Happiness is an optimistic outlook on life
“Life arises from death, happiness appears in sacrifices and hardship. In this life, there are no dead ends, only boundaries. The essential thing is to have the strength to cross those boundaries…”
Nguyen Khai’s sentence above encapsulates the entirety of Huynh Thanh Thao (Trung Lap Thuong commune, Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City). Born in 1986, she contracted brittle bone disease due to the after-effects of Agent Orange. For the past 38 years, Thao has been confined to a wheelchair. Every time she moves vigorously, her bones break, so her parents did not dare send her to school.
She became aware of her differences very early on. As a child, Thao thought that having a disability was inconvenient, not unfortunate. She simply thought that she was different from others, not that she could not do anything. If others could run and jump, she could lie down and enjoy herself. She was happy in her own little world. Thao said that many people who met her commented that she was very strong and determined.
But deep down, “the strongest and most determined people are my parents, who have cared for and raised me over the years,” she said. “Even though my starting point was not ideal, I have at least two very strong, patient people who have overcome gossip. That is incredibly fortunate. I told myself that I could only live well and better to repay the恩情 with my parents,” Thao said. To her, as long as she is alive, there is hope.
Every morning, she looks in the mirror and sees how cute she is. “I don’t care if people think I’m pretty or not, but I always feel that I am very cute. Because only when I can love myself can others love me,” Thao optimistically said. Or when she is in pain from the折磨of the cruel disease, she tells herself, “Thao, don’t give up!”
And the girl who is loved by everyone is called “Little Swallow” – small but eager to rise and fly in the vast world.
Happiness is also giving with two hands sharing with an open heart of love
For Thao, daily life is very difficult; even walking is impossible. But the desire to read and write has burned brightly within her since childhood. Thao asked her mother and sister to teach her the first letters and numbers. Once she was literate, she learned by herself through books, newspapers…
It was this passion for reading and writing, and her strength to rise above, that motivated her to do good deeds, to serve society. In addition to reading, writing for newspapers, in 2000, Thao opened a class called “Ba Thao’s Class” for underprivileged children in her neighborhood. Seeing how eager they were to learn, Thao continued to collect old books and created a “Ba Thao Library” for them. In addition to her activities with the children, she often organizes meaningful birthday parties, Mid-Autumn Festivals, and Christmases for the little ones. She also established a “Ba Ấp Ràng Scholarship Fund” to help children with special needs.
Every day, Ba Thao’s library is bustling with children coming and going. Each child is excited to be greeted by her and to talk to her kindly. “It’s not just that there are many good books here. When I listen to Ba Thao talk, I am filled with admiration for her strength of character. That is what motivates us to try harder every day,” one child said with a smile.
Having dedicated her life to her work for 23 years, Thao’s efforts have paid off as over 100 poor students in Ap Rang village have confidently entered university. Ba Ấp Ràng’s library may be small, but it contains over 5,000 books, a significant contribution to the education of children in this poor rural area.
Since setting up her “Mini Book Library,” Thao has lived by the conviction that life is a journey of service, at least to the best of her ability, to those who are less fortunate or disadvantaged. In 2023, Thao temporarily stopped teaching to focus on projects to develop bookcases and charitable activities for children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
Visiting “Little Swallow’s” mini library in a small village in Cu Chi, Ho Chi Minh City, Ms. Vu Phuong Thanh, Champion of Swiss Ultra 2022 and Brand Ambassador of Number 1, could not help but be surprised. “Talking to Ba Thao is like meeting an old friend. Thao’s spirit and positive energy are what Thanh always wants to strive for. What Thanh listened to, inspired by her today, motivates Thanh to continue to reach out to the surrounding community and friends around the world,” said Ms. Thanh.
In this fast-paced life, we are sometimes saddened to see the plight of the less fortunate. And within each of those people lies a desire to rise above, to be included, but what will become of them without the support of the community? At 36, Thao has had to fight for her life countless times, but her dream of happiness is simple: “My happy family is my children; teaching and the book library will always be a part of my life. But I still have one more dream, which is to organize even more charity programs, bringing love to people with disabilities and lonely elderly people.”
“Ba Thao” – an affectionate term of endearment, as if they were family. Ba Thao may be petite, but she has created a colorful space for young children, connecting children in rural areas with the wider world through exciting books. And Ba Thao herself is a book about faith in life, a thirst for life, and service.
The story of the “swallow” who overcame adversity and her desire to give back to society, Huynh Thanh Thao, became the main topic of the program “Connecting Love” of Humanitarian Television (VTV), which aired in September 2023.
With the mission of serving society and inspiring strength in every difficult life throughout Vietnam, Tan Hiep Phat Group has been a partner of the Connecting Love program since 2019.
Over the past 5 years, the program has honored many inspiring community figures for their spirit of overcoming adversity and called for the community’s support in helping people in special circumstances.
With a spirit of service, spreading love, and inspiring strength in those in need, Tan Hiep Phat has continuously contributed to activities that care for and help the community day by day, such as sponsoring 50 orphans due to Covid-19 until they are 18 years old, caring for and supporting heroic Vietnamese mothers
