Parents lose ability to work, poor student puts university dream aside

The old house is home to 9 people in Yen's family. Photo: Luong Nga

Born into a poor family with many children, most of Yen's siblings only finished 9th grade and then dropped out to work as factory workers. Her parents also advised Yen to only finish junior high school and then drop out, but Yen was determined to pursue her studies. After graduating from junior high school, Yen was admitted to the provincial Ethnic Minority High School.

Studying in a new environment, with new friends and many interesting things, but most importantly, the family did not have to worry about Yen's tuition fees. She felt secure in investing in her studies. But in the middle of the 10th grade semester, disaster struck the family, her mother suffered from severe heart failure and was suffering from a terrible kidney disease. At this time, Yen planned to temporarily stop studying to earn money to treat her mother's illness. But after much advice and encouragement from her mother, Yen continued to return to school. Thinking of her mother and her loved ones, she devoted all her time to studying so as not to disappoint her parents.

Yen's wish is to have money to pay for school fees. Then she will work extra to cover her tuition fees. Photo: Luong Nga

Life seemed to want to push her to the end of the road when her father's brain disease became more severe and she was completely unable to work. The family situation was extremely dire at that time. Her 21-year-old brother had to shoulder the cost of medical treatment for his parents, take care of his elderly grandparents and his disabled uncle. Many times, Yen just wanted to drop out of school, go to the South to work, earn money to send back to support her family, but at that time, more than ever, she longed to study, to study really well, hoping that in the future she would have a stable job, to escape from hunger and poverty. She told herself that she would try her best to study well to fulfill her long-cherished dream, which was to pass the Judicial Academy and become a judge.

Her diligence and hard work paid off, at the end of the 2018 National High School Exam, with a score of 23.75, she passed her first choice of the Academy of Justice. The joy had not yet begun when sadness and worry came again. The tuition, transportation and living expenses amounted to millions while the family of 8 had to feed and pay for medicine for her parents, relying only on her brother's wages of less than 100,000 VND and a few fields of rice.

Ms. Vi Thi Miet - Yen's mother choked up: "My family's situation is too bad. My parents are no longer able to work, her brother has difficulty taking care of 8 mouths, let alone sending her to school. I just hope that my child will receive help from kind-hearted people, so that she can fulfill her dream". Yen confided in tears: "The school year is coming soon but my family cannot find a few million dong. For now, I just need money for school, then I will work extra to cover the cost of 4 years of schooling".

Please send all donations to Ms. Vi Thi Miet (Yen's biological mother) in Thuan Lap village, Chau Hanh commune, Quy Chau district, Nghe An province.

Or: Publishing and Social Activities Department - Nghe An Newspaper, No. 3, Le Nin Avenue, Hung Phuc Ward - Vinh City - Nghe An. Contact phone number: (023)83.588.138; (023)88.600.006