In a small, simple house at the end of Tan Giang hamlet (Quynh Bang commune, Quynh Luu district), every afternoon, little Hoang Danh Hong Linh waits for his “mother” to come. Because after a long day of studying, he has so many difficult math problems that need his mother to help him. And there are so many happy and sad stories in class that he wants to share with his mother. The mother he waits for is also his homeroom teacher, the person who adopted him and treated him as his own flesh and blood since he was unfortunately orphaned.
Quickly wiping away tears when talking about her grandchild's situation, Mrs. Ho Thi Hien (born in 1954) said that Linh is her grandchild. Linh's father passed away when Linh was not yet 1 year old. In 2019, after a long illness, Linh's mother discovered that she had liver cancer. The family had nothing but a few quintals of rice and a few pigs, which had to be sold to pay for hospital bills. But all efforts failed to keep her daughter. After only a few months of treatment, Linh's mother passed away. At that time, grieving over the loss of her child, with no property left in the house, the two of them fell into a state of despair. Linh was in 5th grade at that time, facing the risk of having to drop out of school.
At that time, Ms. Hoa, a Math-IT teacher at Quynh Bang Secondary School, who also lived in the same commune as Linh, promptly came to encourage and comfort the grandmother and grandchild. Before that, she was also the one who directly connected her former students and friends to Linh's situation to raise money for his mother's medical treatment. Understanding the great loss that Linh had to go through, after Linh's mother passed away, she always accompanied him to cover and help him maintain his studies. At that time, in addition to giving him books, clothes, and supporting him with daily expenses, she also connected him with benefactors. Thanks to that, he and his grandmother had more necessary support to revive their lives.
After 3 years of being guided by his adoptive mother, Hoa is now a diligent and studious 8th grader at Quynh Bang Secondary School. He has outstanding abilities in A-group subjects, has been an excellent all-round student for many years, and has been trusted and elected as class monitor by his friends and teachers. That effort has helped him become one of the outstanding students who have overcome difficulties to study well in the coastal land of Quynh Luu.
Witnessing her child's growth, Ms. Hoa could not forget the early days, "Witnessing my child's situation made me heartbroken, because I was also born in difficult circumstances, and was also at risk of dropping out of school in 7th grade when my family was too poor. But then, it was my homeroom teacher who helped me both materially and spiritually so that I could continue studying and fulfill my dream. My teacher always said that she did not need me to repay her, she only wanted me to help other unfortunate lives so that they could regain faith and love in life."
When I helped Linh, I only helped her out of the love of a woman who witnessed a life of helplessness and hardship. I never dared to think that I would become her foster mother. Because the word mother is too sacred, and I was afraid that I would not fulfill my duty. But it was her feelings, the loving words "mother" that she called me during those days of despair, that changed my mind, that I would try my best to shelter and protect her on the journey of life ahead."
Saying goodbye to mother and son, we wished to take a picture of Linh with the person he loved and called his mother for the past 3 years. Although, the original intention was to have a picture of him smiling happily next to his mother. But Linh cried. In that moment, he hugged his mother tightly. Perhaps, the heart of an 11-year-old boy with many wounds was warmed again since his mother protected him...
The journey to help disadvantaged people in Quynh Bang commune, especially orphans, began in 2000, when Ms. Hoa graduated from university and returned to Quynh Bang. 22 years of being a teacher is also the number of years she has encouraged and helped many unfortunate lives in Quynh Luu district. In addition to Linh, other children such as Ho Van Ngoc, a 4th grader at Quynh Bang Primary School, or Nguyen Thi Hoa Sen, an 11th grader at Quynh Luu District Vocational Education and Continuing Education Center, have also been protected and cared for by her. They are all orphans, and their relatives are in difficult circumstances and cannot provide much support.
Cherishing the notebooks that Ms. Hoa bought for her at the beginning of the school year, Sen confided: “I don’t have a father, since I was little, it was just my mother and I who relied on each other. I used to dream of learning a real job so that I could support my mother in the future. However, in 2020, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. Although she was sick, she still had to endure the pain to do many jobs to make a living. At that time, I thought I needed to drop out of school, that was the shortest way for me to work for hire and have money.
Putting aside my studies, my mother was sad, I was sad too, feeling like I had lost the direction I had chosen for so long. In that situation, Ms. Hoa came to encourage me and my mother. She bought me books, school supplies, and stood up to call for tuition support in grade 10. In grade 11, it was also Ms. Hoa who helped me overcome my inferiority complex and continue going to school."
As someone who has accompanied Ms. Hoa in many volunteer activities, Ms. Tran Thi Ha - President of the Women's Union of Quynh Luu district shared that in the past time, Ms. Hoang Thi Thai Hoa and many of her former students have joined together to share and help many unfortunate situations in the district. She seems to have become a second mother to guide the children in their studies as well as in their daily lives. Thanks to that, many homes that once lacked the love and warmth of their parents are now warmed by the love of their adoptive mothers.
Her gesture has spread strongly to women in the area, contributing with the District Women's Union to successfully implement the "Godmother" program built by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union with many humane meanings and adding to the beautiful image of Vietnamese women in the new era.
