“My parents needed Sunflower Mission more than I did.”

I was born and raised in a remote valley in the former Phu Yen province. My parents only studied up to the secondary school level, but they always hoped their children could change their future through education. Therefore, despite working hard day and night, regardless of the weather, they never allowed their children to drop out of school. Even though they were busy with farm work all day, in the evenings they would always be by their children's side under the flickering oil lamp, teaching them to the best of their ability. I remember once, because of a storm, the stream was overflowing, and my father had to carry me on his shoulders across the raging water to get to school. And when someone came to our house to ask for my hand in marriage while I was still in secondary school, my parents flatly refused.

Everyone says girls shouldn't study too much because they'll only end up taking care of their husbands and children, but my parents disagreed. My father told me, "We've suffered enough already. We dropped out of school not because we didn't want to, but because our family circumstances didn't allow it. So, we will do everything we can to ensure our children don't drop out of school. We can't support you for your whole life. We can only give you education; after that, you have to take care of your own future."

Despite their determination and resilience, there were times when my parents were sad, worried, and cried because they didn't know how they would earn enough money for me and my two younger siblings to finish our education. Growing sugarcane, raising cattle, or farming—how could they possibly afford university tuition? My parents often joked, "If you don't get into university, you're 'dead' to us, but if you do, you're 'dead' to us." But since I was fortunate enough to be sponsored by Sunflower Mission, my parents have had a solid support system: as long as I get into university, Sunflower Mission will take care of my education and support them. My parents no longer lose sleep over this, and they are proud that as long as their child studies well, Sunflower Mission will provide for their education.

It wasn't just my parents; many other parents felt the same way when they learned their children were being sponsored by Sunflower Mission. I still remember the scholarship award ceremonies; parents arrived very early, expressing their deep gratitude to the Mission and Sister Hoa for overcoming countless obstacles to bring scholarships to their children, bringing them faith and hope, especially since their children were too young to understand how important these scholarships were.

Even now, after graduating, working, and returning to support the Sunflower Mission organization, my parents feel fortunate and grateful whenever I mention the organization and its support, knowing that it helped me build a better future. Therefore, Sunflower Mission not only nurtures the dream of going to school for the younger generation of Vietnam but also strengthens the belief in education for previous generations, like our parents and grandparents, giving them peace of mind and confidence that somewhere out there, there are people supporting and helping their children pursue their educational dreams when they feel overwhelmed. Thank you, Sunflower Mission, for everything.

Phung Tran
Product Development Engineer | Intel Vietnam
SAS Leader since 2015