Hanh

In Ngoc Lang commune, Binh Ngoc village, Phu Yen province in Vietnam lives Hanh, one of 83 children checked and operated on as part of the "For the Vision of Children" program sponsored by The Fred Hollows Foundation.

For many years Hanh suffered from strabismus, a vision condition in which a person can not align both eyes simultaneously under normal conditions.

Instead of being a normal child and playing after school with other children, her condition meant she was exiled from playing and often stayed home by herself after school. Her best friends were a puppy and some chickens in which she often talked and confided in when she felt sad or received bad marks from her teachers. All the neighboring kids rarely played with her because their parents did not want their children to play with Hanh.

Sorrow, stigma and hopelessness were Hanh's constant companions until The Fred Hollows Foundation staff heard her story and went to see her.

After the work of Fred Hollows in Vietnam, staff of The Fred Hollows Foundation's Vietnam Program, soon realized there was a great need to help children with eye care. The "For the Vision of Children" program was the first step in bringing those much needed services to children.

During the program, village health workers visit every family who has children with eye problems to inform and help explain the importance of eye treatment.

While many parents want their children to be better, a lot of families cannot afford to pay for eye operations.

Hanh is the second of three children in her family. Her parents are farmers making only just enough to provide for the entire family. To a farmer, the sum of money required for eye treatment for a family member is impossible.

After Foundation staff visited Hanh's parents and explained that anyone with eye problems can go to an eye clinic for checkups and be treated well, they knew the program could bring a better life to their daughter. They understood what would result if their daughter's eye was not treated and brought Hanh to Phuc Yen Eye center for free treatment.

After the surgery, Foundation staff went to visit Hanh. It was a long way to visit her family and staff had to ask the locals for directions. By the time they arrived at her home, they saw some children playing together. In the middle of the children was a cute little girl smiling and talking with her friends. It was Hanh.

With the treated eye, Hanh feels very happy and beautiful. She always looks for the next day of school where she can learn to sing and plays with friends.

Now, her parents are even happier because their hopes for a good future for their daughter have been answered.

Hanh now looks forward to going to a friend's birthday party or going to the market with her mother. The operation has completely changed Hanh's life.

Saying goodbye to Hanh and her family, we will forever miss her happy smile.

By Le Quang Tram Tinh
The Fred Hollows Foundation's Vietnam Project Assistant
August 2007