Right now, Trong also forms part of Blue Dragon’s outreach team. “For the last few years, in morning I go to study and then I work for Blue Dragon in the afternoon and at night time,” he says.
The outreach team heads onto the streets of Hanoi to connect with young people who might be without shelter, or facing dangers presented by networks of human traffickers—something he says has been harder to navigate with the growing ubiquity of technology and social media in children’s lives. This job is equally about providing food, educating about risks online and in the real world, and building trust with young people.
Trong has just graduated, and as a fully qualified social worker with years of experience under his belt, hopes to eventually provide guidance and support to other social workers. He has worked very hard to be where he is, never losing sight of what it was he started out to achieve.
“When I play with the children, I feel very happy,” he says. “I want to keep that feeling for long, or as long, as I can. Even when I feel tired from work, I visit the children and they have some magic. We help them, but they help us back, they return the energy.”
