Growing up in a family where the parents got divorced and living with the father’s family, Tien didn’t get as much care from her mother as a normal child would like. She was tricked by a group of Vietnamese people and trafficked abroad at the age of 16 to be wife to 3 different men.
Almost 2 years later, she managed to escape back to Vietnam but because of her family’s economic difficulty, she couldn’t continue to go to school even though she always loved studying. Instead, she ended up working at her uncle’s coffee shop to make money.
She thought things would get better when she finally made it back to Vietnam, but to her own surprise, the people in her hometown started to avoid and look down on her. They talked behind her back and looked at her differently. She was frightened, lost all her confidence and couldn’t bring herself to look into others’ eyes. Tien used to think about committing suicide facing all the discrimination from her community.
Tien was finally referred to Hagar by the Department of Social Evil Prevention. She received shelter care, health care, life skills training and career orientation. After being counseled and mentored by Hagar staff, Tien was able to speak up and express her intention to go back to school and her wish to become a social worker in the future. It was not easy for her to keep up with her peers when she had to restart her study with younger classmates.
Despite those challenges, Tien’s efforts paid off when she got admitted to the Department of Social Work at the University of Social Labor. Since her major is social work, Tien is involved in Hagar activities as a volunteer. Recently, she participated in the Red Lotus group – Hagar’s former and current clients group counseling.
“I never thought I could be able to join a program like Red Lotus. I know there are peer support groups, but in this time of pandemic, I didn’t think I could join any. An online support group is amazing. Participating in Red Lotus helps me feel much better. Also, I had a chance to be a volunteer and even earned a certificate. I got to know lots of people and together we shared our stories, learned new things and skills. In my opinion, this program is super helpful for my career of social worker in future as well.”
Tien has started realizing her value. If you meet Tien, you will find a girl with strong energy and a warm heart who stood up to follow her dream.
Hagar pursues the highest degree of care and protection for each of its clients. To protect the identity of our clients, names have been changed and images do not necessarily represent the individual profiled.
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By partnering with Hagar, you’re supporting survivors to heal from the trauma of severe abuse. Our work is dependent on charitable giving by people like you.
Help us transform lives
Donate now
By partnering with Hagar, you’re supporting survivors to heal from the trauma of severe abuse. Our work is dependent on charitable giving by people like you.
Help us transform lives
Donate now
By partnering with Hagar, you’re supporting survivors to heal from the trauma of severe abuse. Our work is dependent on charitable giving by people like you.
Help us transform lives
Donate now
By partnering with Hagar, you’re supporting survivors to heal from the trauma of severe abuse. Our work is dependent on charitable giving by people like you.