'Adopted Children of Border Guards' - A Model to Help Orphaned Children Fulfill Their Dreams

A loving home

More than five years have passed since the two Thai ethnic boys, Ngan Tran Khang (born in 2011), residing in Muong Phu village, and Quang Nhat Linh (born in 2009), residing in Muong Piet village, Thong Thu commune, Que Phong district, were brought to the Thong Thu Border Guard Post's shelter by their "fathers" in green uniforms for nurturing and care.

Both children have extremely tragic circumstances. The boy, Ngan Tran Khang, lost his father to a terminal illness when he was only 4 years old, while his younger brother was still in his mother's womb. Khang's father was from Tien Phong commune (Que Phong district), but after remarrying, he settled permanently in Thong Thu commune, his wife's hometown. Their stable life didn't last long before cancer struck.

After her husband passed away, Khang's mother struggled to pay off debts while raising two young children, forcing her to send Khang and his brother to live with their maternal grandparents, Lo Van Phu and Lo Thi Hoa, while she went to the South to find work. After some time, Khang's mother remarried, and Khang and his brother lived with their frail grandparents, making life extremely difficult. Because of these unfortunate circumstances, Khang is quite small for his age, with sad eyes and a shy, timid demeanor.

Similar to Khang's situation, Quang Nhat Linh also lost his father early due to a work accident. While clearing land for rice cultivation, due to carelessness, Linh's father was crushed to death by a large rock. His family is also classified as a poor household, so their lives are still very precarious and difficult.

Aware of the difficult circumstances of the two children, at the end of 2019, the Thong Thu Border Guard Station took Khang and Linh in for care and support, providing both material and emotional assistance so that they could continue their education and not have their studies interrupted due to their personal circumstances.

Initially, living away from their families with the uncles and aunts at the border guard post, the two boys were like bewildered little birds, both excited and apprehensive as they adjusted to military discipline. At first, they were entrusted to the care of the officers and soldiers, who were also youth union members of the post, who guided them in everything from personal hygiene, meals, and sleep to their studies.

Major Pham Duc Tinh - former Secretary of the Youth Union at Thong Thu Border Guard Station (currently transferred to Keng Du Border Guard Station (Ky Son)) - was one of the first people assigned the task of raising the two children. He said: "In the beginning, taking care of the children was quite difficult because they were used to a free lifestyle at home, and now they had to adapt to a structured routine and adhere to a schedule, which they weren't used to. Tutoring them in their studies was also a challenging process requiring patience and perseverance because they had lost their foundational knowledge and needed to be tutored from scratch."

Furthermore, the children were all quiet and introverted, so the caregivers had to spend a lot of time getting close to them, talking to them, and sharing with them so that they gradually changed, becoming more open, quick-witted, and lively. Their studies also improved, and they learned to take care of their personal hygiene, fold their clothes, and keep their bedding neat...

Besides following a strict schedule, Khang and Linh also got acquainted with agricultural production alongside the uncles, and participated in physical activities and sports to improve their health and fitness.

The children also received clothes, shoes, books, and notebooks from their border guard "foster fathers," who took turns driving them to school. Despite being cared for attentively by their border guard "foster fathers," Khang and Linh couldn't avoid feeling lonely and homesick at times, occasionally even sneaking back home.

Lieutenant Colonel Ho Dang Thao, Deputy Political Officer of Thong Thu Border Guard Station, said: "Understanding the children's feelings, we often talk to them and encourage them. On holidays, we take them back to their villages to visit their families so they can ease their homesickness. Now, the station is almost like a second home for Khang and Linh. Every weekend or holiday, they can go home on their own, but they come back to visit us again soon after..."

Nurture your dreams.

Currently, Ngan Tran Khang and Quang Nhat Linh are in secondary school and attend Thong Thu Ethnic Boarding Secondary School, about 9 km from the border guard post. Because the distance is quite far, the two children stay at the school's boarding facility and return to their "foster fathers" at the border guard task force in Loc village (Thong Thu commune) on weekends for convenience.

However, that did not diminish the care that the military "foster fathers" showed for the two children.

According to Major Dinh Xuan Thao, head of the border guard task force in Loc village (Thong Thu Border Guard Station), "We regularly contact the teachers at school to inquire about the children's studies and daily lives. On weekends, we help them with their homework and review the week's lessons. Having lived with us for quite a long time, the two brothers are very well-behaved and self-disciplined, and they often encourage each other to try their best."

At the Task Force, Khang and Linh were provided with comfortable accommodation and a study corner with all the necessary supplies. With the children living with them, the border guards became even busier. On hot or rainy days, they assigned someone to take the children to and from school. In the evenings, they still had to stay up late, guiding and helping the children complete their homework. These warm moments helped them ease their longing for their families and children back home.

Captain Tang Van Cong (from Dien Chau) has been assigned to the border guard task force in Ban Loc for over a year. That's also the time he's spent with Khang and Linh. For him, caring for the children is like caring for his own, making up for the love that fathers give to orphaned children.

Over the past period, implementing the "Adopted Children of Border Guard Posts - Supporting Children's Education" program, border guard posts have carried out many timely programs and activities to support orphaned children without guardians or those from disadvantaged families in border areas. Through this, many students have had the opportunity to change their lives, attend school, and live in the love, care, and support of the soldiers in green uniforms.

Ngan Tran Khang and Quang Nhat Linh are the first two students to be adopted by the border guard station. In addition, the Thong Thu Border Guard Station also sponsors three students under the "Helping Children Go to School" program, including Vu Kia Dua, a third-grade student living in Nam Tay village (Vieng Phan cluster, Sam To district, Hua Phan province, Laos).

The love and special care from the border guards have nurtured the dreams and motivated unfortunate individuals like Khang and Linh to overcome difficulties and rise above their circumstances. The more than five years they spent living with their foster fathers, the border guards, also helped them understand more about family, friendship, and camaraderie, fostering a strong bond of love and mutual support in their studies and daily lives. Thanks to this attentive care, both children have achieved improved academic results and good conduct.

Sitting close together in their new clothes, bought for them by their border guard foster fathers, Khang and Linh's faces lit up with joy and emotion. When asked about their future career aspirations, the two boys confidently replied, "We will try our best to study hard to become border guards, protecting the border, our village, and our homeland like you uncles and aunts!"

Speaking about the role of soldiers in the local area in supporting the education of children, Ms. Luong Thi Hong, Secretary of the Party Committee of Thong Thu commune, said: "As a mountainous border commune located in the Northwest of Que Phong district, with a border adjacent to the Lao People's Democratic Republic stretching 33.737 km, Thong Thu commune has a population of 1,152 households/5,104 people, distributed across 8 villages with 7 main ethnic groups: Kinh, Thai, Tho, Muong, Kho Mu, Dao, and Kor. Of these, the Thai ethnic group accounts for 99%. The terrain is mainly hilly and mountainous, infrastructure is not yet fully developed; the level of education is uneven; and the percentage of poor and near-poor households in Thong Thu commune remains high (374 poor households, accounting for 33.01%; 313 near-poor households, accounting for 27.63%)."

Over the years, thanks to the support and cooperation of the border guard stationed in the area, the lives of the people have improved significantly, and the education of their children has been taken care of. "Especially with the 'Border Guard's Adopted Children - Supporting Education' model, we believe that, under the nurturing and support of these children who are Border Guard officers, they will one day become useful citizens for society…," said Ms. Luong Thi Hong.

Not only at Thong Thu Border Guard Post,Programme"Helping children get to school - Children adopted by border guard posts"It has been deployed throughout the entire force. To date, the Nghe An Border Guard hasProviding support to 96 students from disadvantaged backgrounds.,500,000 VND per child per month.(including 16 students from Laos) and providing care and support for 18 adopted children at various locations.Border guard noise.

In addition, the units under the Provincial Border Guard Command alsotSuccessfully implement the project "Military officers and soldiers helping children get to school"., accordingly, receive support150 children in the areaborder area;Successfully implemented the "Accompanying Dormitories in Border Areas" model for 65 Dan Lai students at the boarding school of Mon Son Secondary School (Con Cuong).