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Thanks to the visit, Dieu Lien has the honour to come to know Nun Phuoc Thien. After cooperating in some charity work, we have got good relationship. This is another good condition that opens a new window of hopes to unlucky people, especially those with severe illnesses. Dieu Lien has got the opportunity to shoulder some of her present charity work. Hopefully, with your compassion and thoughtfulness, people in pitiful plight may have a chance to escape their present deadlocks.
Besides managing the Uu Dam compassion house, Nun Phuoc Thien also runs a monthly rice allowance programme to 80 helpless old people in Phu Vang and Huong Tra districts, Thua Thien Hue Province. The “Rice of Compassion” Programme has been running for three years now, providing 10 kilos of rice every month for each elderly. Musician Vu Thanh An gives monthly donation for 57 old people; therefore the nun has to look for other sources for the remaining 23, besides caring for her 20 small children.
However, these are not all that she is doing. She is now taking another duty, which is to consult for people with HIV at the consultation section in Tue Tinh Duong Hai Duc. She has been doing this for over a year now. There are now about 60 families in Hue with HIV-affected members, of which 30 families are very poor. They need much help, but the consultation section can only offer mental help – i.e. Nun Phuoc Thien and other colleagues encourage and console them to help them overcome their shocks and discrimination of the society. These patients live a very hard life, most receive little care from the Society; or even lack of sympathy from their own family. Life is especially hard for women who are victims, together with their children. After their HIV-infected husbands die, they are left with pitiful children and a virus that drives people away. Being in poor health, they can do nothing to earn a living, nor fight against the virus/diseases, nor bring up their children. Whenever nun Phuoc Thien meets with these people, she is again deeply concerned. She thinks over and over again about how to find resources for these miserable people. With so many people to care for out of limited resources, she is still occasionally be able to find and reserve these patients some small gifts.
In order to give her a helping hand in the “Rice of Compassion” programme for the remaining 23 old people and HIV-infected people, the Eye of Compassion has decided to work with her to open a vegetarian restaurant. This is a long-term plan that gives you many chances for your efforts to bear fruits.
It can be said that the success of the vegetarian restaurant is well within reach, thanks to the burning dream of Nun Phuoc Thien and concrete assistance of several kind-hearted Buddhists. Besides financial benefits, the vegetarian restaurant will also offer a healthy diet that help people further nourish their compassion.
When this writing comes to you, our preparations for vegetarian restaurant will have been actively running for 4 weeks now. The restaurant is called “Mai Thon” (Mai village), because it is very near Mai market. It is located by the street, in a place provided for free by Ms. Luu, a Buddhist that wishes to join charity work. It is expected that the restaurant will be expanded to the adjacent place by the end of this year, when the contract between Ms Luu and the present tenant expires.
The cost to open the restaurant is estimated at 20 millions VND, of which 5 millions is for reparation; 15 millions for initial purchase; and other 5 millions for other emerging, possible costs. Altogether, about 25 millions VND (or 1,700 USD) is needed. By this time, we have received 1,000 CAD from our London- and Canada-based groups, and 70 CAD from Tran Si Tuan in “Khom Truc”. We have given in advance the remaining necessary sum, so that the restaurant can open on Vu Lan festive. We look forward to your contribution for the birth of Mai Thon, so that it can soon bring many benefits to our miserable fellows.
Best wishes for peace,
Dieu Lien Ton Nu
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