Under the overpass
In the heart of Ho Chi Minh City there’s a small patch of greenery beneath an overpass where groups of people come to beg every night. Traffic roars by overhead. Parents place their children near the junction to ask for money from drivers stopped at the red light.
“That’s where I first met Hoa’s family one evening,” shares Thanh, a Blue Dragon social worker. “I was shocked to see someone so young taking care of three children in such a dire place. They were really friendly and open, which caught me off guard again.”
Thanh sat down with Hoa, played with her children and got to know their story. From the start, Hoa was enthusiastic about working with us to create a long-term plan, showing a level of determination that inspires every Blue Dragon social worker she meets.
Blue Dragon social workers looking for homeless families like Hoa’s.
Moulded by hardship
“The really striking thing about this family’s story is Hoa’s resilience,” shares Quyet, a social worker who has known Hoa for over a year. “She has an unwavering drive to ensure that her children do not repeat the cycle of hardship that shaped her own life.”
Hoa has spent most of her life on the streets, enduring countless hardships and setbacks, from poverty to abandonment. When she met her husband and had children with him, it looked like she had finally found some stability. Then housing complications forced them to live on the streets again.
But Hoa never stopped believing that she could turn her life around. Every day when she woke up to walk kilometre after kilometre begging and searching for food, she did it for her children’s future.
So when she met Blue Dragon beneath the overpass that evening, there was no way she would let this chance slip through her grasp. Finally, she had the support to match her extraordinary determination.
Hoa riding her motorbike through Ho Chi Minh City.
One roof, three siblings
Shortly after meeting Hoa’s family beneath the overpass, we found them a safe home along a quiet alley in the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City. Sheltered from the elements and the relentless traffic, their new life is far removed from the crisis in which we found them.
Kiet, the youngest child, has an amazing amount of energy. He runs around their new home, playing in the blankets and proudly showing off their baby chickens. He loves climbing walls, trees and even people – and barely stops to catch his breath.
Kiet’s older brother, Anh, is very different, having had more exposure to life on the streets. He is independent, resourceful and serious about studying. As his younger brother plays, Anh sits in the corner of their home with a textbook, desperate to do well at school so that no one in his family has to live on the streets again. He cares a lot about Kiet, and takes frequent study breaks to check on him.
Their sister, Nhi, loves studying too. She’s cheerful, affectionate and sociable, despite already experiencing so much hardship. She has adapted well to school and is looking forward to Kiet joining her in class when he finishes kindergarten.
Kiet playing in his new home.
Anh studying.
Nhi playing.
Nhi and Anh studying while Kiet plays.
Adaptable
Now that Hoa’s children have begun school, we are focusing on supporting her to provide for them long into the future. After discussing possible career paths with her, she told us that she’d love to set up her own small business selling food.
We provided Hoa with the equipment she needed to make that happen. Every day, she rolls out her food cart, fires up the grill and sells her food to passersby. Her main customers are students from a nearby school, which presented Hoa with a problem. When the school holidays arrived, she suddenly lost most of her business.
Showing great adaptability, Hoa branched out and found herself extra work, including a job in a noodle restaurant and a freelance embroidery gig that she can do while looking after her children at home. Whatever obstacles she meets, she finds a way for her family to survive.
Hoa preparing food.
Shelter
On the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City there’s a small home down a quiet alley where three children love to study and play. Neighbours smile at them. The parents tuck their children into bed each night and get them up for school in the morning.
This is where Blue Dragon finds Hoa’s family now. The overpass, the roaring traffic and the sleepless nights of begging seem like a distant memory, replaced by a mother earning money through a job she loves, and three kids who are free to just be kids.
Hoa’s home.
