Some days are bleak. Some are terrifying.
The work of Blue Dragon, which I share here in this blog from week to week, can feel overwhelming. Teenagers trafficked and sold into slavery. Families trying to survive on the streets. Children sleeping on building sites.
It would be too easy to forget that there is so much good in our world. So today I want to share some updates of people in recent blog posts who are doing well and living with renewed hope.
A home of her own
When Blue Dragon rescued 18-year old Anh from slavery, we knew that she had been through a terrifying ordeal. Trafficked at age 13, she had been taken to China and sold as a bride in a remote village.
What we didn’t know – and what Anh herself was yet to discover – was that she was pregnant at the time she returned. A routine health check led to the discovery, and within weeks she was a mother.
Since then, Anh has been through some terrible personal turmoil, but now has something wonderful to look forward to. Thanks to a special donor, Blue Dragon has been able to buy land for Anh and right now we are building a house.
In coming months, she will have a home that is hers forever. She will no longer live in the cramped shack she grew up in, but she will still be close to her family home and the community where she feels safe.
Nothing that we can do will ever give Anh back all that she has lost as a child. However, this will certainly be a great help for her future.
Healing
Bao was already doing it tough when he had a motorbike accident that broke his arm so severely that he needed major surgery.
A former Blue Dragon boy, we still see Bao from time to time and have been proud to watch him grow into a wonderful, caring young man. When we heard about his accident, we were deeply worried. The cost of his surgery was estimated to be far more than he could earn in a year. On top of this, he would be out of work for many months and has a young son to care for.
When we asked for help, the response was incredible. People here in Vietnam and around the world donated to pay for the surgery, and there’s enough left over to keep supporting him and his son while he can’t work.
Bao’s arm is healing well and it appears he doesn’t need any more surgery – just some ongoing therapy to get the arm back to strength. He’s not able to work again yet, so has been volunteering his time to help others while he recovers. And when he does recover, he’ll enroll in some vocational training so that he can find more stable and safe work in the future.
Without the generosity of the community, there’s no way Bao and his son could have made it this far.
Paying off
The story of Cong and Na struck a note with many Blue Dragon supporters.
Na was trafficked and sold, leaving her father desperate to find her. As so often happens, someone took advantage of his vulnerability, tricking him into paying $5000 in the hope that his daughter would be found.
Blue Dragon rescued Na and she is now home safely; but Cong’s massive debt remains. And so some wonderful people around the world have sent donations to help, and more has been promised. If enough is raised, there might even be enough to pay off the debts off some more families in the exact same situation as Cong and Na.
Anh, Bao, and Cong and Na have faced extraordinary difficulties in their lives. And with support from people near and far, they’ve each been given a chance to face these dark times and start over. To all have helped: thank you!
For all of the hardships and horrors of our world, there is always hope that we can overcome. If only we care, there’s really no problem that we can’t set right.
Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation rescues kids in crisis.