June 11 Mr. Vac (Katie)

Mr. Vac
The Family where 3 of the 4 are Mentally Handicapped

Here we return to Mr. Vac's house, where he, his daughter, and his grandson are all mentally handicapped and his wife cares for them all. This is my father's first year meeting them, and they have certainly taken a place in his heart and he is eager to improve upon their extremely impoverished existence.

We delivered to them two fans, two cases of noodles (60 packages), 6 boxes of milk with 6 glass cups, an electric water kettle, an electric rice cooker, two extension cords, a pouring pitcher, and an assorted bag of candy, cookies, and cheese crackers. Kira also picked out a truck and ball for the little boy, as he has no toys.

The two fans were swiftly assembled by Khanh, my father, and Mr. Tuyen (the Red Cross chairman for the area). Once together, they were hooked up to electricity and directed at two of the sleeping areas of the house, where the family members sat to try them out. Kira presented the truck and the ball to the boy. He was timid and reserved at first, then started cautiously playing with his new toys. Before long, he opened up and was smiling as he and Kira played catch in the yard.

We found out that Mr. Vac was a soldier in the South Vietnamese Army for a short time. I also inquired about the alter I noticed in their house, and we learned that Mr. Vac and his wife also had a mentally handicapped son, who drowned.

I included some photos at the end of this post to try and give you an idea of their current living conditions. They go to the bathroom outside in the grass, in view of neighboring houses. They build a fire directly on their floor every time they need to cook or heat water, and there is inadequate ventilation for the smoke. Their eating utensils and containers are filthy, and all their pots and pans are burnt completely black by the fire. The slats on the young woman's bed are detached and falling apart. 

Much more can be done for this family, but we've been able to provide a good start. Now they can cook rice and heat water without having to start a fire (not only is it a burdensome task, but imagine how uncomfortable it is to have a fire going in 100 degree heat). They have some relief from the heat now that they have fans. They have a good supply of noodles and milk. And the boy now finally has his own toys.

My father's hopes for next year are to be able to provide them with more suitable bathroom situation (possibly an outhouse), a gas cooker along with enough gas money to last them one year, a new bed, and new cooking pots.