Bringing the Family Home
Family Dang Van Nai
Before receiving support from the Aquitara Fund through the An Vui Mart model, the circumstances of Đặng Văn Nại, an elderly victim of Agent Orange and a former resistance fighter, were filled with hardship and constant worry. The consequences of war were not only borne by his own body but were also passed on to his children, meaning the family never truly experienced a life of peace and stability.
Mr. and Mrs. Nại have four children. Two of their sons were affected by Agent Orange passed down from their father. The eldest son has been completely blind since childhood and depends entirely on his family for daily care. Their third son suffers from epilepsy. Although he is married, he and his wife rely on each other to survive. Of their two daughters, one is married and built a home close to her parents, where she runs a small drink stall within the family compound. The modest start-up capital for this stall had to be borrowed, interest-free, from the provincial Association of Agent Orange Victims to purchase basic supplies. The youngest daughter remains unmarried and lives with her parents, helping with household duties and taking on the heavier work that her ageing parents can no longer manage.
"The eldest son has been completely blind since childhood and depends entirely on his family for daily care.."
The couple’s income depends largely on modest government allowances and support from their children when possible. Their third son, who suffers from epilepsy, has had to travel far with his wife to Đà Lạt to work as hired labourers, cultivating mulberry trees to make a living. Whenever he speaks of his son, Mr. Nại grows visibly emotional:
“When we miss him, the two of us take a bus and travel all day just to see him. We only wish he could live close to us.”
This seemingly simple wish has become the couple’s greatest hope in their later years: to have a stable livelihood that would allow their son to return home, live nearby, and support one another as a family.
For this reason, they have long dreamed of opening a small shop for their son, a place that would provide him with work and spare him the hardship of living far from home. A simple livelihood, yet one meaningful enough to bring their son back to his parents, allowing the family to reunite and ease the pain of separation.
It was in the midst of these layered difficulties that the support from the Aquitara Fund, through the An Vui Mart – Nhịp Cầu Nhân Ái model, brought not only a new livelihood to the family, but also renewed hope for reunion, something they had quietly wished for over many years.
Today, after more than four months of operating An Vui Mart – Nhịp Cầu Nhân Ái, the shop has not only created a sustainable, long-term source of income, but has also helped bring greater stability and peace of mind to Mr. and Mrs. Nại’s daily lives.
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