Nam Đồng is a poor mountainous district of Thừa Thiên-Huế, approximately 50km west of Huế. It is close to the A Lươi valley which, during the war years, was heavily sprayed with Agent Orange.
More than 40% of the local population is ethnic Katu minority. They make their living mainly by planting rice, maize, sweet potatoes, cassava, vegetable, or raising buffaloes, cows, pigs, etc.
A high percentage of the children in the area suffer various kinds of mental and physical disabilities including Down syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, etc. Some suffer multiple disabilities and many forms of learning difficulties.
There are limited services available for these children and their families. There is no government school specially catering for children with disabilities. Most of these children did not previously have the opportunity to receive adequate education and help to integrate into society.
The Care and Early Intervention Centre for Children with Disabilities was built by the Office of Genetic Counseling and Disabled Children (OGCDC), an NGO associated with the Hue College of Medicine and Pharmacy.
The Vietnam Foundation contributed USD 5,000 toward the total construction cost of USD 25,000. Other contributors to the project are French and US NGOs.
The Centre is open for service since September 2010.
The Centre is a multipurpose facility. It is a place where teachers for children with disabilities are trained, parents of the children are counselled, children are assessed and then provided with appropriate treatment and skill training. It is also a temporary shelter for visiting medical specialists and teachers of special needs or for poor patients from remote areas, etc.