The pitiful family situation of two Khmu boys

Oc Van Quy and Oc Van Mui are two brothers living in the Huoi May residential area of ​​Cam Pom village, Cam Muon commune, Que Phong district (Nghe An). Quy is in 5th grade, Mui is in 3rd grade at Huoi May school.

This satellite school currently has 19 students in grades 1, 2, 3 and 5, taught by 2 male teachers. This residential area is more than 30 km from the commune center, including 7 km of steep mountain passes through Nam Nhoong commune, so access to this area is very difficult. There are no roads or phone signals here, and economic life is the most difficult in Que Phong district.

Talking about the situation of Quy and Mui, teacher Lo Van Thanh - a teacher who has been living in Huoi May since 2009 - shared: "In the past few days, their family ran out of rice, so Quy and Mui mainly had to rely on other families in the village to eat. The teacher also shared a little of his rice with them, but it was not possible for them to do so for long."

In the cold weather below 10 degrees Celsius, Quy and Mui were thinly dressed in their school uniform jackets, which were relief supplies from charitable organizations. Teacher Lo Van E - a teacher who has been stationed in Huoi May since 2020 - said that occasionally, students here still receive relief clothes and rice from local authorities and benefactors.

Quy and Mui's family situation became more difficult since mid-2023, when their mother was seriously injured by her husband with a homemade gun. According to their grandfather, around July 2023, Oc Van Son (36 years old), during an argument, used a homemade gun to threaten to shoot his wife, Lu Thi Nhan (31 years old). While the two were struggling, the gun went off, seriously injuring Nhan.

Quy and Mui's father was later arrested and is awaiting trial. After recovering, their mother took her young children and returned to her maternal home in Huu Khuong Commune, Tuong Duong District. With no parents to care for them, and their grandparents being old and weak, they could no longer go to the forest to pick bamboo shoots to earn money to buy rice to feed their grandchildren. Quy and Mui often had to go hungry or rely on other families in Huoi May for food.

Teacher Lo Van Thanh said: "Without help, the possibility that Quy and Mui will have to drop out of school is very high."

When asked about his family's current situation, Mr. Oc Van Sinh (70 years old) said he loves his grandchildren but doesn't know what else to do because he himself often has to go hungry.

Mr. Lo Van Tung - Chairman of Cam Muon Commune People's Committee said: "The local government has grasped the situation of the two children in Huoi May and has come up with a plan to help. Currently, there is a charity organization in Hanoi that promises to take care of the two children until they are 15 years old. But the immediate life of the two children is very difficult."