Efforts to prove "the whole thing is clear"
With the introduction of Ms. Vu Thi Nguyet Anh - President of the Association of People with Disabilities in Bao Loc City (Lam Dong), we went to meet Ms. Tran Thi Hoa (42 years old, residing in Di Linh Town, Di Linh District, Lam Dong).
In Ms. Hoa's small house, the first impression that hit our eyes was the many pots and flower baskets of all kinds of fresh, vibrant plants.
Ms. Hoa said that she was born as full as any other normal child. At the age of 4, after a serious fever, her legs gradually became broke. When she grew up, she could not walk.
This year, at the age of 42, Ms. Hoa has had to use a wheelchair and a wooden handbike for that much time. However, she always tries and tries to rise up with the determination "if only, but not weak".
Her legs could not stand but she had skillful hands. Ms. Hoa is determined to explore and learn to "stand up" with her own strong will.
Ms. Hoa shared that people with disabilities often feel self-conscious. As for her, since childhood, she encouraged herself to make efforts so as not to become a burden to her family and relatives.
"Through my research, I found that making flowers from clay was suitable for me, so I decided to learn. The more I studied, the more I fell in love, and I just kept making clay flowers proficiently, even if it was not good. Now, I have made many different types of flowers such as: Roses, seaweed, hydrangeas, stone lotus, lotus or strawberry pots...", Ms. Hoa confided.
According to Ms. Hoa, to make beautiful and lively flowers as real, you must love, be meticulous and persistent. The main ingredient is white clay, mixed with a safety additive
After mixing the colors to suit each type of flower, the craftsman uses a machine to thin the rollers depending on the thickness of the flowers. Next, the craftsman used zinc wire to shape and shape the flowers.
According to her, the staging stage is the most important. This is a step to challenge the skills of the craftsman. When the color is dry, the flowers will be planted on the canteen or put into the pot depending on the customer's request.
For her, the profession of making clay flowers is both to earn money and to practice perseverance and carefulness. Compared to fabric flowers, real flowers are made from clay with a higher price. That was also a difficulty when she first started her career.
But gradually, customers see the advantages of clay flowers and should buy more. When the flowers are dirty, just use a comb or a paper towel to clean. If used carefully, it can be kept for up to 5 years without damage or fading.
Hope to pass on the profession to people in the same situation
Each customer who orders Ms. Hoa's clay flowers to play is enjoying a work of art, not simply buying and selling normally.
On average, depending on the size, each clay flower work takes her 4 days to 1 week to complete. There are big works that customers order, Ms. Hoa took more than 1 month to complete.
Each flower work, Ms. Hoa sells for 300,000 VND to 10 million VND. Some works were ordered by customers for tens of millions of VND.
It is known that Ms. Hoa is a single mother. Because clay flower products have not had stable output, she sells more breakfast to students.
Ms. Hoa really hopes that the local government will create conditions for access to preferential loans. She also hopes that her products will be connected, supporting in finding outlets. Her dream is to build a flower making facility from clay. Thus, she can teach vocational skills to people in the same situation as her.
