My name is Matthew Mcloughlin. I'm a British volunteer at an organic garden, cafe and community project in Vinh Hy Bay, Vietnam.

I want to tell you about a young man I met here called Trí. He's 18 years old, from a village in Ninh Thuan Province, and he has been waiting for a heart operation that his family cannot afford.

Trí already had one heart surgery in Ho Chi Minh City, funded by the Vietnamese government. But he needs another operation, and this time there is no government support. The procedure costs approximately 15,000,000 Vietnamese Dong, around $600 USD.

Yesterday he went for test results that could determine his treatment plan, but the hospital would not release the results until his family paid 1,500,000 Dong they don't have.

His family lives in a basic shelter with no luxuries. They borrowed money from the government to buy four cows, with the plan to breed them and sell the calves to fund Trí's operation. Last night, those four cows were stolen by a gang. Gone overnight. The plan gone with them.

This morning, despite chest pain, Trí came to work just to take money home to feed his family tonight.

I am personally contributing what I can immediately to fund their next few weeks family meals. But I know this community can do more together than I can alone.

Every donation, no matter the size, goes directly to Trí's medical costs and immediate family needs. Nothing is taken for administration. This is one human being helping another.

Without this treatment his chances of survival in his cureent state of health and daily manual work are very slim to none, leaving his family without a working age male at all..

Please share this as widely as you can.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Matthew | Vinh Hy Bay, Vietnam