Hanoi (VNA) - Doctor Do Thuy Lan has dedicatedher life to helping children with disabilities.

For more than nine years, she has run acafeteria in a small lane off Hoang Dao Thuy street in Hanoi’s Cau Giay district, as part of the Sao Mai (Morning Star) care centre for disadvantagedchildren, the Viet Nam News Agency reported. It is the first day-care centre in Hanoiproviding support for children with mental disabilities.

The centre was first funded by a Dutchorganisation. When the funding ended, the director sought other financial andnon-financial support, but eventually decided to ask parents to pay for theirchildren’s tuition.

Several children at the centre are frommiddle-income families from other provinces. So that they can take theirchildren back and forth from the centre each day, they rent rooms and find workin the city. Families facing financial difficulties are supported with reducedtuition fees.

The cafeteria is also part of the centre’sprogrammes. All staff members are children with mental disabilities. They areequipped with basic life skills to help them become financially independent.

“The café is a venue to help the childrento practice life skills after being taught by teachers,” said Dr. Lan. “In thecafé, children are taught to do simple work, such as washing dishes andglasses, arranging chairs and tables, making tea, or serving clients.”

“This is easy work for normal people, butfor the children with mental disabilities, these are really hard jobs,” thedoctor said. "Working in the café is a good environment for improvingcommunication skills as well as gradually integrating them into society.”

The café is small. It opens from 8am to4.30pm from Monday to Friday. There are two children working each shift. Thereis also teacher instructing the children during their working time.

Since opening nine years ago, the café hashelped hundreds of children with mental disabilities and autism integrate intosociety.

One student, Loan, 14, has impaired hearingand low mental ability. She has been taught at the centre since she was four.After learning and working in the café, she is now able to perform basic skillsby herself and she found a job.

Hoang Van Cuong, father of Hoang Anh Thang,another student at the centre, said working in the café was very helpful.

“My child was more confident and could helphis mother with cleaning floors, washing dishes or cooking,” he said.

However, the café is now was facingdifficulties.

Luong Thi Hoa, a teacher at the centre,said in earlier years, the café was always full of clients because there werefew cafes in the area.

“But in recent years, more and morecafeterias have opened. So only loyal customers come to us,” Loan said.

The customers go because they want tosupport the special staff at the café, she added.

In fact, the café has not been profitablein recent years. Many people want to rent the location for other businesses,but Dr. Lan refuses.

“Thecafé cannot bring money anymore, but it has educational benefits fordisadvantaged children,” she said.-VNA