Proudly posing with her 19-year old daughter and 10-year old son.

Wrapping up an almost two-week journey to Cambodia and Vietnam.

Powerful. Emotional. Transformational.

I’m escorting a group of 18 women who are all members of Dining for Women. On Wednesday, I met Miss Gium, who had been identified as living below the poverty standards – thus qualifying for a microloan from a local NGO (non-governmental organization) called Children of Vietnam (COV) – dedicated to improving the lives of children in need of food, medicine, housing, and education.

Miss Gium’s husband died of liver disease seven years ago, leaving her with three young children and no means of support. Here’s a narrative from an interview with COV:

“I was down in front of my face. There was no hope, no motive power and no life. I wanted to send my children to an orphanage and then I would end my life. The children were crying and shouting so much. In a wakeup moment, I stood up and held the children as tight as I could. I told them I would fight to the life – keep and raise them by my best.”

Miss Gium had been running a small fruit stall near her home. The income (not stable) was producing revenue of about 2 million Vietnamese Dong per month (about $96). This was not enough to sustain the family, and she could not afford the school fees for her children.

Children of Vietnam (with a grant from Dining for Women), awarded her a micro-loan of $927.16 (of which she will re-pay 40%) which enabled her to:

• Invest $384.62 to expand her fruit selling capacity
• Get a medical check-up: $41
• Get monthly scholarship support:  $101
• Upgrade toilet facility in her home:  $192.31
• Upgrade kitchen facility in her home:  $144.23
• Get nutritional supplementation (i.e., extra food): $26

Following is a description of her typical day – after the miracle:

• 3:45 AM – Wake up and prepare food for her children’s breakfast and herself. Pack in stacking containers.
• 4:15 – 6:15 AM – Go to Wholesale Market to buy (on average) 100 kilos (220 pounds) of fruit. Load on the back of motorbike.
• 6:30 – 11:00 AM – Arrange fruit at her market “stall” (a square of concrete), and sell as much as she can.
• 11:00 AM – Pack up unsold fruit, transport back home on the back of motorbike. Prepare lunch for her children.
• 12:00 Noon – Visit with her aged mother who lives with her eldest brother.
• Early afternoon – Spend time with children before the afternoon session of school.
• 3 – 10:00 PM – Set up fruit stall at a second location.
• 11:00 PM – Pack up unsold fruit, transport back home on the back of motorbike.
• 12:00 Midnight – Go to bed (only to awaken at 3:45 AM to start the cycle all over again . . .)

Sometimes, words fail . . . although I will try to capture more thoughts and impressions (maybe on my 15-hour flight from Korea to the west coast). These pictures (hopefully) will give a sense of the experience.

Heavy bags of watermelon she must hoist on the back of her motorbike

Miss Gium might be horrified to realize that she forgot to take the rollers out of her hair before her guests arrived!

At her fruit stall (a square of concrete on the street), she carefully inspects fruit to serve to us

THAT’s hospitality: Miss Gium rented a table and tablecloth (approx fifty cents) so that her American guests wouldn’t have to sit on the floor.

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(And, please … check out the Dining for Women organization!)