The Story of Mrs Ha - Vietnam
Image: Sr Maria with Mrs Ha
Mrs Ha was married at the age of 20, and had 2 children. When her youngest child was less than 2 years old, her husband died of a serious illness. She then brought them with her to live in her younger brother’s house. Her son, who is now 26 years old, suffered from cerebral haemorrhage, and had epilepsy since his childhood. He is now paralyzed, and unable to walk or to care for himself.
Her daughter is now 11 years old, and is studying in 6th grade. Before COVID-19 struck, she washed dishes daily for a nearby restaurant from 7-11am, and 6-10pm for a small monthly wage of 3 million VND (SGD 179) to cover daily activities and her daughter’s school fees.
The lockdowns during the pandemic have greatly affected businesses, leaving Mrs Ha without work. She has to go to the pagoda to ask for charity meals day by day. Her little girl said in tears: “Mom, although we’re poor, we still have something to eat. There are many people who have nothing to eat”. Her boy has seizures almost every night, leaving her tired and exhausted. Currently, she is unable to continue work due to her spine-related problems.
Depressed and tired, she had lost hope and wanted to escape from life. When she had such thoughts, she wandered around the streets and saw scenes that are worse than hers. She regained energy through reminding herself that “I have to overcome my destiny to continue living", while thinking of her children.
Upon receiving love and interest from the Sisters during this period, she thanked them from the bottom of her heart, saying “I thank you, dear Sisters, for always encouraging, comforting, sharing and inspiring me. I thank the benefactors because of their support, though I do not know them. I hope that many people in difficult circumstances will also receive the help and care of benefactors.”
Mrs Ha was from Ha Tinh, Vietnam, and now lives in Phan Rang, Ninh Thuan province. She and her family are beneficiaries of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Vietnam. CHARIS has been supporting them in distributing food supplies for 800 families during this time of need.
The Story of Helen - India
Image: Sr Rosemary from FPCC during her service to Helen and family
Helen (33 years old) resides in a hut along the seashore on unclaimed land, with her husband, Ouseph (38 years old), their son, Midhun (9 years old), and Ouseph’s father, Benjamin (88 years old). Benjamin was the sole breadwinner until 5 years ago, working to excavate pits in the church cemetery for burial.
Ouseph is diagnosed with epilepsy, and cerebrovascular accident (CVA); he was paralyzed on one side for a period of time. Luckily, he was able to recover and is now able to walk and care for himself. He requires regular medical consultations for his ailment, and is on daily medication which costs about 4000 Rupees (SGD 74) per month.
Due to the family situation, Helen has to take on the responsibilities of taking care of the family. She cooks for the family early morning and goes out for coolie work. She comes back home late in the evening or into the early night hours. Though she is working hard, she is unable to raise enough money to meet the daily needs of her family, including her son’s education, and most importantly, for a safe house. She needs to build a house which is safe and secure; her thatched house on unclaimed land is near the sea, and can succumb to natural calamities anytime. Every time a storm or rough sea occurs they move out of their thatched house and get shelter in the nearby school or community hall in church premises. Helen tries to keep her son in her relative’s house for fear of her house being taken away by the sea.
Due to the restrictions from COVID-19, Helen lost her job, and found it extremely hard to even provide sufficient food for the family, let alone other needs like electricity bills, medicine purchase, household provisions, etc.
The Canossian sisters were able to reach out to this family. They were given dry food weekly, milk for Benjamin daily, as well as regular medication supply for Ouseph through Fatima Palliative Care Centre, India. Helen’s stress to provide for her family has been lightened; in her words: “God sent you to see my struggle and rescue me from this desperate situation.”
Helen and her family are beneficiaries of the Fatima Palliative Care Centre in India. CHARIS has been supporting them in providing medical aid, and food supplies for 425 families during this time of need.
The Story of U Kyaw Kyaw Oo - Myanmar
Image: Mr Kyaw with a Sister from Good Shepherd Myanmar Foundation
Mr Kyaw works as a wielder, and sometimes rides a motorbikes for a living. He has 2 children, a daughter in grade 2, and a son who is just over a 1 year old. His wife takes care of the children, and the family lives together in a squatter area.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, he is unable to go out and work as his employees have ceased work. Due to the loss of income, his family has been living day to day on their little savings. They have been facing financial hardships since he has been unable to work for about 2 months now. The children also cannot have proper meals anymore. They have been staying home since March as the government imposed lockdowns. He laments; “We cannot go physically where our minds are. As time passes, we get depressed.” Like everyone else around him, and all around the world, he says that he is afraid and does not feel secure anymore. He is worried that he and family members will get infected too.
He does not know what to do in this situation. Negative thoughts such as “this must be a punishment from God” often come to his mind, and he struggles with many other questions. On a positive note, he highlights some good things that have happened; “As a result, we come to pray to God and say the rosary as a family. We come to have a habit of praying. In this situation, I come to feel that my family is more united and we have developed a warm relationship among us. In the past, we never prayed as a family and never gave time to pray as a family. Now, I feel the joy of family life.”
He expressed that he is very grateful for the food supplies from CHARIS his family and the neighbours received through the Good Shepherd Sisters. He said that the support has given them much consolation, and that they will be able to eat normal amount of meals. He also expressed the concerns he has for others who are in need of support like his family, saying that he also wants others to receive this kind of support as he did and he is really grateful.
He says that as the whole world is affected by this situation, everybody including himself is experiencing unexpected hardships in life. He expressed his opinion on how one should take care of oneself in a situation like this. He says; “As for myself, it is important not to get disappointed or depressed. I think it is important not to get discouraged or disheartened. It is also important to think of how best to take care of oneself, and live happily with whatever comes. It will just be worse if I get depressed and do nothing. I look forward to the time when this whole thing will come to pass. I have the hope of fostering a good heart and attitude and do the best for my life/family.”
Mr Kyaw and his family are beneficiaries of the Good Shepherd Myanmar Foundation. CHARIS has been supporting them in distributing food supplies for 535 families during this time of need.
