Thien Chi regularly organizes health education trainings for women in local communities, focusing on topics such as high blood pressure. Depending on the needs of each area, these sessions take place two to four times per month. For this, the team travels to different supported regions, which are divided into smaller villages. Last Friday, for example, the training was held for Village 5, and all supported community members were invited to attend.
In Vietnam, around 20–30% of the population suffers from high blood pressure, and at least half of them are unaware of their condition. This makes education and early detection especially important.
During the session, these numbers became very real. Four women had their blood pressure checked, and all of them showed elevated levels, two of them even in a dangerously high range. None of them had been aware of this before. The Thien Chi team strongly encouraged them to seek medical advice and, if necessary, start treatment.
High blood pressure can have serious consequences if left untreated, including heart attacks or strokes. For families that are already financially vulnerable, this can be devastating. Even when government health insurance is available, many treatments are only partially covered or not covered at all, leading to high out-of-pocket costs. In the worst case, illness can result in the loss of the ability to work, creating even greater financial hardship.
For this reason, the training not only explained the risks of high blood pressure, but also focused on prevention and simple ways to manage it in daily life. The session was led by Hằng, who used interactive methods such as songs and question cards to make the topic more engaging and easier to understand.
Despite the seriousness of the subject, the atmosphere was open and relaxed. Everyone participated actively, and Hằng managed to communicate the importance of the topic in a very approachable way.
