Summer Youth Volunteer Campaign: Giving love to the border

White blouse on the border

Accommodation is a classroom at the Sop Nam Kindergarten, having to cook by themselves with a wood stove and sleeping on the floor of the classroom. If they want to buy food, they have to wait for a street vendor to pass through the village from 5 to 6 am. These are the first hardships that the volunteer team of Vinh Medical University experienced during their volunteer time in the border commune of Tam Hop, mountainous district of Tuong Duong.

“For outsiders, it may be considered a difficulty, but for us, who have carried out many activities in difficult areas of the province, it is considered an experience to challenge ourselves. Despite the lack of material things, the affection of the people for us has made the volunteer days filled with joy,” said Dinh Thi Huyen - Head of the “White Blouse” Club of Vinh Medical University.

Dinh Thi Huyen - Head of the "White Blouse" Club of Vinh Medical University (center of the photo) and representatives of the school's volunteers received encouragement and attention from the Standing Committee of the Provincial Youth Union and the 9th Youth Volunteer Team during their volunteer mission in Tam Hop Commune (Tuong Duong). Photo: Thanh Quynh

At Tam Hop Commune Health Center, health check-up activities are carried out very urgently. Holding a bag of medicine distributed by a young volunteer, Ms. Loc Thi Hoan (born in 1945) happily said: “Now that I am old, old age diseases such as bone and joint pain have begun to appear. I am very happy to have the doctors take my pulse, prescribe medicine, and give me specific instructions on how to prevent diseases”. That joy not only comes to Ms. Hoan but is multiplied by many elderly people and children in the difficult villages of Tam Hop Commune.

During the volunteer days, with a spirit of urgent and serious work, 24 students of Vinh Medical University supported vaccination for nearly 80 children in Huoi Son and Sop Nam villages. At the same time, in coordination with the "Young Doctors" Association of the province, they provided consultation, examination, and free medicine to more than 500 people at the Commune Health Station and the areas of Phong, Huoi Son, and Vang Mon villages.

To get to the village with the locals, the volunteer teams from Vinh Medical University had to borrow motorbikes to transport tools, equipment and medicines across many dangerous roads. Photo: Vinh Medical University Delegation

To move to these villages, the volunteer students had to borrow motorbikes from the Tam Hop Commune Youth Union and the Sop Nam Village Management Board to transport medicine and equipment to examine the people. On rainy days, the raincoats were only enough to cover the medicine, and the volunteer students had to get their clothes completely wet. Or on some days, when going to villages like Huoi Son and Pha Lom, the dirt roads were muddy, and it took the team an hour to move. However, seeing the people waiting at the examination and medicine distribution points, the fatigue was dispelled.

“The days we arrived at the Tam Hop border area, it rained continuously, the road was slippery and difficult to travel, but at 10pm, an old man still brought out a basket of hot boiled bamboo shoots for the team. The sandals he was wearing were old, the basket of bamboo shoots showed a part of the deprived life of the people here, but his caring actions made us extremely touched,” Dinh Thi Huyen shared.

The activity of examining and providing free medicine to ethnic minority people in Tam Hop border commune, Tuong Duong district was effectively implemented by volunteer teams. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Along with the appreciation of the people, the student volunteer teams were also supported by the commune government and the 9th Youth Volunteer Corps with necessities and necessary items to be able to complete their tasks in the best way.

As someone who always closely follows and accompanies the school's volunteer team, Mr. Nguyen Mau Quy - Secretary of the Youth Union of Vinh Medical University confided: "Through these meaningful trips, future doctors have equipped themselves with a new luggage, which is compassion for countless difficult circumstances in the province. That luggage is something that no book or notebook has in the journey of training a virtuous, talented doctor who is devoted to the sick."

Participating in volunteer activities, teachers and students of Vietnam - Korea Industrial Technical College Nghe An also made many practical contributions to activities of repairing and constructing infrastructure works and building new rural areas in volunteer areas. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Where youth burns out

In this year's Summer Volunteer Program, a very special party membership admission ceremony was held right at the volunteer area of ​​Muong Ai commune, Ky Son mountainous district. The outstanding member who was honored to join the Party was student Nguyen Van Hoang - a "Green Summer" volunteer soldier of Vinh University. He is currently the Captain of Volunteer Student Team 2206, President of the Student Association of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vinh University.

Under the green volunteer shirt, with an emotional oath before the Party flag, Nguyen Van Hoang inspired union members and young people who shared the same motivation to strive. During his studies, training and participation in the Union and Association activities, Hoang affirmed his ability when he won the "January Star" Award in 2021 and Certificates of Merit from the Nghe An Provincial Student Association, Certificates of Merit from the Executive Committee of the Vinh University Youth Union for his outstanding achievements in the Union and student movement as well as the Union and youth movement.

Student Nguyen Van Hoang - a volunteer soldier of Vinh University's "Green Summer" campaign participated in renovating the Martyrs' Memorial in Muong Ai commune (Ky Son district). Photo: Provided by the character

During the peak volunteer journey this summer in Ky Son district, Hoang also tried his best to contribute to many meaningful projects such as: Building a new rural road of more than 1 km in Xop Lau village, renovating the Martyrs Memorial of Muong Ai commune, teaching children...

According to comrade Thai Minh Sy - Deputy Secretary of Nghe An Provincial Youth Union, Green Summer volunteers admitted to the Party are excellent students with strong political will, who have undergone the process of cultivating revolutionary ethics, training political will and correct awareness, and have been trained through movement activities and large volunteer campaigns such as Green Summer.

Special party admission ceremony in Muong Ai commune (Ky Son district) of student Nguyen Van Hoang - "Green Summer" volunteer soldier of Vinh University. Photo: Provided by the character

It is known that, in addition to student Nguyen Van Hoang, Vinh University this year has established many volunteer teams with the participation of dozens of excellent students from the university's faculties. In the difficult mountainous areas of the province, this force has implemented many practical activities such as: Organizing summer activities, teaching life skills and English to children.

In addition, the volunteers also supported the people in building new rural areas by dredging canals, repairing rural roads and village roads. Many gifts that the team mobilized were also given to disadvantaged families in the area. These contributions were recognized and highly appreciated by the villagers as well as local authorities.

Volunteer student team from Vinh University participates in teaching ethnic minority students. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Looking at the youth of the whole province, Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union Le Van Luong said that this year's Green Summer Volunteer Campaign has the participation of more than 300 union members and young volunteers from universities and colleges in the province. The volunteers have gone to the poor mountainous villages of the province with the goal of bringing the youth to implement meaningful programs and activities during the peak month of the Green Summer Campaign.

The Provincial Youth Union Standing Committee also focused on implementing key contents towards the areas in 4 poor districts according to the Prime Minister's Decision, including: Ky Son, Tuong Duong, Que Phong, Quy Chau. In particular, the priority areas for implementing the programs are the residential areas of ethnic groups that still face many difficulties such as the O Du, Kho Mu, Mong; communes reaching the new rural finish line; and youth villages invested in and built by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Provincial Youth Union Standing Committee.

More than 300 union members, youths and representatives of the Provincial Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Committee and Nghe An Provincial Youth Union before the volunteer deployment ceremony to the mountainous areas of the province. Photo: Thanh Quynh

The series of activities implemented include building rural roads, lighting up rural roads, training in science and technology transfer, teaching summer culture and skills to children and teenagers; organizing health check-ups and consultations for people after Covid-19. The trips have demonstrated the role of union members and young people studying at universities; at the same time, affirming that the Union and Association are ideal environments for young people to practice, mature and become useful people for the community and society.