I was eager to change society. 

I started joining community and environmental projects ten years ago, when I was still a first-year university student. Ten years ago in Vietnam, from my limited view, there were only a handful of initiatives that encouraged young people to get involved in creating social change.

Few people, many words. Anyone doing something “different” from the mainstream stood out easily. Meeting them gave me the feeling of being nourished. My eyes and my heart both grew fuller. Back then, I truly wanted to change society, and of course, I believed I could. I lived with that eagerness.

That eagerness turned me into someone who spoke of grand things. So grand that a clumsy young person like me could not even understand what I was saying. The less I understood, the more easily I was led into shallow actions, believing that “everything is the same,” easy to do, easy to dive into.

In the end, I didn’t really change anything for the community. Most of what I did was just dig big holes for myself to fall into. But there was something I learned from those holes: at least I came to understand myself better, and from there, I began to practice differently.

The Summer Ants

“When summer comes,” my mother used to say, “if you walk into the garden, step lightly and be mindful. The ground is hot, and ants and many other small creatures need to breathe, so they come up to the surface. If you’re careless, you might step on them.”

She always told me that, but it wasn’t until a summer a few years ago that I truly understood — that was my first lesson about justice and harmony.

At that moment, I realized that what truly matters can be expressed through the simplest words. One doesn’t need to do something big. To understand what we do, and to act rightly when it matters — that’s enough to create the beautiful world I want to live in.

I looked back at what I had done, my environmental projects, my talks about climate change: How much of it came from real understanding? And how much was I just repeating someone else’s words? How many things did I do simply to fulfil someone else’s desire, not my own?

If I couldn’t live what I said, did it still mean anything?

Can I not change society?

After ten years, I put down many of my titles and chose to simply be a children’s book author.

Sometimes I need to say my books are about the environment, but the way I talk about it is no longer as big as it used to be. I’ve come to believe that a small meaning, if expressed with enough openness, has more value than a polished slogan.

Still, it’s easier said than done. I’ve endured many painful days hearing the word “sorry” from publishers who refused to release books I deeply cared about, from topics like death, wild animals to climate migration.

From an environmental youth activist to a young professional in Vietnam’s children’s publishing industry, I often found myself trapped by the same question: Why do I always wait for someone else’s approval before I act — from a funder, from an economic report, from a project evaluation?

And sometimes, to fit into certain funding or project requirements, I even lost sight of the original spirit of the work I wanted to do. Then I decided: I won’t wait for anyone else to decide what I truly want to do. I will be the one to make the decision and to act, using whatever resources I have. 

Spark Fund – A flexible fund or a fund of trust in self-driven change

It sounded almost unbelievable when I first heard of a “Flexible Fund.”

Could I really receive funding to carry out any community activity I wanted, and without having to report every single expense in detail?

But it was true.

Even though I didn’t have to provide lengthy reports, I was still guided to plan my spending, my development goals, and share my progress with my fellow cohort members. Having this kind of support felt like being thrown a life buoy while drifting in the river of trust. Someone told me:

“I believe in your good intentions for the community you belong to.”

And with that, I made books, organized learning programs, and supported others like me who don’t necessarily dream of changing society, but who practice earnestly to change themselves, and to shape what they write and draw for children. I didn’t just survive, I learned how to swim on my own, and I’ve started passing that buoy of trust to others, too.

A Flexible Fund – ideal support for dreamers who build communities their own way

A few years ago, when I thought about starting a local organization to pursue social projects, I often felt exhausted chasing unstable small or medium-sized grants from NGOs or international corporations.

Applying for big, prestigious funds was both exciting and tiring. Developing a project was stressful enough, and financial reporting was just as draining.

When Spark Fund came to Vietnam, I was skeptical. Could there really be a fund that supports young people proactively based on their own needs and aspirations, not the donor’s?

When I officially became a Spark Fund Fellow, that opportunity completely changed my life.

From a passionate activist worried about unstable project funding, Spark Fund gave me a sustainable environment where, for at least two years, I had a community, resources, and stability to pursue what I truly cared about.

Thanks to Spark Fund’s financial support, knowledge, and network, over the past two years I successfully founded a social enterprise in children’s publishing on environmental themes and built a creative network of artists dedicated to this cause.

In those two years: 

• Over 10 children’s books on environmental and sustainable living were published, reaching more than 15,000 children and readers in Vietnam and abroad.

• We translated and shared our books in two countries.

• We organized over 30 reading events across Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

• Over 100 Vietnamese artists participated in creative residencies and international learning exchanges on environmental awareness.

• Opened a free public library where children from the local community can come and learn about nature and art through reading and creative exploration.

Most special of all, thanks to Spark Fund, this year I was selected as one of 14 Kofi Annan Changemakers, receiving continued support to build a community of artists creating environmental stories in Vietnam.

My journey is still long, and I need many helping hands along the way.

But I know Spark Fund has been, and continues to be, a milestone in my path, giving me strength and peace in creating social good without fear of uncertainty.