Projects
DIEN BAN, VIETNAM
Dien Ban Disability Day Centre
"The Kianh Foundation Day Centre is the first of its kind in Central Vietnam to provide an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to the development needs of children with disability.”—The Kianh Foundation
The district of Dien Ban in Vietnam was heavily bombed and sprayed with Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Today, the district has a chronic incidence of infant disability, which is compounded by a lack of support services for affected families. The Dien Ban Disability Day Centre was a project developed by the Kianh Foundation in 2008 to meet the urgent health, physiotherapy, and educational needs of these children. The centre was the first of its kind in Central Vietnam, and currently provides integrated services to 110 children from the area, whose opportunities in life would otherwise be extremely limited.
The project began as an innovative multidisciplinary studio run by Esther Charlesworth with design and construction students from RMIT University and RMIT International University Vietnam. Students worked on site with Australian architects, Büro.
Fantastic new photos showing the centre vibrantly in use were taken by photographer Jonathon Griggs in 2019.
“This project has delivered a tangible benefit to children with disability in Vietnam and is an excellent example of what can be achieved when the international community and the Vietnamese authorities cooperate.”—Nick Keegan, Business Director of The Kianh Foundation
Year: 2008 – 2012
Status: Completed
Partners:
Media
