Under the roof of those whose lives bear the scars of Agent Orange.

The pain of losing a child and the debt that cannot be repaid.

The lasting effects of Agent Orange left Ms. Ngo Thi Ly from Do Dien hamlet (Van Du commune) physically and intellectually disabled. Out of love for their daughter, her parents arranged for her to marry Mr. Phan Van Tinh, a man also with physical and mental disabilities. In their humble home in Do Dien hamlet, these two vulnerable individuals relied on each other to survive. They thought happiness would smile upon them when they had children, but tragedy struck the impoverished couple.

The second child, born with severe complications inherited from both parents, could not be saved after a month of relentless treatment at the hospital. Recalling the day her child, whom she had given birth to, left her arms, Ms. Ly choked up, tears streaming down her weathered face. The child's death left behind heartbreaking pain and a huge debt that she and her husband had borrowed to try and keep the child alive.

Difficulties piled upon difficulties. Mr. Tinh, with his impaired intellect, could only sit silently, heartbroken, in a corner of the house. The burden of making a living, debts, and the future of their firstborn child suddenly weighed heavily on the frail shoulders of the disabled mother.

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"The neighbors all sympathize and wholeheartedly support the poor family. But even that is not enough to help them cope with the adversity that surrounds them, because disease and poverty continue to take root here."

Mr. Hoang Dinh Thi - Head of the Fatherland Front Committee of Do Dien Hamlet

The burden of making a living rests on the shoulders of a disabled mother.

Despite suffering from the lingering effects of illness, Ms. Ly still has to struggle to use her remaining strength to provide meals for her mentally disabled husband and sickly child. A single plot of leased land and a small garden – the family's only source of livelihood – have become an overwhelming burden for a woman frail in health and tormented by pain every day.

When the weather changes unexpectedly, her legs tremble, her hands shake, unable to hold the hoe steady, yet she must grit her teeth and cling to her field. She understands that if she collapses, her husband and children will have nowhere to turn. However, the erratic weather means the harvest is sometimes good, sometimes bad, and the meager amount of rice she earns is insignificant compared to the cost of fertilizer, pesticides, and the ever-growing debts.

Their daily meals often consisted only of a plate of hastily picked boiled vegetables from the garden and a bowl of plain, salty soup that brought tears to their eyes. Heartbroken for her frail, pale child, the disabled mother could only swallow her tears. The lives of this three-person family were as fragile as a candle in the wind, and they didn't know what tomorrow would bring as the strength of this woman, suffering from the effects of Agent Orange, gradually dwindled.

The bleak future of the innocent child

Ms. Ly and her husband still tried their best to send their eldest daughter, Phan Thi Tu, to school, hoping she could fit in with her peers. However, that small hope was shattered. Bearing the cruel legacy of her parents, Tu's intellect remained stunted and unable to develop. She couldn't learn to read and write, instead playing aimlessly by herself. Her vacant, lifeless eyes seemed lost in the world of childhood.

The school gates closed, and with them, the last glimmer of hope for the poor couple slammed shut. Instead of mornings spent leading her daughter to school, Mrs. Ly could only watch with a heavy heart as her daughter toddled around the yard, picking up twigs and blades of grass. Little Tu grew physically, but her mind remained stuck at three. Every time she heard the village school bell ringing, or saw the neighborhood children excitedly calling each other to school, tears silently welled up in the eyes of the disabled mother.

What will Tú's future hold, when the only things she carries with her through life are extreme poverty and a terrible disease that is taking root day by day? A mentally disabled husband, a child with intellectual disabilities, and a wife wasting away, her last ounce of strength failing. They cannot overcome adversity on their own, relying only on their barren fields and the support of their neighbors.

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All support and assistance should be sent to:
- Direct pickup address: Ms. Ngo Thi Ly, Do Dien Hamlet, Van Du Commune, Nghe An Province.
- Receiving organization: Department of Culture and Social Affairs, People's Committee of Van Du Commune.
Account number: 115003020719 - Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank).
For further contact information: Journalist Nguyen Ngoc Dung (Program Coordinator) - 0913.064.060.

{Ngoc Dung}