Appearance on Oprah
On Monday, October 30th, Trong and Rani Hong had the incredible opportunity to appear on Oprah. They were able to tell virtually the entire world not only about their amazing lives, but the even more amazing desire they have to reach out to victims of human trafficking.
Trong is a home builder, by trade. It is what he is gifted at, and he believes he was given this gift for a purpose. Because of his wife Rani’s past experience with child trafficking, and his childhood experience with homelessness, he has a unique passion to build homes for those who need a way out of the trap that is poverty, prostitution, and human trafficking.
Rani knows all too well the helplessness of being a human commodity. She remembers only shadowy fragments of her traumatic childhood, but she knows that she was stolen from her family, sold, purchased, and sold again as if she were a piece of clothing. After deciding to help those who are now like she was then, she learned that victims of human trafficking are usually moved immediately after being purchased or kidnapped to a place where they do not speak the language and have nowhere to go. She realized that the missing piece for a victim wanting to escape was a place to run to – a home.
Trong also knows the importance of having a home. His father sent him away from Vietnam on a boat to the United States when he was nine years old to save him from being forced into the army as a child soldier. After the boat was ravaged again and again by modern day pirates, it finally shipwrecked, leaving the nine year old Trong on an island inhabited by monkeys to survive on his own for two years. He built his own shelter, adding some branches here, a piece of driftwood there. Now he and his wife Rani have formed Tronie Foundation, which works to build shelters for people coming out of a life of slavery.
The Oprah Winfrey Show has over one million viewers on average. The opportunity to tell their stories and share their passion to such a huge audience was a great blessing. Trong and Rani hope that their appearance on the show will lead to more awareness about the horrors and surprising prevalence of human trafficking all over the world, including in the United States. If you would like to find out more about the Hongs appearance on Oprah, click here. If you would like to partner with the Tronie Foundation or would like more information, click here.
The Tronie Foundation has partnered with MyFundRazor to raise money for their mission.
