During a recent field trip to Nga My commune, Tuong Duong mountainous district, we were introduced by Ms. Thuong Huyen – an official from the Tuong Duong District Party Committee's Organization Department – to visit the home of a foster daughter sponsored by the Department. That girl is Lo Thi Diep Linh (born in 2012) in Na Ca village.
Returning home from school, the eyes of the young girl from the Thai ethnic group sparkled with joy upon seeing her godmother arrive. Since her mother's sudden death not long ago, and with her older brother (born in 2002) working far away, Linh has been living alone with her father in a small house along National Highway 48C. Linh's father is disabled, blind in one eye and with weak vision in the other, making the family's situation extremely difficult. "Since my mother passed away, I've often felt lonely and missed her, but with the care and encouragement of my foster parents, I've gradually overcome my sadness and continued to go to school like my friends…," Linh expressed emotionally.
Sitting quietly beside his daughter, Mr. Lo Van Khay confided: “My wife passed away, and raising a child alone is very difficult. Luckily, my daughter was adopted by the District Party Committee's Organization Department, which has provided both material and spiritual support. I am very grateful. Last summer, she and her friends in similar circumstances were taken by their foster parents to visit President Ho Chi Minh's birthplace and go on a vacation to Cua Lo beach. When she returned, she even brought back a plastic bottle with a little seawater to show me what the seawater was like – its blue color and salty taste – which moved me to tears…”
It is known that in Nga My commune, besides Diep Linh, there are 9 other students who are sponsored by units such as the District Political Training Center, the Party Committees of Tuong Duong District, schools, health stations, the Women's Union, and the Nga My Commune Party Committee. These are all orphans, either orphaned of both parents or orphaned of either father or mother, with particularly difficult circumstances: Lo Thi Tuoi, born in 2011 (adopted child of the Tuong Duong District Political Training Center), is orphaned of both parents and lives with an uncle who is in poor health and has no stable income; Luong Manh Quan, born in 2011 (adopted child of the District Party Committee's Propaganda Department), whose mother suffers from mental illness – a recipient of social welfare, and Quan and his mother live with his elderly, disabled grandmother; The child, San Thi An Nhien, born in 2020 (adopted by Nga My Primary School and Health Station), is motherless and is currently being cared for by her father, San Van Mann (born in 1993), but he has a long-term illness, the family has 7 members, and their economic situation is difficult…
Ms. Luong Thi Lang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Nga My commune, said: "Thanks to the support of collectives and individuals, the children's education is not interrupted, giving them more confidence and motivation to strive for success in their journey to adulthood. Besides monthly financial support, through the Women's Union of the commune, the foster parents also regularly visit their foster children during their work trips, encouraging them, providing clothes, books, school supplies, and gifts during holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year). Through this, they share some of the material and spiritual difficulties and create conditions for the children to develop comprehensively in the loving care of their families and communities."
Leaving Nga My commune, we visited Xa Luong Ethnic Boarding Secondary School (Xa Luong commune) – where four students are supported by the "Godmother Connecting Love" program. We met and chatted with two orphaned boys from Na Be village, the same age, in the same class, sitting at the same desk, and sharing the same name, Lin Van Anh. Both boys are from the Khmu ethnic group, orphaned by their father, and small in stature. One is an adopted child of the Women's Union of Tuong Duong district, and the other is an adopted child of the Kindergarten, Primary, and Secondary School in Xa Luong commune. In our conversation, both boys expressed their gratitude for the care and attention of their teachers and godmothers, and also showed their determination to learn a trade after graduation to help support their families. Meanwhile, Lo Thi Truc, a girl with fair skin and a pretty face (adopted by the Women's Union of Xa Luong commune), expressed her dream of continuing her education to become a teacher for the children in her village, so as not to disappoint the guidance and care of her foster mothers.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan, President of the Women's Union of Xa Luong Commune: Currently, many people in the commune work far from home, with 500 out of 1000 female members working away from home, leaving their children to be cared for by elderly grandparents, thus causing many children to suffer disadvantages. In particular, the entire commune has 29 children who are orphaned by either their father or mother, and 1 child who is orphaned by both parents; among them, 8 children are in extremely difficult circumstances and urgently need the sharing, encouragement, and help of the community. Currently, 4 children have been sponsored by various organizations and units. Support for these children is not limited to material assistance; the sponsors regularly visit and care for the children's emotional well-being, studies, and daily lives, especially during Lunar New Year, International Children's Day, Mid-Autumn Festival, and the start of the new school year… This helps the children find more joy and motivation to strive in life and studies.
Some units have also assigned staff to monitor and keep track of the children and their families and relatives in order to promptly resolve any arising issues and create conditions for the children to live in a healthy and safe environment. The Women's Union of Xa Luong commune, in particular, has organized many collective labor activities such as car washing for fundraising, clearing vegetation, and cleaning the environment around the Van Temple area… to raise additional funds to support the children they have sponsored.
Discussing the effectiveness and reach of the "Godmother Connecting Love" program, Ms. Nong Thi Kim Tuyen, President of the Women's Union of Tuong Duong District, said: This program was launched by the Central Vietnam Women's Union. However, what sets Tuong Duong District apart is that it's not just the women's unions at all levels that are involved; the program also involves the entire political system, with active participation from the District Party Committee, the district People's Committee, communes, towns, units, agencies, businesses, the armed forces, and businesses inside and outside the district, all with the spirit of "no child left behind." To date, 187 out of 261 orphaned children (72%) in 17 communes and towns have been sponsored and assisted by 43 benevolent agencies, organizations, units, and individuals, making it one of the localities with the highest number of sponsored children in Nghe An province.
To achieve the above results, immediately after receiving guidance from higher authorities, the Women's Union of Tuong Duong District sought approval from the Standing Committee of the Tuong Duong District Party Committee to implement the "Godmother Program". Recognizing the humanitarian significance of the program, the Tuong Duong District Party Committee unanimously approved the policy and issued Official Document No. 689-CV/HU dated February 28, 2023, directing the implementation of the "Godmother Program" to support the care and nurturing of orphaned children in difficult circumstances in the district. At the same time, it called on organizations, units, and individuals with benevolent hearts to voluntarily sponsor orphaned children and provide support.
Accordingly, the Women's Union of Tuong Duong district directed its branches at all levels to coordinate in reviewing and verifying the specific circumstances of each child, creating a prioritized list of those needing sponsorship, and coding each child's file. They also organized memoranda of understanding between sponsoring organizations and individuals, representatives of the children's relatives, and women's unions at all levels from the village to the district to ensure consistency and sustainability. To ensure the program's effectiveness and widespread impact, the Women's Union of Tuong Duong district strengthened communication about the program through various forms, such as integrating it into conferences, mass media, and channels like Facebook, Zalo, and Fanpages. Simultaneously, they proactively met with, coordinated with, and exchanged information to promptly resolve any difficulties encountered during implementation with sponsoring organizations and individuals. The decisive and timely leadership of Party committees and authorities at all levels, along with the joint support and cooperation of organizations, individuals, agencies, and units in the area, have contributed to the effectiveness and widespread impact of the "Godmother" Program in the impoverished district of Tuong Duong.
According to Ms. Vy Thi Bich Diep, an official from the Women's Union of Tuong Duong district who directly guided us on our field trip, many organizations and units sponsoring orphaned children have opened accounts and savings books for the children, providing support ranging from 500,000 to 600,000 VND per month until the children reach 18 years old, through the Women's Union of the commune. Many individuals sponsoring orphaned children are leaders of district-level departments and agencies, such as Mr. Mac Van Nguyen, Head of the District Party Committee's Organization Department, who sponsors one child in Xieng My commune; and Ms. Vy Thi Bich Thuy, Head of the District Party Committee's Propaganda Department and Director of the District Political Training Center, who sponsors two orphaned children in Luu Kien commune…
The foster parents have consistently shown concern and support to ensure the children have the best living conditions, education, and healthcare. They also provide career guidance for the children's future. Specifically, the Women's Union of Tuong Duong district has sponsored three orphaned children in remote areas such as Nhon Mai, Xa Luong, and Yen Thang communes. Each child has been given a savings account worth 20 million VND. Due to limited operating funds, the Women's Union at various levels has creatively organized numerous fundraising activities to support orphaned children, such as cultural exchange events, car washes for fundraising, fundraising sales, and the "Green House" initiative collecting scrap materials by the Women's Union in Tam Thai, Xa Luong, Luu Kien communes and Thach Giam town. Particularly, through the program showcasing traditional ethnic costumes combined with the sale of brocade products organized by the District Women's Union, 37 orphaned children have been sponsored by various groups and individuals until they reach 18 years of age, with a total amount of 1,572,000,000 VND.
According to the assessment of the leaders of Tuong Duong district, the "Godmother" program, which supports the care and nurturing of orphaned children in difficult circumstances, has initially yielded positive results and widespread impact in the area. This has helped many orphaned children have the opportunity to attend school, providing them with a foundation for growing up and becoming useful citizens for society. This is also a practical way to concretize the implementation of Conclusion No. 01-KL/TW dated May 18, 2021, of the Politburo on continuing to implement Directive No. 05-CT/TW "on promoting the study and emulation of Ho Chi Minh's thought, morality, and style" in the area. During his lifetime, President Ho Chi Minh paid special attention to children – the future owners of the country. He once advised the entire Party and people to "raise their responsibility in caring for and educating children and young people" in the Nhan Dan newspaper, issue 5526, dated June 1, 1969.
Following President Ho Chi Minh's teachings, women's associations at all levels in Tuong Duong district are currently actively coordinating with the Fatherland Front and other political organizations in the area to implement many activities to make the "Godmother Program" more effective and sustainable.
“Currently, a review of the area shows that there are still 73 orphaned children and many children in difficult circumstances who need support. Therefore, in the coming time, the association will continue to utilize social media to disseminate information, call for and mobilize the joint efforts, support, love, and responsibility of the entire community to help these children have better lives. At the same time, we will further enhance the role and responsibility of women's associations at all levels in implementing the “Accompanying Children” and “Godmother” programs through the effective organization of fundraising models such as: “Zero-Cost” stalls, turning waste into useful things, 1,000 VND ATMs, savings rice jars… to have more resources to support orphaned children and children in difficult circumstances in the area,” affirmed Ms. Nong Thi Kim Tuyen – President of the Women's Union of Tuong Duong District.