Ho T.H. – a beneficiary at Passerelles Numeriques Vietnam confided.
H. chose to say no to those prejudices that when a girl is 18, she should get married to fulfill her piety.
H. chose to say no to the thoughts of staying at home and working to support her family instead of going to school.
H. chose to say no to giving up her dream, the dream that changes her life – getting into college.
H. was born and raised in a mountainous area in Hung Hoa district, Quang Tri province. She is from the Van Kieu ethnic group. H.’s family includes her parents, 2 brothers, 3 younger sisters. They are farmers and have to depend on the field of cassava for livelihood. Cassava is only harvested once a year. In some years, when cassava cannot be harvested because of the poor crop, the whole family has to suffer from hunger. There are times, H.’s parents had to borrow rice from neighbors so H and her siblings could have something to eat.
Sometimes, hearing parents argue over a handful of rice, H. burst into tears. “I feel helpless and hopeless because I can’t do anything to help them”, H said. Although that little girl struggled to make ends meet, she always nurtured the desire of pursuing higher education, a gateway to change her life.
Be brave to choose differently
H.’s dream of school was repeatedly suppressed by those prejudices about being poor and early marriage until H knew about Passerelles numériques – an NGO providing free 3-year IT training for underprivileged youth. H was so determined to get in PNV because of her strong belief that PNV will give H a different choice – a choice that can change her life.
For the first time in 20 years, H. had a cake for her birthday.
For the first time in her life, she can go to school and not worry about food on a daily basis.
PNV not only gave H. an IT training course but also a home, where she can be supported by her friends and teachers.
“I want to build a house for my parents. I want to take them on a trip to Danang because they never once see the beach and I want to buy them a big cake because they have never tasted a cake before. I want to introduce my parents to the beautiful beaches and the Linh Ứng pagoda. So I’m trying hard day by day as a PNV student.” Shared H. in a 2021 interview, when she was a second-year student at PNV.
The courage that wings dreams
In October 2022, H.had an inspiring and prideful speech at her Graduation Ceremony.
“People in my hometown and even my parents used to doubt my determination of choosing PNV, as IT was a totally strange term to them, and girls of my minority were supposed to get married at a very young age instead of studying. However, today I’m standing here, sharing with you my achievement. Not only I’ve just graduated after 3 years of intensive training, but I also got a job at an Australian bank two months before graduation. My salary now is more than tim es Vietnam’s statutory minimum wage per month in 2022. I’m proud of myself, and I’m sure my parents are, too.”
A part of Hươu’s dream eventually came true when she took her family to the beaches and Linh Ứng pagoda after the ceremony. This is not the only wish realized at PNV. There have been, are, and will be thousands of more dreams to be winged.
You don’t need to be different to be extraordinary, sometimes all you need is a little courage to choose differently.
