After two months of joining all three Thien Chi offices, it is now time for me to say goodbye and finish my internship. I truly enjoyed my time here and want to thank everyone on the Thien Chi team. You are amazing people, and your work is incredibly important. From the very beginning, I always felt warmly welcomed and included.
My internship at Thien Chi gave me the opportunity to directly experience the impact of its work and to better understand the challenges many families in rural Vietnam face in their daily lives. Before coming here, I already had some experience and insight into the work of German NGOs, but I especially wanted to see the actual work on the ground and understand its real impact. This wish was more than fulfilled during my internship. I can now honestly say that I fully understand how important development work is and how life-changing its positive effects can be.
Through the daily community visits, I met many different families and learned about very different life stories. Most of these stories were definitely not easy. I was especially moved by mothers raising up to six children on their own while doing everything possible to give them access to the best education they could afford.
Education often offers the best chance to break the cycle of poverty. This is why supporting children and students is such an important part of Thien Chi’s work, and why programs like the student loan and scholarship support are so valuable. At the same time, microloans help many families create more stable incomes through farming, animal raising, or small businesses. I was particularly impressed by the creativity of the “pig bank” system, where families receive pigs for breeding and later return part of the value so that other families can benefit as well. It is a simple but very innovative and sustainable idea.
It was inspiring to hear stories of children graduating from university, families increasing their income, or parents being able to create better opportunities for their children through the support they received. These examples clearly showed the meaningful and long-term impact of Thien Chi’s work.
Beyond the projects themselves, I was especially impressed by the empathy, dedication, and motivation of the staff. Their work is not only about providing financial support, but also about building relationships, understanding each family’s individual situation, and finding sustainable ways to help. Even when progress takes time, such as convincing families to adopt more hygienic farming methods like bio-bedding systems, the team remains patient, supportive, and deeply committed.
The Thien Chi team truly does incredible work.
I am very grateful for this experience and for all the insights I gained during my time here. This internship strengthened my understanding of how important sustainable development work can be and how much impact long-term support can create.
If you would like to support Thien Chi’s work, donations can make a real difference in the lives of many families. Every contribution, no matter the size, can have a meaningful impact. https://thienchi.give.asia/