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The story of Minh Thien

date_range2018-04-06

The first time we met Minh Thien, we couldn’t believe he was only 13 years old as he looked much older. Thien was born in 2005 in Daklak. About a year ago, though, he and his mother moved to live with his grandparents in Dong Nai, after his father left.

Minh Thien’s mother and grandparents have great difficulties working. His grandparents are quite elderly, nearly 70 years old. Unfortunately, due to diabetes, Minh Thien’s mother lost a leg, and she requires a lot of assistance. Thien’s grandmother told us, “The only financial source of the family is a tiny paddy rice field that can only be cultivated during the wet season – since there is no water for irrigation in the dry season, and a few chickens for eating.”

(Minh Thien’s house and the tiny paddy field in dry season)

(Water source from a drilling well)

Without money and any means of transportation, Minh Thien’s education is continuously interrupted. Despite his interest in studying and his good performance at school, he is still only in grade 3, even though the other children his age are in grade 7. Being the only child in the family, Thien loves his mother and grandparents a lot. He always spends his spare time helping his grandparents with the house work and caring for his mother.

(Minh Thien always spend his free spare time to care for his mother)

Thien’s education is a high priority for his mother and grandparents, and they all wish that he could have an easier time continuing his education to have a better and more stable future. His mother shared her worry with us, “What if I passed away, who will take care of my son? My parents are too old.”

In spite of these hardships, the small house is always full of happiness and optimism. Minh Thien always has a twinkling in his eye when he talks about school, his friends, and his favorite subjects, math and art. He holds on tight to the dreams of continuing his education without interruption, he told us “I miss school so much when I have to stay at home.”

Saigonchildren’s Child Development Scholarship Programme is going to help Minh Thien and his family. You can also give us a helping hand in supporting their dreams of Minh going to school by becoming a sponsor or gifting a bicycle to the family to shorten Minh Thien’s travel time to get to school and back home in order to have more time to help his family.

You can become a sponsor for a child’s education by choosing the suitable scholarship package here

You can also donate to our “A Bike to a Child” fund to provide Thien and other children with the thoughtful gift of a bike to help them along their path to education by following this link 

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