In this talk Caroline Ticarro describes her journey from anger to action after returning to her home land of Vietnam 20 years later. Having fled the country during the Vietnam War Caroline was dismayed to learn about the lack of education for young girls and high rates of child trafficking in her Motherland. In 1999 Caroline founded the Catalyst Foundation to help build communities that fight human trafficking by empowering families. Caroline was four years old when her family fled Vietnam on April 29th 1975, along with hundreds of thousands of other Vietnamese. Twenty-three years later to the day, she returned to Vietnam to adopt her twin daughters. It was during that first return trip that Caroline decided she wanted to do something to help.

The desire to help resulted in the founding of Catalyst Foundation in 1999, focused on helping build communities to fight human trafficking. The holistic community development programs center around the child, and the belief that no child is disposable. Catalyst Foundation has a formal commitment with the family to ensure that basic human rights are respected, and that every person has the right to self-dignity. Caroline leads her team to provide the ethnic minority communities with basic human needs: education, safe housing, proper sanitation, medical care, enough food, and water.

In addition, Caroline has coordinated annual humanitarian volunteer expedition to Vietnam, and led the annual Vietnam Culture Camp in the Midwest and on the East Coast, to celebrate Vietnamese culture to families that have adopted children from Vietnam.

Caroline, who is fluent in Vietnamese, graduated from St. Could State University, St. Cloud, MN, with a degree in International Business. She is a leader in the Vietnamese-American Community, and the adoptive community. She has been featured in National, Public Radio (NPR), CNN International, New York Times Magazine, and the Washington Post.

Caroline's passion and work is tireless. She travels often to Vietnam to direct the mission and vision of Catalyst Foundation. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx