The days of pursuing education when unable to see has brought sweet results for Thom and Thao brothers from the martial land of Binh Dinh.
This school year, Dao Van Thom and his brother Dao Tan Thao officially became new students of Van Hien University. Thom was born in 1996, is 100% blind, decided to study Piano major. Meanwhile, Thao was born in 2003, with 2/10 eyesight, chose Information Technology because of her endless passion for Science.
Dao Van Thom won the second prize in the 2nd National Informatics Competition for the Blind in 2020
No eyes but strong determination
The family of Thom and Thao has six members living in Binh Dinh province. Only their father and sister are lucky to have bright eyes. Thom's mother has 1/10 eyesight. Married oldest brother can only see 2/10.
Life has been challenging but heart-warming. Thom's mother only stayed at home as a housewife, while her father worked to support the whole family. Thom's childhood memories still preserve the beautiful images before the age of 10. When his eyes were still bright, he still went to school with his friends.
In the summer of 5th grade, Thom's eyes began to fade. When the charity group came to his neighborhood, Thom registered for surgery, but it was not improving. He can't see anything. Life around him is just black. Thom took a break from school, stayed at home since then. At first, Thom gradually got acquainted with the life of the unsighted. Later on, he became more and more stuck, and his temper became more abnormal.
In March 2011, his aunt returned to her hometown to see the poor Thom's situation and immediately went back to Ho Chi Minh City to find a school for her child to study. In May 2011, Nguyen Quoc Phong, founder of Thien An Orphanage, a sightless teacher, accepted Thom and created conditions for him to learn independent living skills, review knowledge from grades 2 to 4, and teach him 5th-grade program. Thus, after three years, Thom and his friends took a level transfer exam at a primary school in Ho Chi Minh City. In 2014, Mr. Phong continued to accept Thao into his home and help the two brothers to attend grade 6 at the Continuing Education Center of Tan Phu district, so the two brothers have been studying in the same school and the same class since then.
Thom no longer has eyes but still has a heart with an endless passion for piano
Sharing about his passion for Piano, Thom said he has loved music since childhood and loves playing the piano. At 18, because of his love for the piano, Thom’s mother sold a cow and bought her an 18 million guitar. “The poor are poor; if children want to study, you must try to let them”. Her mother’s statement further motivated Thom to pursue a decent education. As a result, brothers Thom and Thao achieved excellent student results during three years of high school.
More fortunate than many friends
Thom had applied to several other universities for the piano major that he always dreamed about. Still, he had a feeling with Van Hien University when taking the aptitude test, which was highly appreciated by the council teachers and was quickly confirmed admission.
After many years of studying, both Thom and Thao realize that the learning path is the door to success, with their further goals. “Especially for me as a blind person, studying is essential for me to affirm my worth, help me get a stable job, and take care of myself to It is not a burden on the family and society,” Thom said.
Thinking about the past journey, Thao and Thom always feel grateful to their family and Thien An home - a second home that helps them continue their studies until now. Every day in the home, Thom and Thao, under the guidance of teachers, sisters, and close brothers and sisters, perform the task of cleaning the house and learning independent living skills such as navigation, cooking, etc. You can also learn more computers, braille to quickly find documents when learning culture. To exercise, you can remember more sports such as swimming, martial arts, chess.
Dao Tan Thao personally cut hair for his older brother Dao Van Thom at Thien An’s home
Talking about his situation, Thom said he is still fortunate. “I feel so normal. I think I’m lucky because I can still study until now, go to university. Still more than many other students can not go to school. When I was in elementary school, at least I could see the surrounding scenery; I could imagine what the handwriting was like. When I can’t see anything, I can still feel more than many people born without seeing,” Thom shared.
The journey as students is still new, Thom Thao brothers still can’t figure it all out, but they have somewhat reassured thanks to the encouragement of everyone around and teachers of Van Hien University. Continuing to study at university together was a great joy for both Thao and Thom.
Knowing the exceptional circumstances and will of Thom and Thao, Hung Hau Heart Foundation of Van Hien University decided to award a scholarship of 100% of the entire course tuition fee and a laptop to Dao Van Thom, giving a scholarship. 50% of the full course fee for Dao Tan Thao and a laptop. Thom and Thao are two of many blind students studying at Van Hien University and are supported with tuition fees and study materials.
With the educational philosophy of “Having dignity before having success”, Van Hien University consistently implements humanistic policies to all students who have chosen this place to send their dreams on the journey of establishing a career.
Two brothers living in Thien An shelter