Hien and the house that freed her
Despite living in a crumbling house with a caved-in roof, Hien never gave up on her dream of getting an education. When we built her a new home, her dreams soared.
Far From Picturesque
Surrounded by rice fields, Hien’s village was the picture of countryside tranquillity. But for 12-year-old Hien and her mother, life was far from picturesque.
Hien and her mother were living in an abandoned house. The roof had caved in and the floor was nothing more than dirt. There was no toilet or washroom.
The hardship that enveloped them was all that Hien had known since she was born.
A roof above her head
Blue Dragon was working in Hien’s village, providing scholarships to children, when the local Red Cross got in touch with us. They approached Blue Dragon’s founders, Michael and Chung, to see if we could help a child who was in special need.
When Michael and Chung arrived at Hien’s house, a snake was slithering across the dirt floor.
Before living here, Hien and her mother had moved from place to place. One time they lived in someone’s kitchen. Another time they stayed in a mud and straw house that washed away in a flood. At this final house, they lived under the constant stress that it would collapse.
Hien recalls this period as a time of “poverty and fear.”
Even 20 years later, Michael and Chung remember the shock and the overpowering sense of injustice they both felt: No child should have to live like this.
The only way out
As terrible as Hien’s living conditions were, there was something remarkable about her. Despite their lack of money and safe shelter, Hien was still going to school.
Now in her 30s, Hien recalls how difficult life was at that time. “Education meant a lot to me. I knew I could not escape poverty without education…
“My mother had to work very hard to pay for my studies. Even still, it was not enough. She also needed to borrow from neighbours. I still remember how I was always the one in my class who paid tuition late.”
To ease their burden, Blue Dragon immediately began subsidising Hien’s schooling and helped her mother with some basic needs.
But the big mission was to get them out of the crumbling house they were squatting in and into something they could be proud of.
Community effort
Blue Dragon set out to raise the funds needed to build a house for Hien and her mother.
“Thinking about living in a safe house, no longer afraid of rain, sun, or collapse, is the greatest gift I could imagine. I thought it was only in my dream.”
Hearing about the situation, some friends in America decided to donate instead of buying each other Christmas gifts that year. Then the Hanoi International Women’s Club met Hien and agreed to contribute for the construction and to buy furniture.
However, because Hien’s mother didn’t own any land, there was nowhere to build their new house. We appealed to the community to help, and soon someone offered to donate a part of their property for this mother and daughter in need.
With a block of land secured and the money needed to build a house, it was just a few short months before Hien and her mother were moving into their very own home.
In March 2005, an opening ceremony was held with all of the community in attendance. It was a day of real celebration.
All up from here
Having a house was life-changing.
Hien was no longer at daily risk of being overwhelmed by poverty and missing out on an education. Her mother could find more stable work. Life was no longer dependent on the weather… and there were no more snakes to worry about!
If Hien had shown incredible commitment to her education while she lived in hardship, she was now doubly committed.
She worked even harder at school, receiving awards for her results and finally being accepted into one of Hanoi’s top universities where she studied International Trade.
During her student years, Hien would often come by the Blue Dragon centre to volunteer. She knew how important it was for every child to have a chance to both enjoy their childhood and to study, so she gave freely of her time to make that happen.
Her philosophy was one of positivity.
“Don’t compare yourself with others and put yourself down. You could not choose your parents, could not decide where to be born, but you are able to make your own future. Live courageously, think positively, and try for a brighter tomorrow.”
The key
In the 20 years since Blue Dragon started working in Vietnam, we’ve built 269 houses for families. Hien’s house was the very first.
Hien needed a safe house and stability for herself and her mother. With that support, she made the world her own.
Hien’s mother still lives in the house built by Blue Dragon. Hien lives nearby with her husband and nine-year-old son, working as a project manager for an international company.
“Now I am not rich, but I can live a normal life. Thanks to my education, I could grow up, mature with understanding. It made me who I am today.”
Had Hien left school early, nobody could have blamed her. Because she persisted and gave it her all, she has transformed her life.
Her son will grow up never knowing the incredible hardships faced by his mother and grandmother not so many years ago.
And that’s what lasting change is all about.
