With the desire to provide more motivation for the journey to school for children in the border area of Tan Hung commune, Hung Dien district, Long An province, the Steering Committee for Youth Activities of Hiep An ward, Thu Dau Mot city, has mobilized sponsors to donate school bags, notebooks, clothes, milk etc. and even cash (worth over 40 million VND) to the children here. On the day of delivery, both the givers and receivers were truly joyful.
The understanding of hardship
Hung Dien is one of the three border communes of Tan Hung district, Long An province. The commune has a border road of 7.8km. In recent years, thanks to state investment, the road to the commune has been smooth. Both sides of the road are lined with phoenix trees, which bloom brightly in the summer. The people here are all excited to say that Hung Dien today is like wearing a new coat, with a completely renewed rural appearance. Electricity, roads, schools, and facilities have all been invested in.
Many gifts have been given to the hands of young children with special difficult circumstances in Hung Dien commune
Development as is, Hung Dien still faces many difficulties deep inside. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Trung, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hung Dien commune, said that there are currently 28 poor households in the commune, accounting for over 2%. Schools have been invested in modern facilities, but the students' learning is still challenging. Some parents are not concerned about their children's education. Therefore, there are still many cases of students dropping out of school, even though at the beginning of each school year, the school collaborates with the local authorities to visit students' homes to encourage them to come to school.
The case of Nguyen Thi Thu who is only 11 is an example of a child mature as a grown-up. She told us the story of her schooling with saddened and teary eyes. Thu says, "I just finished my first grade, but my father told me to stop. He asked me about the money to pay for school. Looking at my friends going to school, I really want to go too, but my father would not allow it."
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“Every year, the ward organizes programs for poor students in remote areas, with the desire to share, encourage, and provide additional motivation for these poor students to continue going to school.” Mrs. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ngu, Deputy Chairwoman of Hiep An ward People’s Committee |
Although the local economic conditions have been developing, there are still many difficulties overall. The lives of the people here are still very difficult, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, which has had a general impact on the economy. Therefore, for many families, buying clothes and supplies for their children for the new school year is a whole issue. Many difficult situations still need the joint support of the community to make the path to school for these children less rough. The case of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Lien and her grandchildren is another example. On the day of our visit, they stayed temporarily in a house with an open front and back built by the canal. The house just trembles and shakes whenever it rains. Talking about her situation, Mrs. Lien said: "Mr. Duong (a member of the National Front in Hung Dien commune) has been providing rice for me and my grandchildren for several years. We rely on local support for everything else. As for me, I catch crabs and gather snails to survive day by day. I have land left by my ancestors, but it is in dispute, so I have to occupy the bank of the canal and live in temporary shelters."
The situation of Mrs. Lien and her grandchildren is very pitiful. Mrs. Lien is old but she has to catch crabs and collect snails to raise her two grandchildren, because their mother unfortunately passed away. It's so difficult that their father got involved in a legal case for illegally helping people cross the border. This year, one of the children is in second grade and the other is starting first grade. For Mrs. Lien, she tries her best every day, teaching the children whatever words she knows.
Giving away love to receive sense of joy
To accompany and support the students on their way to school, the Steering Committee for Youth Activities of Hiep An Ward organized a summer program for students in the border area. Accordingly, the ward mobilized kind-hearted individuals to accompany and distribute nearly 130 gifts, including school bags, notebooks, and scholarships to disadvantaged students. At the same time, the ward mobilized young people to bring along clothes, comic books, and helmets to give to students and residents in this area.
Hairdressers in action for children in difficult circumstances in Hung Dien commune
The children were very excited to receive gifts. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Ngoc happily said, "I have a new backpack, notebooks, and even money... I will take my mother shopping for new clothes for school." Taking her son to receive the gifts, Nguyen Thi Giau took the opportunity to choose some clothes for herself to wear when working as a laborer. It is known that Mrs. Giau has three children, but all of them inherit an eye disease. Especially the eyes of the middle child become blurrier as they grow up, to the point where they can hardly see any light now. The other two children were able to receive treatment when they turned 18, but with Mrs. Giau's current situation, where can she find the money to treat her child? Thinking about the future, Mrs. Giau sheds tears.
Especially in this journey, Hiep An ward also mobilized hair stylists to come and give free haircuts to the children. Many trendy hairstyles created by two professional hairdressers have made the children's faces radiant. Many children expressed their excitement after receiving a free haircut.
Sharing about this program, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ngu, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hiep An Ward, said: "Every year, the ward organizes programs for poor students in remote areas, with the desire to share, encourage and provide more motivation for these poor students to continue going to school. This time, the ward has mobilized sponsors to donate school bags, notebooks, clothes, milk... and cash (worth over 40 million VND) to give to these students. We hope that each gift, although not of great material value, has a great spiritual significance to provide more motivation for the children to strive and continue to go to school.”
A short but meaningful journey, adding determination and belief for students in remote areas to always feel "every day going to school is a happy day"... And on the journey back, we bring along the crisp laughter of the children who are "not full yet, not worried yet" and silently think: "The seeds of the soul that are nurtured, watered, and pursued in the dream of learning will grow up to return and build the homeland, bringing more and more innovation, warmth, and happiness to Hung Dien border area."
Reported by Thu Thao – Translated by Vi Bao
