HIV Clinic and Another Orphanage For Children With Disabilities

We travelled outside of the city centre to visit an HIV Care Clinic. In Vietnam, people with HIV are commonly abandoned by their families and end up they living in this clinic to get treated for their illness and to feel a sense of belonging.  There are about 20 children at the clinic who have acquired HIV from birth. The children are told that they have a sickness which could potentially lead them to go to heaven early and be with their parents.  I can’t imagine having to explain this to a child.  The children at the clinic lead very normal lives – they have classes during the day and they spend their afternoons playing.  If I wasn’t told the children had HIV I wouldn’t have even known they were sick!!  

On the way home we spent a few hours at another orphange for children with disabilities.  The children were very excited to see us and we kept them laughing the entire time. They thought we were absolutely hilarious!