A woman in Khanh Hoa Province has won the Vietnamese Women 2018 Awards for her devotion to disabled children.

Phan Thi Sen cares for the children

On October 15, the Women's Union held the Vietnamese Women 2018 Awards in Hanoi to honour five organisations and 10 individuals for their contribution to the country. One of the outstanding women is Phan Thi Sen, a teacher at the Khanh Hoa Provincial Rehabilitation and Education Centre for Disabled Children.

Dozens of teachers at the centre were in a hurry to take care of the children at lunchtime. Sen was very gentle, calm and patient when reminding the children to not eat with their hands. She was hired into the centre since 1995. At first, she had some difficulties when dealing with physically disabled children as well as those with mental disabilities.

"Witnessing their suffering, I told myself that I have to share their burdens and help them integrate. 23 years passed in a blink of an eye," she said.

Due to challenges with communication, the children can't find ways to express themselves so they often become angry and rebellious. Each class has 12 to 14 children but each of them has a different background, intellectual disability and need different care regimes.

Sen has experimented many types of methods and taken a huge amount of notes over the years to best support the children.

Since 2001, Sen has submitted five research topics and three ideas on improving teaching methods for disabled children including research on how to help children with Down Syndrome integrate into society research and three ideas about teaching deaf children about time or using pictures and sign language to teach children English and French.

Khanh Hoa Provincial Rehabilitation and Education Centre for Disabled Children set the goals to help children finish primary school curriculum at the age of 16-18, being independent and being able to take care of themselves after graduating from the centre.

"Teaching them chess and letting them take part in regular competitions helped boost their confidence. Being able to perform for the public also helped," Sen said.

Sen still remembered Le Van Cuong who is now 25 years old. Cuong is deaf and went to the centre when he was a teenager. He left the centre after a short time and found a job in Nha Trang City. When Sen saw him driving a motorbike, she patiently waited for him on that road and persuaded him to drive slower. She bought him a pair of glasses and drew him traffic signs on speed. 

She monitored him every week to make sure that the promise was realised. Cuong grew up and went to Lam Dong Province but he returned during Tet Holiday and visited Sen with his wife and child.

"I give them my love and they give them their hearts to me in return. I love my job for the pure and sincere love," she said.

Nguoi Lao Dong/Dtinews