VietNamNet Bridge – During its 10 years of operations, Mai Linh Charity House has become a valuable shelter for disadvantaged soon-to-be mothers who dread the thought of giving birth.

HCM City officials attend the inauguration of Mai Linh Charity House in February 2006.

Established by an 80-year-old Catholic nun, Do Ngoc Lieu, the shelter is currently home to 14 young mothers aged from 18 to 25, who refer to the nun affectionately as aunt Lieu.

Since the 1990s, when Vietnam began its journey to economic development in earnest, new trends and changing social values, along with a lack of reproductive health knowledge among young people, led to a rise in the numbers of teenage mothers in the country.

It was during the 1990s that Lieu worked at Tu Du Hospital as a nurse. The old nun said she felt very sorry to see immature girls come to the hospital for abortions.

"But I could do nothing except express my sympathy with them," said Lieu.

One such encounter with a poor young woman whose boyfriend had left her penniless after finding out about her pregnancy led to Lieu getting more involved with providing support to young mothers in need.

Desperate mothers

The kind nun decided to rent a house in order to open a shelter for these mothers, many of whom were broke and homeless.

It was easier said than done. Many land lords refused to rent a house for the project, afraid that these destitute young women were unlucky omens.

The old nun and her colleagues finally found out a small house in a tiny alley where the shelter could be launched.

Mai Linh Charity House officially received approval to conduct charitable activities two years ago and the small house has become a safe haven for more than 100 mothers each year.

The 300sq.m house includes reliable facilities and living rooms where young mothers can read, watch TV, relax or get busy with some sewing or embroidery.

Each mother receives advice on nutrition and is taken to a hospital when the time of delivery comes.

"We also create jobs for them mainly to help them escape from their desperate thoughts and give them some physical exercise, which can make delivery easier," said Thuy Nga, a nun who also works at the shelter.

Nuns often spend time chatting with mothers to help them relax and forget about their worries. Most of the shelter's mothers are distraught, as some were sexually abused or abandoned by caddish men.

But not all of the shelter's mothers have to cope with never seeing their child's father again. Some couples were reunited thanks to the healing efforts of the nuns.

Le Thi Hai Ha, an 18-year-old mother who moved to the shelter last year, says the place is a lifeline.

"I am grateful for all the things that aunt Lieu and the other nuns have done for me to help me get through the hardest time in my life," says Ha, who reunited with her boyfriend and family thanks to help from the nuns at the shelter.

"We would not have such a happy family without their help."

Lieu has helped more than 2,000 daughters and grandchildren during the past ten years, but the problem of women who are not ready to have kids having children too early doesn't seem to be going away.

According to the shelter's records, 20% of the shelter's residents are students, 50% are workers and the remainder are in a variety of situations.

"We must reconsider sexual education and views on sex among the youth," said Lieu.

"Parents should take the primary responsibility in educating their children about reproductive health issues and help take care of their own children while they are living together.

(Source: Viet Nam News)