Having only a primary school education, Phuong dropped out of school in order to work in her family's rice field to supplement their monthly income.

• At the age of 18, she met her husband in their home village in the northern part of Laos. They first tried making a life there, but soon realized that their rural village offered few opportunities besides rice farming. Thus they decided to move to Phiengdee village, about 4 hours from the capital city of Vientiane.
• Phuong's husband is currently a day-laborer doing construction for various projects in the area. The work is sporadic and doesn't provide enough income to support their family of 3, so Phuong weaves 4-6 hours a day, in between working in the rice fields, cooking, and caring for her son.
• Besides their bamboo house, they make monthly payments on a motorbike and hope to own a truck in the future.

When you ask Phuong about her dreams, she'll first laugh, then ask if you would like more water. Being able to dream has only been a dream for Phuong since she's led a life of subsistence.

• Upon probing deeper and spending more time with her, you discover that Phuong does dream of simple luxuries.
• She dreams about moving from their current bamboo house they built themselves into a more stable wooden house.
• She thinks how much easier it would be to have a truck instead of their motorbike that commonly serves as "family transport."
• And Phuong also hopes to have enough money to allow her son to achieve more than the primary education she achieved.

By working with GIANNA, Phuong has realized just how much of a contribution and impact she can have on her family. This empowerment helps negate the negative feelings she associates with not having finished school.

• Additionally, her work with GIANNA has taught her new weaving techniques, built systems for quality control, and helped her understand the reasons behind eco-friendly natural dyes instead of the chemical dyes she once used