Teenager quits school to care for sister after parents gone

July 04, 2025 - 10:41 AM

Fourteen-year-old Ngo Thi Yen Nhi from Vinh Long Province has dropped out of school to work and take care of her younger sister after the death of their father and abandonment by their mother.

Ngo Thi Yen Nhi and her younger sister

Fourteen-year-old Ngo Thi Yen Nhi from Vinh Long Province has dropped out of school to work and take care of her younger sister after the death of their father and abandonment by their mother.

“Our dad had kidney failure and passed away four years ago. About six months after he died, mom got a boyfriend and left. We haven't heard from her since. Now I’ve stopped going to school and work sorting cashew nuts to earn money for my sister. I make about VND 30,000 (approximately USD 1.18) a day,” Nhi told Dantri/Dtinews.

Nhi and her seven-year-old sister, Tra Mi, live alone in a dilapidated house in Thanh Phuoc Commune. The roof, made from cement sheets, is full of holes, and the tin walls have been torn apart. Local officials and relatives have helped cover the structure with plastic tarps to reduce leaks and shield the girls from wind and rain.

Nhi at her house which has badly deteriorated.

Inside, the only furniture includes a small altar for their father and a bed for the two sisters. Their belongings consist of just five or six sets of clothes. Tra Mi's school uniform is the best among them. Nhi owns only two sets of clothing, both donated by others.

“I’ve never had new clothes in my life. Everything I wear was either donated or hand-me-downs,” Nhi said softly.

In the early days after their mother left, the girls continued going to school with help from kind neighbours who donated rice. But as the support gradually faded, Nhi made the difficult decision to leave school and find work to feed herself and her sister.

Each morning, Nhi prepares Mi for school and heads to work. At noon, she picks her sister up for lunch before returning to her job. At night, the girls sleep together, huddled under a leaking roof.

“I only have two wishes,” Nhi said. “One, that we both stay healthy so I can work to support my sister. Two, that it doesn’t rain in the middle of the night, because if it does, we wake up from the leaks.”

“I don’t want my sister to quit school like I did. I’m afraid of getting sick. When dad was sick, life was really hard, and then he died,” she added in a timid voice.

Too young to understand the full extent of their situation, Tra Mi often clings to her sister in silence.

The girls have lost all contact with their maternal grandparents, who live far away. Their paternal grandparents have both passed away. Only Phan Thi Loan, a 59-year-old distant relative living nearby, regularly checks on them. However, Loan’s own household is classified as poor, leaving her unable to provide much financial help.

“I feel for them deeply, but we don’t have much either. When they’re short on food, I help out, and I check on them at night. I just hope someone can support them so their lives get better,” Loan said.

Dang Thi Kieu Nuong, a local official, confirmed the girls have been classified as from a poor household for many years. Since their mother left the area, the local government has been unable to contact her, making it difficult to process support policies for the children.

Authorities have managed to raise more than VND 20 million (approximately USD 786) from donors to support the orphans, but the funds are earmarked solely for Tra Mi’s education.

“About a month ago, Yen Nhi broke her arm, making their situation even harder,” Nuong said.

“Because the mother has abandoned them, their paperwork to qualify for state support remains incomplete. Through Dantri, we sincerely hope kind-hearted people will step in to help relieve some of the burden these girls are carrying,” she added.

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