My name is Thao. I’m 26 years old. I grew up in a family with five children in the countryside in Viet Nam. Culturally, Vietnamese prefer boys, so my parents continued to have children until my mother had a boy. My Mom is a farmer and my Dad works in the jungle to find incense wood to make perfume. Even though our family was very poor, my siblings and I were encouraged to study hard, as we were told this was the only way for us to change our fate. My parents are very proud of us as we have been doing what they only dreamt of.

I finished my studies at the College of Foreign Languages in 2009, my major was English. I have been working for GIBTK for almost three years. I am touched by the love of people from thousands of miles away for the unfortunate children of Viet Nam. It is gratifying to see inconsolable parents change into hopeful parents when they watch their sick children become well and happy through the help of GIBTK. The organization has transformed hundreds of disadvantaged children with heart defects, who struggle for every breath into joyful, active kids through life-saving heart surgery. Like the heart program, the orthopedic and wheelchair programs also bring dignity and confidence to those less fortunate Vietnamese people thanks to the donors of GIBTK.

For three years, I have watched the GIBTK’s transformative programs expand to meet the needs of countless disadvantaged Vietnamese. My job has given me a chance to see many lives dramatically improved, and for me, this is much more than just a job....