Officers and soldiers help children get to school.

Empowering underprivileged students for a brighter future.

The road leading to Boong village, Chau Nga commune, is very familiar to the officers and soldiers of the Quy Chau District Military Command. Here, they have a special adopted daughter, Vi Thi Hong Yen (born in 2014).

Since birth, Yen has never known her father; she grew up in the care of her mother and maternal grandmother. Three years ago, Yen's mother passed away due to a serious illness, leaving her with only her grandmother to rely on in extremely difficult and impoverished circumstances. After assessing the situation, the Military Command of Quy Chau District decided to adopt Yen until she graduates from high school.

Each school year, Yen will receive 23.9 million VND in financial support. Of this amount, 2 million VND will be provided to her before the start of the new school year to help with purchasing school supplies, books, and transportation to school. The remaining 21.9 million VND will cover her monthly living expenses.

Along with material support, the officers and soldiers of the Quy Chau District Military Command also effectively coordinate with teachers to understand Yen's learning situation, thoughts, and feelings in order to encourage and support her in the most effective way.

Thanks to this support, Vi Thi Hong Yen has been able to partially compensate for the hardships and losses in her life, allowing her to continue attending school. Currently, Yen is a good student and very passionate about learning. Along with Yen, the Quy Chau District Military Command also sponsors two other students from disadvantaged backgrounds: Lang Thanh Vinh from Khoang village, Chau Binh commune, and Ha Thanh Phong from Hoi 2 village, Chau Hoi commune. In addition, the Command provides support to 10 disadvantaged children, with an assistance amount of 7.4 million VND per child per year.

Sharing about the activities supporting disadvantaged children in the area, Lieutenant Colonel Bui Viet Ha - Deputy Commander of the Quy Chau District Military Command - said that what is special about the unit is that even before the "Military Officers and Soldiers Helping Children Go to School" project was launched, the officers and soldiers had already carried out many vibrant and practical activities aimed at these children. Specifically, they donated bicycles, school supplies, cash, and meaningful gifts to meet the children's daily needs.

These gifts came from funds saved by officers and soldiers from their salaries and allowances, as well as from social mobilization efforts involving agencies, units, and businesses in the area.

However, by 2022, when the Provincial Military Command issued specific guidelines for the implementation of the "Military Officers and Soldiers Helping Children Go to School" project, the activities supporting the children were implemented more effectively and comprehensively.

Following the guidelines, over the past year, the Quy Chau District Military Command has distributed 121.8 million VND from the Ministry of National Defense's support funds to 2 foster children and 10 children receiving support in the district. Simultaneously, they have actively accompanied these children in their lives and studies. This is considered an important aspect for officers and soldiers to promote "Studying and following the thoughts, ethics, and style of Ho Chi Minh" according to Directive No. 05-CT/TW in the current period.

In the border area of ​​Ky Son, to effectively implement the project, the District Party Committee and Military Command have developed a plan, coordinated with local Party committees and authorities, and surveyed and selected poor students with particularly difficult circumstances to support. Accordingly, in the past year, the unit has supported 5 students, adopted 1 student, and provided financial assistance to them with a total value of 60.99 million VND.

Living under the care and protection of the officers and soldiers of the Ky Son District Military Command, Hung Thi Thao Nhi (born in 2015), a child of the Khmu ethnic group in Hin Peng village, Bao Nam commune, shared: “My mother's death was a great loss for me. However, with the care and support from my teachers and the soldiers, I feel very comforted. This is a support system that helps me to study with peace of mind and become a good student.”

Thao Nhi's joy is also the shared joy of many disadvantaged students in the difficult areas of the province over the past period, as they have received support from the "Army Officers and Soldiers Helping Children Go to School" Project.

Continue to expand and spread

The project "Army officers and soldiers helping children go to school" aims to concretize Resolution No. 88/2019/QH14 dated November 18, 2019, of the National Assembly; and Resolution No. 12/NQ-CP dated February 15, 2020, of the Government on the "Overall plan for socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the period 2021-2030".

The project was put into operation with funding drawn from agricultural production; revenue and welfare funds from economic units of the Vietnam People's Army; and voluntary contributions from officers and soldiers throughout the army.

Immediately after the project was launched, the Provincial Military Command worked closely with the Military Commands of the districts to coordinate with local authorities and schools in particularly difficult, remote, and disadvantaged areas to survey and select students in need of assistance.

To date, the Provincial Military Command and the military commands of the districts have adopted and supported 109 children in difficult circumstances. Notably, the Quy Hop District Military Command has adopted 2 children and supported 26 others; the Tuong Duong District Military Command has adopted 1 child and supported 8 others; the Que Phong District Military Command has supported 19 children; and the Tan Ky District Military Command has supported 10 children…

In addition to providing material support, the officers and soldiers also care for, encourage, and guide the students' career paths so that they strive to study and excel; at the same time, they develop plans to select, nurture, and train high-achieving students to build a pool of cadres for the locality with the motto "Sincere, genuine, responsible, and effective."

The project "Army officers and soldiers helping children go to school" has contributed to strengthening the solidarity and close bond between the military and the people, further enhancing the image of Uncle Ho's soldiers in the eyes of the people in the current period.