When I was a child, I walked 20km every day. My family was in crisis. We were struggling to survive. I had to find a way to help.
So I walked the streets of Hanoi shining shoes and sent the money home to keep my two sisters in school.
Every day was exhausting, straining myself just to take a few more steps to earn a little more money. I was getting desperate.
Fortunately, after a few months, Blue Dragon came along and supported me. I wasn’t an easy child to help, but Blue Dragon stood by me. Even when I made mistakes, they were always there to guide me and help make my life better.
With Blue Dragon, my friends and I could play football together in a real team with our own kit. We could hang out at the Blue Dragon centre instead of on the streets. We could learn together and grow together.
When I finished school and started making a life of my own, I wanted to give something back to kids like me who were living on the street, so I returned to Blue Dragon as a volunteer.
That was when I really saw how incredible Blue Dragon’s work is. When Blue Dragon supports children like me, it changes those kids’ lives.
But the impact goes so much further. By keeping children in school, getting them vocational training, as well as care and support, it has a ripple effect that makes communities more resilient to human trafficking.
This is Blue Dragon’s mission: to end human trafficking in Vietnam.
’More determined than ever’
Blue Dragon works toward this goal in many ways. We raise education levels by keeping children in school, set people up with vocational training, provide families with the materials to start small businesses and set up anti-trafficking boards in vulnerable communities.
We even build houses for families who really need one.
On top of all that, Blue Dragon rescues Vietnamese people from slavery across southeast Asia – women in forced “marriages”, women and girls trapped in brothels, people forced into online scamming.
Since Blue Dragon began 20 years ago, we have brought home more than 1,500 people from human trafficking, kept more than 6,000 children in school, and provided shelter to nearly 2,000 vulnerable children. This year alone, we have supported more than 30,000 people across all our operations.
When I saw this great work, I knew I wanted to dedicate my passion and energy to Blue Dragon’s mission.
Now, 15 years after coming back as a volunteer, I am co-chief executive of Blue Dragon. And I’m more determined than ever to help as many vulnerable people as possible.
That’s why I’m going to walk 50km in the Blue Dragon Walk this year to raise funds for everything Blue Dragon does to end human trafficking in Vietnam. Anyone can join the Walk wherever they are in the world, and every step they take will bring Blue Dragon closer to achieving our mission.
Agents and industry partners can join Intrepid Travel’s UK team and walk in London on 8 September, or gather friends and family for their own walk. Travel trade support will help us to positively impact lives around the world.
Just as getting one child like me off the street and back into school can have a ripple effect throughout a community, ending human trafficking in Vietnam will be a huge step toward ending this crime worldwide.
Let’s come together and make sure children all around the world grow up without fear of being trafficked and exploited.
Do Duy Vi is co-chief executive of The Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation.
