Reported from Vietnam on July 24, 2021
Brother Simon Thien
Since April 29, 2021, the Covid pandemic broke out again in Vietnam. Over the past two weeks, thousands of Covid-19 cases have been reported every day, especially in Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s largest city and economic center. The city has been shut down for more than two weeks. Many people have difficult circumstances, their family’s economy is very precarious, and food prices are so high that their lives face many challenges. People in other provinces are also affected by the Covid pandemic, the poor often find themselves in more difficult situations than ever.
Faced with that situation, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Vietnam has called on fellow Catholics to help those who are facing difficulties due to the Covid pandemic. Nearly 500 young priests and religious in Ho Chi Minh City have signed up as volunteers to directly help Covid patients. Among these volunteers, there are three young Brothers of Vietnam District who have participated in this special program to take care of those who are in hospitals and isolation centers.
Helping the poor is our priority. There are many initiatives to distribute necessary food to the poor who are struggling because of the pandemic. Reports from local Lasallian communities, the Brothers, and Lasallian Sisters have been eagerly seeking to provide food to poor people in need. Please see the images below, to accompany the Brothers and Lasallian Sisters in their initiative to serve the poor.
LA SALLE POUTHUM SCHOOL IN CAMBODIA where many food distribution initiatives take place every year to support local people.
LA SALLE TRAM COMMUNITY is dedicated to primarily serving the poor. It is located in Dong Thap province, a southern province of Vietnam.
LA SALLE TAN HUNG CHARITY SCHOOL in Ho Chi Minh City where many initiatives to distribute food to parents and the poor take place several times a year.
LA SALLE THANH TAM – NHA TRANG
The brothers are involved in a vocational training center for disabled young men and women.
LA SALLE YALY (PLEIKU) in a high mountain region of Vietnam, where the Brothers and Sisters visit poor families.
LA SALLE SISTERS distributes food to people in Suoi Tien and Tan Binh, two of the hardest-hit areas by COVID-19 in Ho Chi Minh City.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
The Brothers are unable to travel to the areas under lockdown, but they are standing behind those activities by continuing to solicit donations to collaborate with the La Salle Sisters and other local congregations to support poor people and workers in the blockaded areas of Ho Chi Minh City.