Tai was born into extremely difficult circumstances. His father died from a traffic accident, his mother had a mental disorder and the only person he could rely on was his grandmother – who is 57 years old.
Tai also has autism and when he was 4 years old, Tai was physically abused by his preschool teacher. The horrific incident was brought to light and the school and teacher suffered disciplinary punishment. The Hagar Vietnam team began to journey with Tai in 2019, and since then, have worked to support him with special accommodations and have connected him to a special needs preschool to receive a better and more suitable education.
Tai’s grandmother is his sole support. Despite some health challenges, she has continued to work as a cleaner at a school and coffee shop. However, when COVID-19 broke out, both of these places had to close temporarily. As well as now being unable to afford living costs, Tai’s grandmother also had to devote all of her time and energy towards looking after him because his school had closed. This meant that, despite wanting to desperately find a job, she couldn’t.
Tai needs special and constant care. Understanding the financial hardships and the importance of Tai’s care, Hagar quickly supported them with living expenses during the pandemic. At the same time, Hagar’s case manager regularly calls to keep in touch with them and provides guidance around COVID prevention.
Hagar is committed to supporting Tai and his grandmother both during the pandemic with immediate practical assistance but also with Tai’s ongoing recovery journey as well.
When asked about her feelings, Tai’s grandmother could not hold back her tears. She expressed:
“I don’t know what else to say other than thanks to Hagar. Sincerely thanks to Ms. Ngoc – the case manager who always helps and cares for us like her family members.”
Together, with our donors, we have been able to not just continue to help Tai in overcoming the trauma of his past but also practically support him and his grandmother at this time. Such support has made such a difference to this family and truly helped them and other families survive during these unprecedented times.
