My name is Nguyen Thanh Van and I was born in Dak Lak, in the middle of Vietnam, on May 10th, 1984. There are seven people in my family, which includes my parents, two brothers, two sisters and me. My parents are farmers, who plant coffee trees for a living. My favorite holiday was the summer of 1995, because that was the time that my family made sure that everything was prepared for me to go to school. Everything was ready two months before I started school.

Two months after my birth, I became very sick with a high fever. The illness left me very weak and I had to stay in bed for a long time. When I was six years old, I began to sit by myself and my father realized that I could get better if I practiced every day. Every morning, my big brother practiced exercises with me and also taught me to study. After 5 years, I could walk by myself, but only a little way. When I turned 12 I exercised a lot more and was able to start school. I finished my high school in two thousand and seven and went to Ho Chi Minh City to attend university. After one year my family could not afford to support my university course and so I had to go back to my home town, which made me feel very sad. After one year I decided to leave home again and live by myself. I went to Ho Chi Minh City and earned money by teaching math. I also studied English and printing at the school for people with disability. I lived there for two years.

One day a woman told me about Peter Stone and I went to meet him.
He told me that when the Grace Centre was finished he would call me to come and work with him. I love being here. I love the Lord, Jesus Christ and follow the Catholic religion.
I like to work here very much, because at the COG I can study English and I have a chance to help my friends. The Company Of Grace has helped me to become more independent and also to be responsible for helping others.

My goal is to become an English teacher and I want to teach people with disability. I also want to help the Company of Grace develop so that more people with disability can work here.

We believe we are unique in that 90% of all our staff have a disability (as we still need 10% who are abled bodied to do all the things that people with disability can’t do). Not only that, but these staff with disability are actually managing and running the Grace centre.

Needs

Each of our staff with disability needs support to help them with operation, further training & education to help them find employment, and mobility equipment. If you have any further enquiry please email us: info@companyofgrace.com