanent disability. Her legs gradually shrank from normal, making it difficult for her to walk. During her high school years, with her crooked figure, dragging each step with difficulty, Chau Anh could not socialize with her peers despite her great desire. Instead, she lived alone and always had her own inferiority complex. Chau Anh's only joy at that time was her books and her desire to study well so that her friends would not laugh at her and her parents would not be sad because of her. After graduating from high school, in addition to an award at the Provincial Excellent Student Competition, Chau Anh passed the entrance exam to the Social Work major of Hue University of Sciences.
12 years ago, when she decided to go to university, Chau Anh simply thought it was to prove herself. Because at that time, even Chau Anh's mother was somewhat worried about her daughter's decision. With the love and countless worries of a mother, Chau Anh's mother secretly considered her daughter's future by keeping her by her side, that as soon as she finished grade 12, the family would set up a small stall for Chau Anh to sell goods to make ends meet. Ms. Vo Thi Sau - Chau Anh's mother confided: In the past, Chau Anh spent most of her time with her parents at the hospital. After being in the hospital for so long, even some vendors around the Nghe An Traditional Medicine Hospital and the Provincial General Hospital were willing to let me buy on credit, because they knew her by face. Knowing that her health was weak, we did not put pressure on her, did not require her to go to university or college. But Chau Anh is a strong-willed girl and told her parents: "I will prove that I am disabled but not useless". That strong personality has brought Chau Anh's life to a bright turn. She chose to study Social Work, tried many times harder than her friends, and then excellently received a diploma with honors and graduated, was recruited by the People's Committee of Quy Chau district under the attraction program and worked in the field she loved.
Thinking about her journey of more than 30 years overcoming adversity, Chau Anh will never forget the memory of when she met people in the same situation at the Center for the Support of the Disabled in Hue. That was when she was in her second year of university, going on field trips with teachers and classmates. There, she met a severely disabled girl who was deaf and mute and did not interact with anyone. But when she met Chau Anh - a person in the same situation, the girl was willing to share with her sister, showing her the picture she drew of a pair of doves holding a rose branch. Behind that picture, she saw the desire to fly high, to fly far, hoping for a complete happiness...
After that trip, her essay about the less fortunate disabled people received sympathy from teachers and friends. She herself also overcame herself when she confidently stood in the lecture hall for the first time and told her story.
With the same mindset, over the past 10 years, in her position, Nguyen Thi Chau Anh has always tried to complete the assigned tasks, even though the work she is in charge of has encountered many difficulties and obstacles due to the special subjects (disabled children and the disadvantaged). Meanwhile, the mountainous district of Quy Chau is large and travel conditions are very difficult. Chau Anh also said that because the educational level of a part of the highland people is still limited, many people who are protected do not know about the regime and policies. Through social networks and private information channels, every time she learns about a tragic situation, she tries to complete the procedures with the viewpoint of "both emotional and reasonable", adding more faith to the less fortunate fates.
Doing this job, witnessing many unfortunate lives every day, Chau Anh also quietly carries out her own volunteer journey as a matter of course. Calculating back, during her years of working, she has called on benefactors and friends to support over 200 million VND for the less fortunate people in the area.
There is one very special thing, although she is a pioneer in volunteer work in her district, Chau Anh does not establish a club, does not participate in organizations, she only shares on her personal page with a not too long campaign time each time, to prioritize other cases. Through many years of doing this "nameless" work, Nguyen Thi Chau Anh said that she has received a lot, which is sharing, helping the less fortunate and more importantly, she feels warm when realizing that there are many kind-hearted people around, ready to unite and join hands to support her volunteer work, even though among them there are people who have never mentioned their names...
Coming to the less fortunate, she also hopes to give them more faith, determination and help them overcome their inferiority complex so that they can "stand firm" on their disabled legs. At the age of over 30, Chau Anh has just been awarded a Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Young Party Member in 2023 by Nghe An Provincial Youth Union.
