Hien: Protector of the vulnerable

Since starting at Blue Dragon, Hien has grown and matured with each person she has helped to thrive – and she knows she will keep growing, learning and trying harder every day.

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Protection mode

Doubt flooded Hien’s mind as she knocked on the door of the house.

What if I say the wrong thing? What if I can’t help her? What if I make things worse?

The door opened. In front of Hien was a scared, malnourished teenage girl whom Blue Dragon had just rescued from slavery.

Suddenly everything fell into perspective for Hien. She knew that the girl in front of her needed her to be calm, strong and positive. And she knew she could do it.

Hien wrapped her arms around the girl, walked her into the house, and sat her down to begin working out a long-term support plan.

That was Hien’s first week on the job, and the first time she remembers her mind switching into what she calls “protection mode” – something that she has experienced time-and-again throughout her three years at Blue Dragon.

Hien travels to remote villages to meet people at their homes.

More than a hobby

Hien began supporting Blue Dragon long before she started working here. She was fresh out of university with no job and no firm idea of what she wanted to do with her life when she stumbled upon a story about Blue Dragon online.

Compelled to help protect the vulnerable people of her community, Hien made it her mission to support Blue Dragon however she could. In 2018, she became an official Blue Dragon volunteer before starting a full-time position in 2022. From that moment on, she has grown and matured with each person she has helped to heal and thrive.

“I was so shy and timid before I started working at Blue Dragon. I even got scared just when people spoke in a loud voice. But when I started this job, I realised that the people I was helping needed me to be strong. I grew so much as a person and now I’m much calmer and more confident than before.”

In just a few years, Hien had grown from a lost university graduate to a passionate protector of her community. But it was not simply a case of finding her “protection mode” and applying the same strategy to every encounter. The human-centred nature of her job means that her role differs greatly from person to person, and for as long as she works here she will have to channel different parts of herself to suit each person’s needs.

Hien supports people with disabilities.

Come back stronger

A huge learning moment came toward the beginning of Hien’s Blue Dragon career when she and her team visited the home of a boy called Manh.

Manh has no father, was estranged from his mother, and lived with an uncle who verbally abused him. He regularly skipped school and slept in a nearby graveyard to escape his uncle’s tirades.

When Hien arrived at the house, Manh was argumentative, saying that he didn’t want help and that he hated people who didn’t speak in the Thai language of his ethnic group. As Hien tried to reason with him, he cut her off and ran away to hide in a nearby forest. Manh’s uncle told Hien that Manh was a “bad” child who didn’t deserve her help.

As Hien lay in bed that night, she couldn’t stop thinking about Manh. She imagined how lonely he must feel to constantly hear that he’s a “bad” child who doesn’t deserve a better life. Unable to sleep, Hien began to think through what she could have done better, and came to some important conclusions.

“I realised that when I meet a child who has been through trauma, I have to make sure not to completely immerse myself in their emotions. I need to listen to them and understand what they’re going through, then compartmentalise my empathy for them so that I can give them the best help possible. If you get too wrapped up in their emotions, that leads to a double negativity that doesn’t help anybody.”

After coming up with a new plan, Hien went back to visit Manh the next day. When she shared some food and spoke in his ethnic language, Manh was much more responsive. As the months passed and we provided Manh with psychological support while teaching his uncle how to better care for him, his behaviour began to improve.

Manh stopped sleeping in the graveyard, began attending school more regularly and started to heal from his trauma. Hien knows there is still a long way for Manh to go, but he is now on the path to a much brighter, more hopeful future.

On the road to a bright future.

99 steps to go

Hien remembers every person she has helped since she started at Blue Dragon, and each one has taught her something new. From when she knocked on the door of the teenage girl who had just been rescued from trafficking, to her sleepless night after meeting Manh for the first time, each case has been a journey of connection, self-reflection and personal growth.

But Hien believes she still has a long way to go before being satisfied that she has done all she can for the people of her community.

“Let’s say there are 100 steps from the start to the finish of where I want to get to. If that’s the case, I’ve only taken one step forward and I still have 99 to go. Maybe it doesn’t matter if I ever reach it – what matters is that I know I will try harder every day.”

With Hien and her team doing everything they can to help vulnerable people and communities to transform their lives, we will create a world where children like Manh can grow, thrive and build bright futures.