Phan Vy - Age 10
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Phan Vy is a ten-year-old girl whose father died of HIV/AIDs in 2009, and her mother died from the same disease in 2015. Unfortunately, Phan Vy was infected with HIV at birth.
Phan Vy moved from one place to another with her mother so she couldn’t go to kindergarten. Since her mother passed when she was 7 years old, Phan Vy has been living with her grandfather in a small house in a remote mountainous area. Her grandfather is hired by the neighbors to raise cows, but earns very little. When we first met Phan Vy she was very thin and suffering from malnutrition. At school, the children often treated her badly. They look down on her and hit her, but her teachers don’t do anything. Although her grandfather has talked many times to the teachers, classmates’ parents, and other children, the situation stays unchanged. Phan Vy does not understand HIV, but she feels sad about being treated unfairly. She doesn’t want to go to school anymore. Phan Vy’s grandfather has to persuade her to go to school every morning. Last summer was a great time for her because it was vacation, and she didn’t have to go to school. This was the first time she joined the summer trip with other children living with HIV that was organized by VNHIP. She was smart and active and really enjoyed playing with the other children. She was healthier. Sadly, Vy's grandfather's health has been declining recently, so he can't take care of Phan Vy anymore. He had to decide to send Vy to the orphanage. With support from VNHIP, Phan Vy moved into a foster care center for children in Ho Chi Minh City. Phan Vy is being cared for and studying well there. She misses her grandfather very much, so every year VNHIP arranges a trip for him to visit her in Ho Chi Minh City. You can help!
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