Thuy: Stopping at nothing to give her children everything
Thuy was on the brink of being sold into slavery when she risked everything to get back to her family. Now, she is following her dreams and giving her children the chance to dream with her.
Day-to-day survival
Thuy and her husband come from a remote village where people grow crops on the surrounding slopes. Life there mirrors the contrasting nature of the mountains: beautiful, peaceful, hard and dangerous.
Like many people in her village, Thuy lacked the education and opportunities to get a steady job and carve out a bright future – although she kept trying.
Hope emerged when she and her husband opened a used electronics store, but it was short-lived. The COVID-19 lockdowns destroyed their business and left them with a mountain of debt.
Now, Thuy thought less about the future and more about day-to-day survival. She tried to earn money as a freelance beautician, but she lacked the skills and experience to start a successful business.
Sinking deeper into poverty each day, Thuy and her husband felt compelled to take extreme measures. They packed their bags, left their children in the care of Thuy’s parents and went to look for work in Ho Chi Minh City.
They packed and made for the city.
An offer she couldn’t refuse
City life turned out to be harder than the one Thuy and her husband had left behind. They rented a tiny, rundown room and spent their days searching for odd jobs.
Thuy’s husband worked as a motorbike taxi driver, scouring the streets for customers from sunrise until late at night. Thuy washed dishes, worked as a waiter and sold fried food at the market.
It wasn’t enough. They could barely make rent, let alone send any money to their children. Hope for the future faded as debt and exhaustion overwhelmed them.
“I missed my children so much. I kept in contact with them and heard they were getting on well. Only that and the fact that I had my husband with me gave me the strength to continue.”
Then everything changed. After hours upon hours of researching and applying for work online, Thuy found a breakthrough. She received an offer for an opportunity in Bangkok that would help to clear her family’s debt and set them on the road to a better life.
Flying to Thailand full of hope.
Other ideas
Thuy arrived in Bangkok excited to get started. After picking up a Thai sim card at the airport, she found her hosts in the pick up area.
Once Thuy was inside the car, she knew something was wrong. The driver locked the doors and sped toward the international border with Myanmar. Thuy had no idea where they were taking her nor what they planned to do with her, but she knew she was in danger.
“I felt such deep sorrow, and kept imagining my children growing up without their mother.”
After entering Myanmar, Thuy’s captors stopped the car and began discussing their plans in front of her: they were going to sell her into slavery.
Thuy had other ideas. Ever since the car picked her up at the airport, she had been messaging her husband, who reached out to Blue Dragon for help.
Realising there was a short window of opportunity to rescue Thuy before she was sold and enslaved, Blue Dragon immediately formulated a rescue plan. When the chance arrived, we helped her to slip past her captors and into our care.
As it sank in that she really was safe, she let herself hope again.
Thuy reached out for help on her phone.
Motivation
Thuy experienced flashes of disbelief and hopelessness on the long journey back to Vietnam. She had put her trust in the people who offered her a job in Thailand; she had pinned her hopes on their promises and been betrayed, so how could she be sure it wouldn’t happen again?
When Thuy reached Blue Dragon’s safe accommodation, her doubts gave way to joy.
“When I set foot on Vietnamese soil, I was so happy. Then when I got to the accommodation and was greeted by the staff, seeing Vietnamese people in my own country again made me certain I would really survive and be reunited with my family. I will never, ever forget that moment.”
After two days of building up her strength, Thuy felt ready to return home. She wept as she wrapped her arms around her husband and children. So many times, she had feared she would never see them again. But holding them now, she realised that she really was safe. She really was home.
Reunited with her children.
A whole community behind her
As we worked with Thuy on a long-term support plan, she expressed her desire to become a beautician – a dream she considered too far-fetched to take seriously. After all, she’d already tried it once and hadn’t come close to succeeding.
But this time, Thuy had the power of the whole Blue Dragon community behind her. After making sure her family had all the care and financial assistance they needed, we assisted Thuy to enrol in a six-month beautician course.
“I never thought that with my family’s condition I would be able to afford any kind of vocational training… The support from Blue Dragon, from my husband and my children is a great motivation for me to keep moving forward.”
Thuy studied hard and never missed a class, quickly winning over her teachers and mastering a valuable new skill.
Thuy is following her dreams.
The most important thing
Thuy finished the course and found a job at a beauty salon. She loves her work, and is already dreaming of how she can continue to push herself going forward.
“The more I do my job, the more I enjoy it. I’d love to take more courses so that I can continue to learn and develop my skills.”
With a steady income and the support of the Blue Dragon community, Thuy and her husband can finally give their children a stable home and an education. The poverty that forced them down such a terrifying path has lifted, replaced by hope and resilience.
“I’m deeply grateful to Blue Dragon for rescuing me. Without their help, I don’t think I would be alive today and probably would never have seen my family again. Family is the most important thing in the world. It might be difficult sometimes, but as long as everyone is together and healthy, you will get through it.”
Thriving together.
