To those of you living in 3rd world countries who really see how things are.

[carmenm]

Could you please do something on the chat thread to tell people what its like to live ina 3rd world country and not have hot water, or a washing machine, etc. Could you please help me to explain to people that its very difficult for the people living in these countries. Some people don't make more than 30 dollars a month, or they have nothing to eat but rice, or have sick children and can't pay for a doctor, etc.

My "daughter" (her parents didn't care about her and are now out of her life) has congenital rubella syndrome and started a charity in vietnam. We lived in South America for a long time too.

Soem people just have no idea. They seem to think everywhere is like England or Europe.......

Just the fact the someone has to go on the website to believe Gabby? You're missing something. Youcan say stuff abot wannabe, you cant be bothered to see what one little girl did, and she's much yoounger than wannabe.

Surely blind is blind? Is there a sliding scale of affliction depending on which country you live in?

Bollocks.

I really don't understand what you are getting at here though.

I went to the website to find out more information about the charity. I was interested. It was not because I didn't believe such a person exists. However there is no information on the website and I can't find anything else on the net about her eye-will charaity, which is a shame. I'd have liked to know more.

She sounds like a brave woman who is trying to make a difference in very difficult circumstances.

It is unfair that people in some countries do not get access to the same help and support for their impairments or disabilities. I don't think anyone has suggested otherwise. However to think that because they don't have it, then no other coutry should have that support and help available, or be able to mention it and talk about their experiences would be madness, surely?

I hope this woman's charity can make a difference eventually.

But really if you want to raise awareness and help, I don't think this thread or this approach is the way forward. You'd do better starting a thread to talk about the issues she faces, about the chairty work she is doing/setting up, and how others in more fortunate positions might be able to help.

That's the thing hulababy, its so hard for her to convince people of what she's doing. No one knows what it's like to live there or what resources are available. As ninedragons wrote, living conditions are verydifferent and if yo udon't live in a country, you don't know how things are.

I admire the developed countries, but they have to realisethat not all placesare the same.

Gabby asked for someone to do the website and she's writing what will go on it. She hasn't finished it yet. Originally, she only wanted to work with blind children, but then she went to Vietnam and extended her ideas. Things are very bad for all of the disabled children there.

Phew!

Well I haven't read any of the links or anything but I would say, how about Gabby starting a NEW thread on MN about her charity and telling us about the situation for disabled people in Vietnam? I'm sure we'd all love to read it and learn from what she has to say.

Isn't it possible that there has just been a lot of talking at cross purposes and no real offence meant?

thank you, Hulababy for that tiny bit of support. there are some very cruel people out there.

Gabby's had to face a lot of challenges, so yes, I get angry when people don't listen to her. I told 2shoes on an earlier post about her getting laughed at for having a dirty bra. Gabby has had to learn to wash her clothes on her own and she hasn't been able to do it well.

I think insome cases, people just needto listen and think before thy speak.

"I admire the developed countries, but they have to realisethat not all placesare the same."

I disagree. I think the majority of people do realise that things are not the same throughout the world, and that there are huge variances of what is and is not available. I can't think of anywhere on these threads where people have thought that.

If you want to help raise awareness of this woman's work - try starting a different type of thread. One which informs people about the charity, the woman and her work.

Starting a thread having a go at someone, particularly when there appears to be nothing offensive or insensitve that that person has said, is really not going to help her cause. If anything it will do the opposite and turn people away from her, because of your comments upsetting others. You are not helping her with this thread.

Gabby's a bit scared to write on here because she's very sensetive and is afraid of what people might say. So if she posts, she needs to be listened to clearly, but not thrown into anything like this thread.

If she can't do it then, for whatever reasons, then you are free to. But you need to be careful. At present this thread will be hindering this woman. It is definitely not helping her. It will alineate people against you, and because of the links to her work then the chairty too, if you are not careful. You can't just post having a go at people. Wannabe posting nothing offensive or insulting. She posted about her own personal experience in the UK, stating at the start this was nothing to do with abroad. That is allowed and perfectly acceptable.

Also, Wannabe, if you have any ideas or advice that can help her, please tell her. She is ver sensetive though and gets really upset if she's critised. It happens a lot of the time, and she ends up crying. Peachy's post on the other thread upset her-beachshe cause a misunderstanding and upset peachy. She's been through a lot but she's very naive still. I asked her not to read your post on the other thread, or this one, because she would not cope with it, I know that. She still has a lot to learn and I love her to pieces. I'm sorry for the row, but I can't stand to see her hurt. She only has me to rely on and it gets difficult for me.

I know, Janitor. I'm so sorry for what happened today, but its so hard for me to watch her struggle. If someone tllls her she's stupid, or calls her names, she runs to me. When she was setting up the charity, she had to do lots of paperwork. She didn't go to Uni, adn although she is bright, she had no idea how to write them. she took themto the foreign affairs office and when the people told her she'd done them wrong, she asked me to do them for her. I didn't because I want her to be more assertive and learn how to do things. She's been in Vietnam for nearly a year now. she's improving, but its taking time.

There's another blind lady (just blind) who started an organisation in Tibet. She wants to train Gabby, and I think Gabby could benefit from someone likethat. The other organisation is called braille without borders and the founder is a German lady called Sabriye Tenberken.

i'm crying now too. i don't like having a row. I have to help Gabby though so much, at times, i can't take it.

Oh I believe her.

1. I believe that she speaks 7 languages (in one post) and cannot be understood by anyone (in another).

2. I believe that she has rocks thrown at her on a daily basis. I believe that she is knocked unconcious on a daily basis by various people throwing stones.

3. I believe that her charity for blind kids also collects chidren with every other disability knnow to man. I believe that she has masses of experience with learning disabilties and thats how she knows that if you just believe that children with sever quad or severe learning disabilties can grow up to run NGOs.

4. I believe that she grew up in the Far East with no access to therapies and at the same time spent 10 years in Italy with a German adoptive parent because she was rejected by her birth parents.

There's a whole host of other stuff that I believe.

I do not beleive that she needs to ask about how disabled kids are shaved, or that we need comments about dirty bras. I find it strange that she's so rude to the one other blind person on mnet.

I will not be answering any personal questions about my disabled child, but I do of course wish her well with her charity.

Well, yes, quite, yurt.

IN case I get lynched I had better point out that I'm not yurtgiirl. She is entirely innocent (I'm gess).

???????????
(very very quietly retreats and shuts the door)

Carmen, has Gabby contacted the various charities for blind children in Vietnam for help? There's one in Hanoi and a big one in HCM. She might be able to get some help with what she's doing. They are also looking for volunteers, both blind and sighted. There's a whole host of charities working with blind children throughout Vietnam so maybe they can help her if she is having problems.
I can post the websites if you like.

yurt1, are you perfect? No one is perfect. She loves Italy and she likes to tell people she lived there for ages. She does speak 7 languages, its just tough for people to understand her, thats true. She can write them and understand them perfectly. She posted on the italian thread in italian.

She did "grow up" in Asia, from 22 onward first in Thailand, then in Vietnam.

It wasn't her who mentioned about the dirty bra, it was me. She asked 2shoes about her daughter because she had been worried that 2shoes might be upset if her daughter is teased if she doesnt shave her. Thats why she said she doesn't shave well yet.

You can blamme me for being rude to Wannabe, but not her.

Yurt1, its nicer to believe in things, even if they aren't true sometimes.

I'm her "German" mother by the way.

Message withdrawn

weiroder than weirod even

you think this thread is weird? You should read the ones leading up to it.....

Oh I'm sure its nicer to believe, but when you're asked personal questions about your particularly vulnerable child it's always better to approach with healthy scepticism.