Kim Phuc with her son Thomas on his first birthday
Photo by Anne Bayin
Submitted by Jennifer Pearson Terell
Chair, TEAL Charitable Foundation
Kim Phuc is coming
to Vancouver, B.C. in May 2015.
Kim will be a keynote speaker
at the 2015 B.C. Teachers of English
as an Additional Language (TEAL) conference.
She will speak to teachers
about her life as a refugee
and as an immigrant.
Map – Lonely Planet
Prize-winning photo of 1973
Many people around the world
remember Kim Phuc.
She is a refugee of the Vietnam War.
Kim is the girl in the unforgettable
Pulitzer Prize-winning photo.
Kim was screaming.
She was running naked up a road.
She was in agony.
That photo changed
many people’s opinions about the war.
Illustration by Nola Johnston
Kim tells her story
Now Kim travels around the world and tells her story.
As an adult, she talks about being a refugee and
overcoming pain and fear.
But Kim also talks about her incredible life.
Kim survived one of the most inhumane
wars in history.
But she is still full of strength, compassion and forgiveness.
She inspires people around the world.
“Forgiveness made me free of hatred.
It healed my heart,” she says.
Life today
Today Kim lives in Toronto
with her husband and two sons.
She is the founder of the Kim Foundation International.
The organization supports world peace
and healing.
It also helps children who have become
victims of war.
Working for peace
In 1997, UNESCO* named Kim Phuc
a goodwill Ambassador for Peace.
Kim is also a member of many organizations
such as Free Children’s Foundation in Canada.
Recently, Kim was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal.
She was also awarded the 2004 Order of Ontario.
Vocabulary:
- The Vietnam War happened
from November 1, 1955 – April 30, 1975. - agony – say: ah-ga-nee – great pain of the mind or the body
- overcoming – dealing successfully with something difficult
- inhumane – not kind or gentle to people or animals
*UNESCO –
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Links: