The mother of one has been with ChildFund Vietnam for 20 years, and is among the first staff members of the organisation to work in Hoa Binh province.
As an education program officer she ensures children in the region have access to schools and supportive learning environments.
“Things have changed for the better,” says Ha. “Children are receiving better care from their families and social support.
“They can now all go to school. The roads in the community are much better now and this makes it much easier for children to get to school.”
Project areas of ChildFund have expanded from three communes in Ky Son district, Hoa Binh province, to nearly 50 communes in eight districts of Hoa Binh, Cao Bang and Bac Kan provinces over the past two decades.
Without the chance to go to school children have little opportunity to reach their potential, says Ha, who had dreams of becoming a mathematician when she was young.
“The will to overcome difficulties urged me to study very hard,” she says. “I won first prize in the provincial mathematics competition for students and got admitted to Hanoi University of Education, where I majored in mathematics.”
However, it was a career in helping children that eventually called after her studies, and Ha began working with ChildFund Vietnam in 1997.
“I wanted to work for ChildFund because I would be able to help poor and disadvantaged communities where children had the same difficulties as me in the past,” she says.
“I’m looking forward to a future where no child has to suffer from poverty.”