Caritas Hanoi Volunteers against social inequalities

Unemployment, pollution and food shortages are pushing people over the edge into a life of misery. In the capital, Catholics are little more than 314,000 or 3.7 per cent of the city's population. The Catholic charity has 20,000 members, committed to helping the sick, seniors, the disabled and children, something that is acknowledged even by the government.

Hanoi (AsiaNews) - Every Caritas volunteer “must be committed, with fervour and effectiveness, to social and charity initiatives designed to fight social inequalities," said Mgr Thomas Vũ Đình Hiệu, bishop of Bùi Chu and president of the Vietnamese bishops Committee for charitable and social activities (Ủy ban Bác ái Xã hội), i.e. Caritas Vietnam.

In his last meeting in Hanoi with members of the organisation, the prelate stressed that "in today's Vietnam, the gap between the rich and the poor is getting wider. The economy is growing but remains unstable.”

“Unemployment, environmental pollution and food shortages are pushing many people over the edge into a life of misery. It is therefore necessary to respond to Jesus’s call of love and follow in the footsteps of the Apostles, to bring the Good News to the peripheries as well as the great cities."

One of the latter is Hanoi, a city the Communist Party has ruled for the past 64 years. By comparison, the Church has been present in the city for 400 years. Catholics number just over 314,000 or 3.7 per cent of the city population. The local diocese is divided into 29 parishes with 20,000 members in Caritas Hanoi.

The Catholic charity stands out for its commitment to the sick, seniors, the disabled and children. In fact, on the website of the government’s Religious Affairs Committee, Dr Phạm Huy T. writes that "Catholics living in the capital have helped to define the Hanoi of yesterday and today. This charitable tradition has been built hand in hand by both Catholic and non-Catholic communities."

On of Caritas Hanoi’s latest initiatives is a free vitreoretinal surgery programme that has benefitted 250 poor people. Caritas volunteers also organised a lunar New Year party for 300 ethnic Mường children in the parishes of Mường Riệp, Mường Đốn, Mường Cắt, Mường Riệc, Lạc Sơn and Hòa Bình.

Caritas Hanoi is particularly dedicated to students, especially those who come the capital from rural regions. To meet their needs, it has set up small hostels (lưu xá). Some 1,328 volunteers from three parishes – Lưu Xá, Mỹ Thượng and An Hòa – have joined the project.

Caritas Hanoi has also raised funds to build some “compassion houses” for most disadvantaged families in the city. And thanks to the support of Lê Hùng Đức, president of the Wheelchair of Love association, some 200 wheelchairs were donated.

• vietnam
• hanoi
• catholic church
• caritas
• charity
• volunteers
• outreach
• inequalities