The program 'Godmother' continues the journey for orphans in Nghe An
Family is a warm home, a place of love, care and protection for each person. However, there are children who are not complete when they do not have both a father and a mother, and their economic circumstances are difficult. The "Godmother" program implemented by the Women's Union at all levels in the province aims to ease the pain, and is a fulcrum to continue the journey of the future for orphans.
Connected to sponsor 2,143 orphans
Going to the resettlement area of Thanh Son commune (Thanh Chuong), the staff of the District Social Policy Bank Transaction Office took him to visit Quang Van Dat, in Thanh Duong village. Hearing footsteps outside the gate, Quang Van Dat ran out of the house happily, greeting his mother Hanh, father Long, father Hai... (the bank staff who adopted Dat under the "Godmother" program chaired and connected by the Thanh Chuong District Women's Union).
Ms. Tran Thi Mai Hanh - Director of the Transaction Office of the Social Policy Bank of Thanh Chuong District shared: "Witnessing the lack of both emotions and material things of Dat, everyone sympathizes. In addition to the fixed support of 500 thousand VND/month, every time an agency officer goes to Thanh Son commune to conduct transactions and check the use of capital, the agency's colleagues, with their personal feelings, some wrap cakes, some clothes, some books, notebooks, balls... to send to Dat".
Quang Van Dat lost his father when he was 4 years old; his mother is in poor health and only works a few acres of rice fields and does whatever jobs she can find. Dat and his mother are currently living in a temporary house built on his grandmother's family's land. "When Dat and his mother have land to live on, the agency will continue to call for support to build a more spacious house," said the Director of the Transaction Office of the Social Policy Bank of Thanh Chuong District.
In Nghi Lam commune (Nghi Loc), misfortune came to three children Nguyen Quoc Anh, Nguyen Ti Hi, Nguyen Thi My Tien when both their father and mother died due to natural disasters in 2022. At that time, the oldest child was 11 years old, the second child was 7 years old and the third child was 5 years old, and had to live with their grandmother in Nghi Phuong commune (Nghi Loc).
Understanding the situation of the 3 children, the Nghi Loc District Women's Union has connected with the Nghe An Outstanding Business Association to sponsor the 3 children for 3 years (October 2022 - October 2025), with a monthly support of 1 million VND/child. Along with that, at the beginning of each new school year, holidays, Mid-Autumn Festival, Children's Day, Lunar New Year, Christmas...; the Nghi Loc District Women's Union and the commune are also very interested in visiting, encouraging, and giving gifts to the children.
Also in Nghi Loc district, Nghi Long commune, Nguyen Dinh Hau, in Kim Dien village, lost his father when he was 6 years old and his mother 2 years later. To accompany his grandmother in taking care of and raising Hau to adulthood, Ms. Ho Thi Thu - Head of the Women's Association of Kim Dien hamlet mobilized the Women's Association of the hamlet to adopt Hau as an "adopted child" with a monthly support of 300 - 500 thousand VND and regularly take care of and guide Hau in his studies.
Every child born and growing up needs the care, love and protection of relatives in the family, especially the fathers and mothers with sacred paternal and maternal love. However, there are children who lack these precious things, due to the loss of their fathers and mothers, becoming orphans. With the affection of women and also to fulfill the responsibility of the association, in recent times, the women's associations at all levels in the province have taken on the responsibility of sponsoring, and at the same time mobilizing and connecting agencies, units, organizations, individuals and philanthropists to sponsor orphans in difficult circumstances under the "Godmother" Program launched by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union.
After nearly 3 years of implementation (from October 2021 to April 2024), the Women's Union at all levels of Nghe An province has sponsored and connected 1,544 "Godmothers" for 2,143 orphans in difficult circumstances in the province, with the committed resources to support according to the memorandum of understanding between "Godmothers" and young families or alternative caregivers for orphans being more than 26.3 billion VND.
Many good and creative ways
The "Godmother" program was launched by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union in 2021 and has been implemented by women's unions at all levels in Nghe An with many good and creative methods.
Ms. Hoang Thi Thu Hien - Permanent Vice President of the Provincial Women's Union said: Through the review, the number of children who are orphans of both parents or orphans of one parent in difficult and especially difficult circumstances in the province is quite large, while the "strength" of the organization is limited. Therefore, the viewpoint and guiding ideology of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Women's Union, in addition to the internal strength and efforts of the organization, needs to spread the program, mobilize the participation of the entire political system and the social community to join hands and contribute to helping orphans.
Accordingly, in addition to promoting communication work, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Women's Union has issued a document to departments, branches, sectors, provincial-level socio-political organizations, agencies and enterprises to call for cooperation and registration to sponsor orphans. The Provincial Women's Union has organized the program "Godmother - Connecting love", associated with the launching ceremony of the "Godmother" program with the introduction of 32 organizations and individuals accepting to be "Godmothers" for 63 orphans with a total committed support amount of more than 2.8 billion VND to spread.
At each facility, there have been separate, creative and effective ways of doing things. For example, in Que Phong district, the Women's Association advised the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee to issue a plan, along with assigning specific targets to each Party organization and agencies, units, localities and schools to sponsor at least 1-2 orphans in difficult circumstances. By doing so, each Party organization, agency and unit in the area acts as a "Godmother", along with mobilizing and connecting with charitable organizations and individuals outside the area, the whole district has sponsored 125 orphans in especially difficult circumstances.
In Nghi Loc district, in addition to promoting propaganda, raising awareness, responsibility, and cooperation of the entire political system and the social community, the women's association from the district to the grassroots level has organized many fundraising models to care for orphans. The most popular models are "Collecting scrap to raise funds", "Car washing to raise funds", "Selling flowers to raise funds", "Old books - new hope", "Helping children go to school"...
Ms. Hoang Thi Thu Hien, Permanent Vice President of the Provincial Women's Union, said: The results of the review up to May 2024, the whole province currently has 12,084 orphans; of which, 6,745 orphans are in difficult and extremely difficult circumstances. Meanwhile, the number of orphans adopted in the past nearly 3 years is only 2,143; meaning that the number of orphans in difficult circumstances who need support and adoption is still very large.
This is an important task set by the provincial women's associations at all levels, ensuring that more orphans are adopted to support their material lives and, more importantly, to create spiritual support for orphans to continue their dreams on their journey to adulthood./.
