Kristina Nguyen, 24, is the only American of Vietnamese origin taking part in humanitarian activities in Cameroon, West Africa.
Born in Anaheim city of the US State of California, Nguyen graduated from the Marshal School of Finance and Business Economics under the University of Southern California (USC). She then lived in New York where she worked for a non-profit organisation in the field of economic and finance development.
Now Nguyen is living in Cameroon as a volunteer of the National Peace Corps Association – a Washington-based non-profit organisation specialising in community work.
Nguyen recalls that she has dreamt of joining Peace Corps since she was 12 years old.
“When I studied at USC, I realised that working as a Peace Corps volunteer would enable me to take part in social humanitarian activities and at the same time to do business and travel,” says Nguyen.
She has personal reasons explaining why she chose Cameroon as a destination for her volunteerism.
“Cameroon is considered a miniature Africa with its diverse and distinctive characteristics. I live in a city where most people are Muslims. In this city, some women cannot step out of their houses without permission from their husbands. By contrast, students are allowed to wear short skirts and chat in pubs.”
“Many people ask me about the cultural differences between Vietnam and Cameroon, and I say each culture has its own distinctive identity. For example, many Vietnamese people pay special attention to education for their children, while Cameroonians respect family relationships and neighbourhood.”
Currently the pretty Vietnamese American girl is busy with various projects. She is one of the founders of the micro-credit cooperative model for poor people in Ngaoundere, the capital of the Adamawa Region.
She is working with the Peace Corps to establish a management board of a project to build a community market for 8,000 poor people in the town.
She is also one of the organisers of an exhibition displaying handicrafts made by women who are uneducated or who dropped out of school.
She has initiated two projects, one targeting fundamental education on social and financial issues at school, and the other a training course on HIV/AIDS and ways of preventing the disease from spreading across the community.
“After my stay in Cameroon, I am not sure whether I will become a full-time student for a master’s degree in business administration in the next few years, but a part-time course is also suitable,” Nguyen confides.
She reveals her future plan to either work for a consultancy agency to support non-profit organisations or for a macro credit organisation with a higher position.
“I want to send a message to young Vietnamese in the homeland, especially, those living in difficult circumstances, that where there is a will, there is a way. If you set a goal, follow it and you will cultivate success sooner or later./.”