When we got to Lady Kombucha Care case number 8, we had the chance to go to the home of Ms. Nguyen Thi Trang, who is 35 years old and lives at 524 Hoang Dieu in the city of Da Nang. The old, run-down boarding house is dangerously close to piles of rocks and other trash from nearby building projects.

A small lady greeted us while holding her young child. Ms. Trang is currently a single mother parenting six children; the oldest is 14 and in eighth grade, and the youngest is 8 months old.

She told us that the kid’s father had left for his new lover when she had just given birth. Perhaps this is the biggest shock of her life as well. But, because she loves and lives for her children, she must be strong enough to accept the role of being a father and a morther as well. She does a variety of jobs; some days she gets a few hundred thousand dong, others a few thousand; no matter who hires her, she doesn’t hesitate to earn just enough to fill a can of rice every day. “Many nights I slept with tears in my eyes, thinking about the difficulties and unknown future of my children” – she said. At times like that, all she could do was hug her little kids, remembering that no matter what, she still had her childrens, “wherever we go, we depend on each other to survive.” She smiled and replied, her eyes a little teary sad.

Chị Trang & bé Út

Despite such difficulties and unfair lifr, Ms. Trang strives to provide her children with the opportunity to attend school, learn to read, and have a better future than she did. Her family also got assistance from neighbors and known donors, and everyone encouraged the children to attend school. This time, Lady Kombucha used 741 empty bottles to deliver practical gifts to the youngsters, including three sets of textbooks for grades one and two, as well as vital learning materials. Furthermore, the team spent time taking the children out for recreational activities and purchasing new shoes for the children so that they would have good shoes to school.

Thank you to our valued client for always being there for us in the Lady Kombucha Care program. We believe that one bottle returned equals two cares provided, not just for the environment but also for the community. The gift delivered to the kids may be tiny, but the belief and motivate to assist them in growing will last.