On this blog, I like to share stories.
Stories of kids who are homeless or have been trafficked. Stories of young people who overcome despite the odds.
Today, I have a different story to share.
Blue Dragon’s social media has been full of photos and stories of children, families and young adults in desperate need because of this latest COVID outbreak. The Delta variant has wreaked havoc. Whole cities are shut down. Businesses are shuttered. Schools are closed. Hundreds of thousands of people are out of work.
Against this backdrop, Blue Dragon staff are out on the streets of Hanoi night and day, getting food and aid to people in need.
Who are these people, featured in our photos carrying boxes of food to every corner of the city?
A Blue Dragon worker delivers food to a community that has formed under a bridge.
Some are mothers and fathers, with families at home hoping they will return safely when their work is done.
Some are young adults, fresh out of university. Blue Dragon might be their first, or maybe their second, job. And yet, they are so dedicated that they have volunteered to take shifts on the streets or in shelters for days at a time.
Their work might mean they will not see their own families for weeks. Some are sleeping in rented rooms instead of going home to their families, in order to avoid the risk of spreading COVID.
Others still are young people who were receiving Blue Dragon’s assistance not so long ago. Some were homeless themselves, and now their only wish is to help others.
A little girl and her father accept a donation of food.
How is all this possible? Essentially, it’s because of you.
Every box of food delivered to a family… every meal handed to a homeless child… every cup of water handed out in the scorching summer heat. All of the relief Blue Dragon is distributing is donated by people just like you.
Every dollar donated is feeding the hungry. It’s paying the rent of someone who has lost their job and is facing eviction. It’s making sure that, when school starts up after this lockdown has ended, a child can go back to the classroom.
There’s no doubt that COVID has been cruel. None of us has escaped unscathed. Many who have donated to Blue Dragon for this emergency are in difficult situations themselves. This crisis has let the goodness of people shine bright against the darkest of backdrops.
Whether it’s the workers of Blue Dragon out on the streets, or the incredible people around the world who so selflessly send what they can from their own savings, the goodness of humanity is shining through.
Blue Dragon can’t beat COVID, but we can protect children and families from the worst of its consequences. And when the day comes that we look back on all this, we will know that as a global community we did everything we could to care for each other.
Thank you to all who have so far donated to Blue Dragon’s Emergency COVID Appeal!
