Visiting orphanage shelter caring for disabled individuals

While in Vietnam, an acquaintance had invited us along on a planned day trip to visit some orphanages near Ho Chi Minh City. One heart-wrenching shelter we stopped by was the Francis Shelter, located ~76km north of Ho Chi Minh City.

The shelter provided care for disabled and mentally challenged individuals, some as young as infants (as mothers would drop off their infant at the shelter's doorstep if they have defect). Admittedly, it was the most emotional visit of all the shelters we’ve been to. We eye-witnessed some individuals being restrained to the bed in order to minimize self-harm. Note: The pictures were pulled from the website (as it was too overwhelming during our visit to take pictures and we spent time caring for the toddlers), but we can attest that the pictures were real depiction of the shelter.

Our hearts go out to the volunteer staff (and a lady from Australia) caring for everyone, especially the babies with disability day in and day out! We donated $500 USD to the shelter and even then, we were not sure if it did justice with all that they do to feed and protect the disadvantaged individuals at the shelter.