We have privilege of listening to a heartwarming story on Awakin Call with Giang Deng.


Giang gave up career working for larger non-profit organizations, as she didn’t resonate with idea of spending more time with organized planning and “spending more time in front of computer screens rather than among people”... :)

Giang saw need to clean up urban areas in Vietnam. While talking with different organizations for this noble cause, she got the answer “we need money, a lot of money to do anything like that”.

Instead of being frustrated or discouraged by the response, Giang started spending time with people in local community in city of Hanoi. She started a little project to create compost from the garbage sprawling around number of areas in the city. It was Giang listening to calling from inside and following though on it with what she had, where she was with one simple and yet profound idea – take time to understand people, develop relationships and start small acts of community engagement.





Giang realized that a number of women living in the city actually liked joining hands for warm friendships and a constructive clean up activity that resonated with their countryside living roots.

The initiative led to a number of “green oases” in the city – totally voluntary initiative pulling people in by virtue of relationships and meaningful engagement. People joined hands because they loved the noble cause and being part of something meaningful and worthwhile; because it felt right and connected them with others.





The initiative, Action for the City started cultivating green spaces and organic urban agriculture.

Did Giang have to campaign to raise funds for the projects?

Was there any resistance from local governmental organizations while transforming local spaces in the city?

Is Action for the City trying to get recognition from government or other organizations?

The answer is … no, no and no.

How do you navigate local vested interests? How do you convince difference groups in making the change?

The answer is yet again, very simple – focus on small acts of reaching out and helping, cultivate relationships, help others along the way – that takes care of the rest in its own organic way.
 

How heartwarming story of transforming local communities and along the way transforming individuals as well!

Listen to the conversation between our moderator Xiao and Awakin Call speaker Giang Dang here.