Linh’s Story

Linh was born in Hoa Binh, Vietnam. When she was still in high school, her neighbour sexually abused her and she became pregnant. In 2020, Hagar received her referral after her parents called the national hotline for child protection. To help Linh begin to recover from the trauma of her sexual abuse, Hagar’s Vietnam team provided her with the following support:

• Counselling: Hagar staff worked with Linh, and her family, to increase their knowledge about trauma and how to process it in healthy ways
• Legal Support: Hagar staff accompanied Linh, her parents and her lawyer, through the investigation and hearing process
• Pregnancy Support: Acknowledging that Linh came from a poor family, Hagar helped cover some of the costs that arose because of Linh’s pregnancy. Hagar helped pay for medical check ups during the pregnancy and also contributed to the cost of nappies, milk and food. Hagar also connected Linh with her local health station so that she had access to emergency support if she ever needed it

Then, when the 4th wave of COVID hit Vietnam, Linh’s parents both lost their jobs and had no income at all. They were borrowing money from their relatives to be able to support themselves. Hagar has supported both their former and current clients through the pandemic and decided to help Linh and her family in this season.  In addition to providing immediate financial assistance to help pay for practical needs, Hagar staff report that their highlight was helping Linh come to a decision to start a farming enterprise and seeing her get started!

Hagar gave the family 100 chickens and 300kg of feed. Hagar also connected the family with a consultant who was able to advise them on chicken breeding. After 3 months, the chickens started making money!