Meet Phuc

Phuc (pronounced "fup") is 13 years old. He is smart as a whip and speaks english well,"what’s up love?" I believe were his first words to me. Phuc supports his family of 7 by working both days and nights on the streets selling postcards from a plastic bag. Mom, Dad, 1 brother, 2 sisters and grandmom all live on the boat, which consists of a few rotting bamboo mats for a roof to help cover from the rain.

Today I met Phuc's cousin, Bich. Bich is 22 with an 18 month old daughter. She is from another village outside of Hoi An and came here for work when the father left the baby. She has borrowed a boat to live on, but has nothing. And when I mean nothing, I mean nothing. She works 7AM to 9PM at one of the tourists restaurants and makes 200,000d per month. I do the conversion when Karen tells me, are you sure that's right? YUP... $12.50 per month. Phuc told Karen yesterday about the situation and Karen met with her today to provide her with essentials such as blankets, pillows a rice cooker, light, mosquito net for the baby and 5 fishing nets.

Bich can not own any land because she is not from Hoi An, but a surrounding village. I am told that the government rule is if you are not from Hoi An, or if you have more than 2 children, you are considered non-existent, hence the boat people.

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