Over 20 Raglai ethnic-minority households with more than 100 inhabitants live in Đồng Cam hamlet, enduring hardship and deprivation on all fronts. These Raglai families live close together and are quite isolated from the Kinh community (the ethnic majority in Vietnam) in Cửu Lợi village, Cam Lâm district, Khánh Hòa province.
Raglai households began settling in Đồng Cam around 2001. The majority of them relocated to make way for the Cam Ranh Golf Course and Eco-Villa project. Previously, they earned their living through shifting cultivation, slash-and-burn farming, and wage labor, occupations that rendered their lives quite precarious. When the government resettled them in Đồng Cam, they hoped for a better life than before; however, after many years of settlement, their living conditions have improved very little.
Most residents of Đồng Cam hamlet currently lack stable employment. To eke out a daily living, the men of the hamlet work as hired hands for mango-growing households, while the women gather firewood, glean leftover rice after the harvest, or stay home to look after young children. For young families, life is equally arduous. Most young couples in Đồng Cam hamlet marry early; with unstable employment and large families, the struggle to survive from one meal to the next is a daily reality. Many children of these Raglai families cannot attend school because the nearest school is quite far away from their homes. Those going to school need to ride their bikes about 3 kilometers on a dirt-and-stone road in very poor condition, which becomes very dangerous during rainy weather due to flooding.
For many years, the Sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross of Nha Trang at the Mother House have had the opportunity to accompany, build loving relationships with, and support the Raglai people in Đồng Cam. Based on their emergent needs, the Sisters share food and basic living supplies with them and teach both children and adults to read and write. Moreover, as a bridge, the Sisters help the Raglai people build relationships with people in the surrounding areas and with churches. The Sisters also share the Christian faith with them, teach catechism to those who wish to join the Catholic community by receiving baptism and other sacraments, and support them in practicing their faith weekly with others in Tân Bình parish church.
In the bond of the family of humankind, each of us is called to show our practical acts of love by accompanying, making connections, building relationships, and supporting others, especially those in need.
The people of the Raglai community in Đồng Cam urgently need communal assistance from all people, especially from you, generous benefactors, to help them escape the cycle of poverty, improve their lives, and build a better future.
Writer: Men Thanh Gia NhaTrang’s Charity