Tai Po Fire Emergency Response
Light in the Highlands
Le Hoang Anh Ngoc and Thuy Pham Thu
In a quiet village nestled among the forested mountains of northern Vietnam, 11-year-old Bang starts her day before sunrise. She brushes her hair, straightens her school uniform, and smiles as she prepares to walk the winding dirt road to school, a simple routine that now carries great meaning, thanks to the changes brought by World Vision’s Child Sponsorship programme.
Bang belongs to the Thai ethnic minority group and lives in a remote commune in Muong Cha district, Dien Bien province, one of the poorest areas in the country. Her family of five struggles daily to make ends meet. Her father works more than 100 kilometres away as a hired labourer and is rarely home. Her mother, the backbone of the family, juggles multiple roles: a farmer, a caregiver, a homemaker, and, more recently, a community volunteer.
For Bang, childhood has never been easy. Her family was forced to take out loans to repair their deteriorating house. Meanwhile, their main income from raising pigs and chickens became unstable after a livestock disease wiped out their animals. Sometimes, their meals consisted only of rice and salt. With her father away, her mother bore the weight of it all, working the fields, raising three children, and caring for Bang’s ageing grandmother, whose health has been in decline.
When World Vision launched the Child Sponsorship programme in her community, Bang was included as a registered child. It marked the beginning of a new chapter. Through sponsorship, she gained access to meaningful childhood experiences she had never known before. Birthday celebrations, life skills training, children’s clubs, and perhaps most impactful of all, a connection with her sponsor. Her confidence began to grow. In children’s clubs, she learnt about personal hygiene, child rights, and how to speak up for herself. She now dreams of becoming a teacher or doctor — someone who helps others.
The transformation didn’t stop with Bang. Her mother, once consumed by work and worry, found new purpose through World Vision’s caregiver support programmes. She joined Savings for Transformation groups, attended livelihood training on animal husbandry, and slowly built the confidence to take on community roles.
Today, she serves as a sponsorship volunteer and a member of the Child Wellbeing Committee in the village. Through these roles, she not only contributes to local child protection initiatives but also helps her family financially — a shift that has brought dignity, connection, and hope.
With additional support from World Vision, the family received ducks and a cow, helping improve their nutrition and providing a more stable source of income. While their house remains modest and the challenges are far from over, the weight of daily life has become lighter.
