Volume 4, Issue 4
June 2011 www.discoveringdeafworlds.org
Healing the Wounded Heart Project in Hue, Vietnam up feeling displaced, treated as a burden within their communities. Nevertheless, my first impression of this group was the tangible presence of a strong sense of solidarity among them: they were there to help each other make the best of the opportunity that Spiral Foundation offered them. They quickly learned to master the many skills needed not only for producing the carefully crafted items, but also for the accounting and marketing of these items, while expanding their own creative and self-taught way of communicating among themselves and with others. Since 2003, items produced by these artisans have been sold internationally Healing the Wounded Heart artisans visit a heart surgery by Spiral Foundation, providing them patient and her family in Hue, Vietnam. with fair salaries, medical insurance, housing, a daily sponsored meal, and a By Marichia Simcik Arese recreational allowance. Furthermore, all net proceeds In 2003, I contacted Dr. Nhan, Director of the Of- from sales are returned to help fund heart surgeries for fice of Genetic Counseling and Disabled Children poor Vietnamese children via Dr. Nhan and his office. (OGCDC) at Hue College of Medicine and Pharmacy In eight years, the artisans generated enough funds to in Hue, Vietnam. I suggested that Spiral Foundation help operate on more than 300 heart patients. This is why every item they produce has a little texcome to Hue to set up a permanent craft workshop, tile red heart attached that says, “Healing the Woundreturning profits to fund heart surgeries for poor Vieted Heart.” By helping fund heart surgeries, the artisans namese children. His response was a big incredulous laugh. Since I do not speak Vietnamese, I asked him are no longer “disabled”; rather, they are empowered to kindly arrange for an English-Vietnamese interpret- to give to those even more in need. They are not only er to assist in setting up the workshop facility and to in- healing the wounded hearts of heart patients, but also struct the artisans. His answer was: “You will not need healing their own hearts. In 2009, with the help of OGCDC and Spiral Founan English-Vietnamese interpreter, since the artisans dation, the artisans opened a retail facility in Hue, you will be working with are deaf.” My response was a Healing the Wounded Heart (HWH). This shop is enbig incredulous laugh of my own. A week later, I found myself in Hue, working with tirely run by the artisans, who are now experts in wela group of 20 artisans, all deaf or with physical dis- coming visitors, encouraging visitors to buy items, and abilities, creating eco-friendly gifts made from recy- accounting for their shop sales—including the convercled trash or discarded traditional Vietnamese textiles. sion of Vietnamese dongs to U.S. dollars, Australian Many of these artisans had never received any formal dollars or euros. In the first two years of business, schooling, nor any sign language training, and grew HWH donated its profits from sales to help fund 20 June 2011 1