3rd grade girl takes care of her grandmother alone

(Baonghean.vn) - Her mother works far away, living alone with her old and sick grandmother. Her family is poor, but poor student Nguyen Thi Huong, a 3B student at Quynh Hoa Secondary School, still strives to overcome her circumstances to become an excellent student and an active class officer.

We visited the family of poor student Nguyen Thi Huong in Hamlet 6, Quynh Hoa Commune at the beginning of the new school year. The old, shabby house is where Huong and her grandmother live. Her grandmother is old and weak, often sick, and life for the two of them is extremely difficult.

Huong's grandmother choked up as she told about her granddaughter's difficult situation. Huong is the daughter of Nguyen Thi Truong, her grandmother's eldest daughter. Previously, because her family was poor, Truong was not agile and had a slow intellectual development, so she only finished 4th grade. In 1999, Truong was unfortunately tricked and sold to China and forced to become the concubine of a 70-year-old man, and gave birth to Huong.

Nguyen Thi Huong and her grandmother depend on each other, life is extremely difficult. Photo: Thanh Toan

After 15 years of humiliation as a wife in a foreign land, the unfortunate woman finally managed to find her way home. She brought her daughter, Huong, who was 10 years old at the time, back to her hometown for a while. After that, she sent her daughter to her grandmother and went to the South to work, only returning home occasionally to visit.

To take care of her granddaughter, Mrs. Nhi tried to work for hire. But now her health is poor, and the pain in her spine is tormenting her, making her unable to cope. All her activities now depend on her granddaughter. The two of them have no source of income, and the little money they have saved, Huong uses to buy medicine for her grandmother, so she has to eat instant noodles every day.

Mrs. Nhi confided in tears: “For the past three days, I have been in pain and have had to lie in bed. In the morning, my grandchild cooks medicine for me to take. At noon, after school, my grandchild cooks porridge for me to eat. But how can I bear to see my grandchild having to eat instant noodles all day long except for meals...”.

The dilapidated house of Nguyen Thi Huong and her grandmother in Hamlet 6, Quynh Hoa Commune, Quynh Luu. Photo: Thanh Toan

Although her life was poor, Huong was aware of her circumstances early on and always tried hard to study. At the age of 10, when she followed her mother back from China to her hometown, Huong was able to go to first grade. When she first went to school, she did not know Vietnamese but only Chinese, and had difficulty communicating with teachers and friends. However, 3 years later, she could speak Vietnamese fluently and clearly, especially her handwriting was very beautiful. For the past two years, she has been praised by the school for her clean notebooks and beautiful handwriting. In the second semester exams for Vietnamese and Math, she always got 10 points. Not only is she a good student and a good student, but Huong also participates very actively and enthusiastically in the activities of the Youth Union and the Young Pioneers.

“Despite the difficult family circumstances, the two of us had to work hard to make ends meet every day. In the two years of school, I never had breakfast. There were days when teachers and friends felt sorry for me and gave me a box of milk or a piece of cake. But Huong was very diligent, tried hard to overcome difficulties, and was an exemplary class monitor; an outstanding student of the school” - Ms. Ho Thi Loan, homeroom teacher of class 3B, Quynh Hoa Secondary School shared about her unfortunate student.

Overcoming her circumstances, Nguyen Thi Huong is always a good student and a good student. Photo: Thanh Toan

Sympathizing with her situation, at the beginning of every school year, the homeroom teacher and other teachers in the school often borrow and ask for old books from seniors for Huong to study. At the same time, the school also exempts her from some of the contributions during her studies.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Nga - Vice Principal of Quynh Hoa Secondary School said: "The school always encourages and shares to help me overcome my complexes and try to concentrate on my studies. On holidays and Tet, the school also calls for donations to help me. In particular, the school also prioritizes scholarships from the district for me. On this Mid-Autumn Festival, the school also sent a list to the district to send gifts to encourage me and my family."

Huong’s grandmother’s health is getting worse and worse, her spine is aching, her eyes are getting blurry from cataracts and the fatty tumor in her neck is getting bigger every day. But unfortunately, the two of them still have to struggle with every meal, where can they get money for medicine and treatment?

The pitiful situation of this poor student who has overcome difficulties is in dire need of sympathy, sharing and help from the community; to help her realize her dream of "having money to buy medicine to treat her grandmother and continue her dream of going to school".

Please send any help to the address: Mrs. Vu Thi Nhi - Hamlet 6, Quynh Hoa Commune, Quynh Luu District, Nghe An.

Thanh Toan

Quynh Luu Station