Sisters in Ho Chi Minh City bring the love of Christ to elderly people who are alone
by Thanh Thuy
The number of elderly poor is rapidly growing in Vietnam. The Sisters of Vương-Mẫu Tâm host about 100 sick and elderly women at the Thiên Ân Warm Shelter. “I am deeply touched by the way they love each other,” one witness says. “Despite living in hardship, they still try to work and produce handicrafts to help other poor people.”
Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews) – Research shows that Vietnam’s elderly population is growing fast. Gender is an important related factor since the number of elderly women is much higher than that of men. This has led to what some have dubbed the “feminisation of the elderly population”. Elderly women face aging with more risk factors such as lower income, disabilities, discrimination and diseases. “In the next phrase (from 2011 to 2020), the number of elderly will continually increase. Vietnam needs social policies to take care of the elderly,” said Dr Dương Quốc Trọng in his research.
Vietnam is stepping into the time of the aged quickly. To meet the needs in health care and social services, Vietnam needs to have practical and suitable strategies to care for the elderly at present, said Bruce Campbell, United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) representative in Vietnam. However, the country’s social policies and programmes for the elderly have been inadequate so far.
For this reason, the Catholic Sisters of the Congregation of Vương-Mẫu Tâm set up in 1993 the Thiên Ân Warm Shelter in Thủ Đức District, Ho Chi Minh City, to take care of elderly women’s spiritual and psychological needs. Both Catholic and Buddhist residents live at the shelter, including some elderly Buddhist nuns.
“I see them sick, lying in their beds, waiting for time to go by . . .,” some volunteer students and social workers told AsiaNews. “Yet, they are friendly, hoping to have someone talk to them. We have seen many elderly in the city without a place to live, looking for some rice in the streets.”
“I admire the nuns and the volunteers who work with the elderly,” said Hương, a woman from the neighbourhood. “They built a shelter that has warmly welcomed about 100 elderly women. Ms Út, 104, still goes to the chapel to pray with the group twice a day. Catholic and Buddhist elderly live in spiritual friendship with the Catholic nuns.”
“I am deeply touched by the way they love each other,” Ms Nguyet told AsiaNews. “Despite living in hardship, they still try to work and produce handicrafts to help other poor people."
Vietnam is stepping into the time of the aged quickly. To meet the needs in health care and social services, Vietnam needs to have practical and suitable strategies to care for the elderly at present, said Bruce Campbell, United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) representative in Vietnam. However, the country’s social policies and programmes for the elderly have been inadequate so far.
For this reason, the Catholic Sisters of the Congregation of Vương-Mẫu Tâm set up in 1993 the Thiên Ân Warm Shelter in Thủ Đức District, Ho Chi Minh City, to take care of elderly women’s spiritual and psychological needs. Both Catholic and Buddhist residents live at the shelter, including some elderly Buddhist nuns.
“I see them sick, lying in their beds, waiting for time to go by . . .,” some volunteer students and social workers told AsiaNews. “Yet, they are friendly, hoping to have someone talk to them. We have seen many elderly in the city without a place to live, looking for some rice in the streets.”
“I admire the nuns and the volunteers who work with the elderly,” said Hương, a woman from the neighbourhood. “They built a shelter that has warmly welcomed about 100 elderly women. Ms Út, 104, still goes to the chapel to pray with the group twice a day. Catholic and Buddhist elderly live in spiritual friendship with the Catholic nuns.”
“I am deeply touched by the way they love each other,” Ms Nguyet told AsiaNews. “Despite living in hardship, they still try to work and produce handicrafts to help other poor people."
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