Representatives of Dantri and authorities in Ha Tinh Province at the ground-breaking ceremony for the house of Dinh Quang Tai on November 2.
Dinh Quang Tai, 39, and his 37-year-old wife are both disabled. Tai suffered from various health problems associated with Agent Orange, as his father was affected by Agent Orange while fighting during the American War. He has a limp and paralysis on one side of his body. And his wife also has disabled hands.
Their lives have faced more difficulties after the wife gave birth five months ago. Her health has worsened, and she does not have breast milk for her son. Tai, who earns a modest income working as an office worker for a small local company, has tried hard to get enough money to support the family.
The couple and their five-month-old son.
Meanwhile, their small 17-square-metre house has badly deteriorated, but they have been unable to rebuild it.
After Tai's story was published on Dantri, readers and donors sent over VND290 million to support his family. Local authorities also helped by providing VND50 million.
After receiving the donations, Tai used part of the money to build a new house. The ground-breaking ceremony was held on November 2, with the participation of representatives of Dantri and local authorities.
Speaking at the event, Hoang Xuan Hung, Vice Chairman of Duc Tho District People's Committee, said he was delighted to see Tai receive significant community help to build a new house. He thanked Dantri and the donors for helping with a complex case in his area.
Hoang Xuan Hung, Vice Chairman of Duc Tho District People's Committee, speaks at the event.
"I hope that the project will be completed in time so that Tai's family can celebrate the coming Tet Lunar New Year Festival in their new house," the official said.
At the event, Tai sincerely thanked Dantri, local authorities, and all the generous donors for their support.
"This is a valuable help for our family," Tai said. "My wife and I used to be very worried about safety when living in our old house, especially when our baby was born. Thank you so much for helping us build a new house."
The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has asked organisations and individuals to build 100 new houses for disadvantaged families nationwide between 2024 and 2025.
As a ministry publication, Dantri Newspaper has begun a campaign to build the houses with financial support from the newspaper's readers and donors. Each family will receive at least VND50 million.
As of November 4, Dantri had constructed 58 houses, 41 of which had been completed.