Faith come from solidarity

I still remember the first day when I met him. It’s also the day I recognized thoroughly about a life. He seemed different from the other people I had seen before. I felt a heart filled with sympathy and love from him for the unlucky fates like mine. The person I want to share with you is Nguyen Thanh Ba, group leader of Doan Ket(Solidarity) Group in Cho Moi district.

He was 10 years older than me but we became sworn brothers. He admitted me to his group since then. Before that day, I was so sad and hopeless. I often asked myself if there was anybody in the same with my fate and where my life would go – either to the end of horizon or sea, etc. Sometime I was disappointed with my unhappy life with social traps instead of love. It was my luck when I met Ba. He encouraged me and helped me forget sadness and despair!

Being a member of Doan Ket group, I have chance to learnabout drug, HIV/AIDS and join cultural and art-based activities in group meetings. I became an outreach worker. I often meet drug dependents and PLHA to communicate and provide them with harm reduction interventions. I realized that I found an escape from the impasse. Ba and the group members also gave me spiritual strength and energy to target a better life in the future. I feelis even more joyful when I have chance to work with CHP project staff. They always show sympathy, interest and sharing with me. They even reactivate my strong belief.I promise to have a more meaningful life in the rest of my life for the sake of my group with a hope to contribute to its development. I recognize that our path has much obstacles, I do believe that whatever difficult our life is, Doan Ket is my second house and will be in my heart forever!

March 28, 2013

Nong Van Huong(Doan Ket group – BacKan)