Her Dream of Being a Teacher Is Hanging by a Thread

For most children, a dream is a hopeful look toward the future. For 6th grader Phan Thi Le Na, her dream to become a teacher is a fragile lifeline, threatened by a reality of medical crises and crushing poverty.

Na’s mother helps her take medicine every day

From a young age, Na was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The aftermath stole the vision in her right eye and severely damaged her left. It also brought a lifetime of complications: epilepsy, thyroid deficiency, and adrenal insufficiency that require constant, expensive treatment and frequent hospitalizations.

Her family has been pushed to the brink. Her father drives for hire; her mother runs a tiny hair salon from their single rented room while caring for Na and her younger brother. Every dollar earned is immediately consumed by medical bills. The cost of survival has exhausted everything they have.

Na’s study corner at home.

In this devastating equation, Na’s education is the first thing to slip away.

The books she can’t see, the school fees they can’t afford, the energy she doesn’t have after a medical episode-these are the barriers that silence dreams. Na’s quiet conviction isn’t enough to overcome the sheer financial and physical weight of her circumstances. She is one of countless children for whom learning is a luxury that disease and poverty has put just out of reach.

This is the crisis: a brilliant, gentle child who wants to teach others is being systematically shut out of her own classroom.

But in 2024, a sliver of hope appeared.

Na was selected for Children of Vietnam’s Hope System of Care program. It provided a critical lifeline: a scholarship to keep her in school and support for her medications and check-ups.

Since then, her health has become more stable, and her academic performance has improved significantly.

The opportunity for support through HSC provided the stability Na’s family could not. It gave her the dignity needed to focus on learning, not just surviving.

Now, Na excels in math and science and patiently helps her classmates. She is a living testament to what is possible when a child is thrown a lifeline.

Na helps her mother cook and do housework

But her story is first and foremost a warning. For every Le Na, there are thousands of other children, their dreams just as valid and just as vulnerable, who are still waiting. Without support, their potential will be another casualty of poverty and poor health.

Outside the classroom, Na enjoys photography, swimming, exploring beautiful places, and spending time with her younger sister.

Your support can be that lifeline. You can ensure that a child’s future is determined by their potential, not their parents’ income.

Le Na’s dream of standing in a classroom is being kept alive. You can ensure another child’s dream doesn’t die.