Chua Ky Quang - Center for Disabled Orphans

We learned, after visiting many different temples, that disabled or special needs orphans are sent either back to the government or to certain temples such as Chùa Kỳ Quang at 154/4a Lê Hoàng Phái, P.17, Q.Gò Vấp. It was raining when we arrived at the temple, and we hurried inside, where we met the Thượng tọa (Venerable) Thích Thiện Binh. He told us that there are at least 250 orphans living in the temple. Thượng tọa Thích Thiện Chiếu founded the temple’s orphanage, when he found some blind children begging for food on the street. As time went by, more orphans came asking for shelter. In 1994, the government permitted the temple to accept and care for disabled children at its base. As the temple’s reputation grew, parents began to leave their babies at its gates, which is why so many children are in this one orphanage. Although they did not expect any donations from visitors, we donated money to them and any non-government/foreign-run charities that we visited, to show respect for leaders who have honorably dedicated their patience and time to these unfortunate children.

We had to walk through puddles of water before getting to the rooms of the disabled children. We did not expect to witness the wide range of disabilities that these children have: cerebral palsy, mental retardation, deformity, blindness, muteness, deafness, HIV, AIDS. There are 40 who are affected by Agent Orange, 110 blind, mute and deaf children, and the rest have cerebral palsy and/or deformities. There are about 20 children who are unaffected by these diseases and are put in a classroom and who sang welcoming songs to us when we stopped by.

When we entered the first room, we were immediately approached by a mentally-challenged boy who pulled us around to show us other younger sleeping disabled children, while laughing and stuttering words that we could not understand and pulling us in for hugs. A volunteer in the room told us that he was a boy who had been placed there at birth. A mute girl on a wheelchair kept calling us and showing us around the temple. There were rooms full of babies who were being taken care of by older girls and women. Despite its poor conditions, many local Vietnamese volunteers have come to stay in the temple and take care of many disabled children. They told us that they volunteered to take care of these children because they lost their own children or offered their lives to Buddha instead. It was a pleasant surprise to meet foreign students who came to play, teach, and help feed these children at the temple. Our study tour students will definitely be able to provide a helping hand to these disabled children when they come next year.