Teresa Y Lung is the head and heart of the orphanage in Kon Tum. Without her fantastic effort and love for the children, LittleBigDreams e.V. would not be possible. What she achieved without any aid and support from the outside is merely unbelievable. Therefore, we want to dedicate this post to this wonderful and strong woman.
Her story
Teresa was born 40 years ago in Vietnam. Her parents passed away when she was still very young. Unfortunately, also nobody else in her family was able to take care of her, her sister and brother. Therefore, the three siblings grew up in an orphanage. But to make matters worse, the children at the orphanage were treated poorly by the leaders of this place. Teresa describes the time as a sad and lonely one. However, she was still quite lucky because some of the nuns saw her as their favorite and did not treat her as badly as the others.
The start of Teresa´s orphanage
After she met her husband, Thin, she decided to dedicate her life to helping children who are in the same situation as she was in. Compared to her experiences, however, she wanted to give these children a new place they could call home. Without having much money to herself, she spent every cent in fulfilling her vision of gifting these orphans a beautiful childhood. Teresa did not get any financial support from the government or any other institution. The only income she had was the rice fields she owned together with her husband. Still, they managed to build a dorm, a bathroom, and a kitchen for the children. Family members and village inhabitants started to bring orphans to her place. Unfortunately, Teresa did not have enough money to pay off the land.
Further, Teresa had to borrow money from many villagers to provide shelter, food, and care for all the children. To have a little better income, together with her sister, she started to buy piglets, to raise them, and when they were big enough to sell them. Still, Teresa encountered many challenging situations, for instance, when a child was sick, but she could not afford any medical treatment. Even though Teresa has her own biological daughter, Stephany, she treats all the children like they are her own. Teresa is a “Mami” for 59 children.
How can I support Teresa?
If you want to support Teresa in her beautiful vision, support LittleBigDreams e.V. We are in contact with Teresa every day to know what the children need and what she hopes for. Together, we decide which next step we take and what really is possible. Therefore, you can take a look at our blog post, “How can I support LittleBigDreams e.V.,” which gives you an excellent overview of all the different options you have to support us.
Thank you
In the name of all the children and families, we can say thank you! Thank you, Teresa, for your incredible big heart, your effort, strong mind, and dedication to all these lost children. You gave all of them a new home, and although it is not always easy, you never gave up and gave the kids the greatest and most valuable gift. You gave them the feeling of being loved.
We are very grateful that we met you! And thoroughly believe that together we can achieve your vision of giving all the kids the childhood they deserve to build a strong foundation for their later lives. Teresa, you are a real hero, and you are an idol, not only for the children in the orphanage but also for all of us. You show how much difference a single human being can make. All you need is to be brave!
You can also hear Teresa tell her own story in our video.
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