Mr. Nguyen Van Banh is committed to his blind students.
Overcoming difficulties, personal complex and an unlucky fate, blind Nguyen Van Banh never gives up. He is patient enough to follow the light of knowledge. After his graduation from Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, he became the co-founder of massage establishment, creating jobs for the blind. A new establishment is erected in Binh Duong province after his founding of 3 others in Ho Chi Minh City and Vung Tau.
Open up the door to knowledge
His memories of Kien Giang – his home town, are through imagination only because of grave illness that stole from him his sight forever since his 3 years of age. He grew up and felt the indifference of people surrounding but still he could integrate to such indifferences. Anyone who meets him will admire his learning fondness. “My wish for learning over-rides my home sickness and my shyness of a blind,” Mr. Nguyen Van Banh. After graduating from Nguyen Dinh Chieu School for the blind, he pressed on learning in a college with a simple wish to become at teacher but he became one of the three blind students in Ho Chi Minh City National University – University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
Make all wishes come true
He recalled his years of working to support his learning in the university that helps him more attached to massage career. His young age years turned him down for not being able to help parents with simple things; however, “I am aware that being blind does not mean being unable to anything. I can do many things and do not need my eyes. Massage is an example of this,” he said. And thus, the career has supported him through the years and by 2001 he co-founded a first massage establishment with his 6 blind friends to create jobs for about 30 blind people.
And more wishes
“Disable people in Vietnam face great difficulties in community integration,” he said. Therefore, his establishment has gone through the years with difficulties from registering for a certificate to convincing people of a good service.
In his establishment named Toan Toan Thang, attending blind people are taught how to massage for living. All the training is free to enrolling trainees who are in good health and qualified at elementary education.
“I am not afraid of being lost in profits but am scared that low profits may affect attending people here because I can only support them in terms of accommodation and foods. My only great wish now is that more customers will come and we can make profits for the blind by their own employment. This will a proof to encourage them that disable people are still helpful to their family and society,” he said while sitting in a café while rain is pouring outside.
In Binh Duong, his establishment is located at 125 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Phu Cuong Ward, Thu Dau Mot Town. Each customer can pay VND 45,000 an hour to be massaged.
Reported by Ngoc Thanh – Translated by Vi Bao
