Hoang Thi Uyen


11-year-old Hoang Thi Uyen lives in a small house with her mother, she feels lucky to have this roof over her head and is thankful that her grandfather had built this house for them just as she was born. Uyen and her mother share this small house with 3 pigs and 2 chickens.

Uyen’s father died 4 years ago, and ever since then, her mother has been working in the fields to make ends meet for them, and more importantly, to send Uyen to school. Each year, the family receives $9 worth of rice and corn seeds from the local government. Uyen’s mother would set plant these seeds and sell the harvests for a small amount of money to be spent on their daily necessities.

Years of toiling in the fields has caused Uyen’s mother to developed a serious backache, and would require spinal surgery in 3 years time. However, she is finding it hard to keep her daughter in school and save for her surgery at the same time.

Uyen is currently a recipient of the Humanitarian Services for Children of Vietnam (HSCV) educational scholarship and has been excelling in school. However, without sponsorship, Uyen might be unable to continue receiving the educational scholarship and without the scholarship, her mother can no longer afford to keep her in school.

Even though the local People’s Committee has provided the family with a medical insurance card, Uyen’s mother’s medical condition requires for them to pay a hefty amount of medical bills each time she visits the doctor. By placing them on the Rice Distribution programme , HSCV has helped the family make ends meet. Without sponsorship, the family might be unable to continue receiving rice from HSCV and that will put more stress on the family’s increasing expenses and limited income.

• The cost to sponsor a family for a year’s worth of Rice Distribution is $320.