Born to Act as a Man

The article is written by Le Thi Minh Hanh. Hanh lives in Hai Lang district and she belongs to a child participation club run by World Vision’s Hai Lang Area Development Programme (ADP). She told us about her experience acting in plays designed to develop life and communication skills.

I’m a girl, but I’ve been asked to play male roles on stage. I think maybe it was a challenge that my teachers wanted to give me.

I used to be shy and I never even considered that I could act as a man in plays. Taking part in the plays has given me a lot more confidence, but I found playing men quite stressful.

We performed a play about domestic violence and human trafficking and I was given the main character. I had to act as a man who often got drunk and hit his wife and daughters because he wanted a son and didn’t have one. I was really nervous about doing that after I read the script and I didn’t know what to do.

My teachers helped me a lot, though. Ms. Van [a trainer and a Hai Lang ADP staff] and my other teachers –Mr. Son, Mr. Mau and Mr. Khai – showed me how to do many things on the course. They taught me how act like a man – how to move and stand, how to speak deeply and what gestures to use.

It was really difficult to remember all those things and act convincingly as a man, but I rehearsed a lot and my teachers gave me loads of support. I feel I played the part well when we did the play and lots of people said I’d done really well.

That experience helped me to mature and learn more about what I’m capable of doing. But, I wouldn’t have had the confidence or skills to try if I hadn’t taken part in the World Vision training course.

After a while, we did the play again, but this time on a bigger stage and with more people in the audience than before. I felt really proud to be part of the play that day and proud of myself for performing my role.

I’ve acted as a man in another play since then and the role was even more difficult – I had to play the King of Heaven. I had to be godlike, with a loud and clear voice and strong gestures and actions. The script was very long too and I had lots of dialogue to learn. To be honest, I couldn’t remember all of the script off by heart as it was too much and I had to concentrate on speaking loudly. It was really hard work.

After our first rehearsal at school, I felt so tired because I’d had to speak so loudly for so long. My throat was really sore that evening, but I was happy and proud because I’d proved I could do something that I’d never thought I could.

We performed the play for real at World Vision’s awards ceremony for environment protection arts in Hai Xuan community. I thought I looked very dignified in my King of Heaven costume and when I first stepped on stage, everyone watching seemed surprised at how I looked. Lots of people laughed nicely when they saw the actors playing the God of Thunder, the River God and me. All of us in the play thought the audience had enjoyed it and understood the play’s message about how environmental pollution affects everyone.

Since then, I’ve joined in with many other World Vision activities and I’ve learned a lot about and had real life experience of important local issues. To tell the truth, I never thought I could do that and I’m more confident about what I can do now. I think I’ll always remember doing the plays with my friends.

I hope World Vision will be able to do more for people in my village and other places in the future, especially making playgrounds and helping the poorest children. All children can take part in World Vision’s activities, so that they can enjoy their lives more and have brighter prospects.

The most important thing I’ve learned is we can do things that we think we’re unable to do, as long as we try our best. Look at me! I’ve acted as men, even though I’m a girl!

Further information about the children’s participation clubs in Hai Lang

World Vision established its first children’s participation club in the district of Hai Lang in 2007 and there are now 99 clubs in the region. Since 2007, more than 3,200 primary and junior high school students have participated in the clubs’ activities.

The club members have learned about topics such as children’s rights, child participation, and child protection. Activities have also focused on World Vision’s child sponsorship programme, the prevention of common childhood injuries, water and sanitation, and human trafficking. The club members are generally more confident as a result and have more input into decisions that affect them in their families and communities.

World Vision organises relevant courses for the trainers who operate in schools and communities and pass on their knowledge to students and their parents. In addition, World Vision partly funds extra-curricular activities on the aforementioned topics and weekend playgrounds for local children.