By Denny Chou | Supervisor, International Mktg Resource Centre
She was known as the girl who broke everything.
Cups shattered against bathroom walls. Doors slammed so hard the hinges loosened. Once, she even tried to throw herself from a second-floor window.
This was Ling at 14, and everyone expected her story to end in tragedy. But today, she's the one putting broken things back together.
When Ling first arrived at our Community Care Home, the staff didn't see just another troubled teen. They saw a former top student whose world had collapsed when her family fled their tribal community to escape the shadow of alcoholism and stigma.
They saw a girl crushed by academic failure in her new school, living in a cramped, noisy apartment where multiple families struggled to coexist amid the constant soundtrack of karaoke and drinking.
Most importantly, they saw potential where others saw only problems.
The twist in Ling's story came from an unexpected decision. Instead of keeping her sheltered, our project workers sent her back to her family for two weeks.
"We don't create artificial environments," explains our care coordinator. "Our Community Care Homes provide safety and structure while helping children understand their reality and develop tools to transform it."
Those two weeks changed everything. Experiencing again the cramped living space, witnessing her diabetic mother's exhaustion, and feeling the instability of her environment, Ling returned with new determination.
The same girl who had once destroyed everything now woke at 5 AM to study. The student who had plummeted to the bottom of her class climbed steadily back, eventually reaching the top 10. The teenager who had refused to make eye contact became president of the youth fellowship.
"What makes our approach different," our project director notes, "is that we work with the whole family system. We're not just removing children from difficult situations—we're creating pathways for families to heal together."
Today, Ling's mother works at our after-school program. Despite her health challenges, she's found purpose and stability. The family that once seemed destined to fall apart is rebuilding, one relationship at a time.
And Ling? She's now the one welcoming new arrivals, showing them how to put the pieces back together.
Sometimes the most powerful stories don't end the way you expect. And sometimes, the ones who were once most broken become the strongest healers.
This is the transformative power of Community Care Homes. Not just changing individual stories, but rewriting the narratives of entire families and communities.
Your support makes these unexpected endings possible.
First image: With patient guidance from our volunteer tutor, Ling regains her confidence and finds joy in learning again.
Second Image: Ling has become a volunteer herself, lovingly guiding younger children and passing forward the care she once received.
By Denny Chou | Supervisor, International Mktg Resource Centre
By Denny Chou | Supervisor, International Mktg Resource Centre
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