Back to school thanks to kind hearts

(Baonghean)It had been a long time since the small houses located in the middle of the Na Co stream had such a happy night. The whole village was awake to prepare the luggage for little Vi Thi Tam to go to Vinh to enroll in the Faculty of Literature at Vinh University.

Vi Thi Tam was born into a Thai ethnic family with 4 siblings in Bun village, Chau Ly commune (Quy Hop). Her parents often worked as hired laborers to make a living, and were constantly sick, so Tam's family was very poor. All 6 children lived in a small isolated hut on a hill far from the village...

After graduating from grade 9, in order to attend high school, Tam asked adults to let her go to work for hire. During the summer months, she worked as a hired weeder for farms in Tan Ky district. With the money she saved, she bought an old bicycle to use as a means of transportation to school, because her house was more than 20km away from the district school. During the 3 years of high school, every day off, she cycled home to join the hired work group to contribute money to pay for her studies. Farms throughout Tan Hop, Giai Xuan (Tan Ky), Ha Son, Van Loi (Quy Hop) have all left their footprints on that poor student...

After the recent high school graduation exam, unlike her peers who were busy looking for university entrance exam preparation classes, Tam packed her bags and went to work. She only had 6 days to review the knowledge of 3 subjects in group C, but her total score was 17 points. The day she received the admission notice to the Faculty of Literature at Vinh University, she burst into tears, happy to be accepted, but her bigger worry was where she would get the money to study.

Since receiving the admission notice, my parents and relatives have met several times to discuss ways for me to go to university, but they have... given up - because all families are in the same poverty. Thinking that there was no other way, Tam quietly applied to go to the South to work as a factory worker, putting aside his dream of going to university that he had cherished for so many days...



Give money to help Vi Thi Tam before she leaves for school.

The day I brought my application for confirmation of my background to work as a factory worker, through talking with me, the local leaders learned more about my family situation. Everyone discussed ways to help me. Through the media, phone calls... my story became known to many people. And, sympathy connected hearts. Immediately after hearing the news, Duyen Hoang Company sent me 3 million VND along with words of encouragement to overcome difficulties to go to school.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Dinh Nghi - Head of Quy Hop District Police called on agency staff to contribute their salaries to support the student. Chau Ly Commune leaders also used their salaries to help the student. Trung Hai Minerals and Trading Joint Stock Company, Phu Quy Stone Company Limited... used their welfare funds to help the student ease some of the difficulties. On September 4 - one day before the student left for school, the Head of Quy Hop District Police together with agency leaders and directors of companies waded across the stream to the student's house to give money and encourage him to enroll. By the end of September 4, the amount of money to help the student enroll in school was more than 14 million VND.

From kind hearts, the dream of going to university of the poor but strong-willed student Vi Thi Tam has come true, and what is greater for her is her belief in this life.

Cao Duy Thai