World We Dare to Imagine Part 1

The quote and The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz made me think about my dad. My dad grew up in poverty. My grandma passed away from cancer when my dad was just fourteen because our family didn’t have enough money to cover her medical treatment. But despite growing up in poverty and being painfully aware of the tribulations that come with poverty, my dad doesn’t like charity and blindly giving to the poor. My dad used to say to me: “Our family grew up poor because we had no choice. But many others are poor because they were stupid, reckless, selfish, or self-destructive.”

My dad was trying to explain that poverty is not a black-and-white matter. Charity shouldn’t be simply about giving money to the poor. After all, some poor people—like my great-grandfather, who gambled away his wife, kids, and all our family possessions—don’t deserve even a cent from charity. If we want to alleviate poverty, we should help the right people and do things that can lead to long-lasting, sustainable change in their lives. The defining factor shouldn’t be their financial situation but their drive and ambition to improve their lives.

My dream is to build a metro system in my hometown of Hanoi, Vietnam. I want to create a way for everyone–young and old, poor and rich, man and woman–to travel quickly, cheaply, and safely to wherever they want. Just as Jacqueline’s microfinance bank in Rwanda gave women financial freedom, I want to give everyone geographic access anywhere. A kid should be able to go to their dream school, even if it is across the city. A woman should be able to work late into the night and go home without fearing for her safety. This system will benefit everyone in my community equally, and it will be up to them as to how much they utilize it to better their lives.