Happiness is sharing with the community
Happiness is not only achieving your own desires and dreams, but also sharing and bringing joy to others. To be happy, we need to live more responsibly, share and love more.
Performed by: Thanh Chung - Technical: Diep Thanh
Happiness is not only achieving your own desires and dreams, but also sharing and bringing joy to others. To be happy, we need to live more responsibly, share and love more.
On the occasion of International Day of Happiness March 20, Nghe An Newspaper reporter had an interview with Mr. Ho Minh Nam (37 years old), in Quynh Van commune, Quynh Luu district - Member of the Fatherland Front Committee of Quynh Luu district, Chairman of the Blood Donation Club of Nghe An province.
PV: March 20th is known as the International Day of Happiness. This day has the message: Balance and harmony are the keys to happiness... What is your concept of happiness?
Mr. Ho Minh Nam:I think happiness is not frivolous, nor is it a luxury. Happiness is a deep desire of every family member. For each person, the concept of happiness is different. And in each person, the concept of happiness at each moment is also different.
Take me as an example. I was born into a poor farming family with many children. When I was young, my happiness was getting 10s and having full meals. However, in 11th grade, although I was a good student, I dropped out of school. At that time, I thought that it would be difficult to find a job even if I continued studying, so I might as well go out early and work to earn money to help my family. At that time, happiness for me was a life full of material things. Because of that concept, I followed my brothers and friends to work abroad in the United Arab Emirates.
After 2 years of working abroad, in 2010, I returned to do business and trade locally. Along with that, I "re-" participated in the Youth Union activities in the hamlet and commune. Before going abroad to work, I was the Secretary of the Youth Union branch of the hamlet. At this time, my concept of happiness is no longer simply a full life but also being able to contribute to building my homeland and country.
Later, when I participated in donating blood to save people, established the Quynh Luu District Voluntary Blood Donation Club, Nghe An Province; along with organizing charity activities to help people in difficult circumstances... happiness for me is to share my source of life to save people, taking action to contribute to helping my fellow countrymen escape poverty.
PV: Can you tell us about your own experiences, from which you formed the view: Happiness is sharing life resources and helping people in difficult circumstances?
Mr. Ho Minh Nam:In 2007, I had the opportunity to donate blood for the first time to save a life. That year, when I went to Nghe An General Hospital to take care of my father, I saw a couple sitting and crying in the hallway of the hospital room. Out of curiosity, I learned that their son was in critical condition and needed a blood transfusion urgently, but the hospital had run out of type O blood and his family members lived far away. Sympathizing with his situation, I volunteered to donate blood. I was very happy that when I tested, I also had type O blood...
Thanks to my extra blood unit, the child got through the critical stage and was gradually cured by the doctors. This spontaneous blood donation gave me more insight into life and human relationships. I realized that: Helping people, especially those in difficult circumstances, is a great happiness... Right after that blood donation, I left my phone number with the hospital and told them that whenever they needed type O blood to save a patient, the doctors could call me. Up to now, I have donated blood 60 times in emergency situations.
After returning home from the hospital, I shared my story of donating blood to save lives and my thoughts with my friends and neighbors. At the same time, I also called on everyone to join me in donating blood to save lives. At that time, most people were still quite unfamiliar with the story of donating blood. So, partly out of “curiosity”, partly out of the thought of doing good deeds, many people responded, willing to accompany me to donate blood whenever there was a patient in need.
In 2007, my friends and I spent our own money to take a bus to Nghe An General Hospital to donate blood to save lives. We voluntarily donated blood and platelets many times for patients without receiving any compensation. After that, in Quynh Van commune, a very meaningful blood donation movement was formed, with many young people participating.
PV: It is known that through your activities, you have contributed to the formation of a volunteer and blood donation community with thousands of participants. Can you tell us more about this community?
Mr. Ho Minh Nam:In 2010, after returning from abroad, I continued to actively connect with my group of like-minded people and participate in blood donation activities to save lives. To make the group's activities more organized, in 2018, I proposed and asked for the opinion of Quynh Van commune, Quynh Luu district Red Cross Society, Nghe An province to establish Quynh Van commune Blood Donation Club, then expanded and changed the name to Quynh Luu district Humanitarian Blood Donation Club, Nghe An province Humanitarian Blood Donation Club.
The club was formed, and I was elected by the members as the chairman. The club has set out specific principles and regulations for its operations. A strict principle is that “Anyone who donates blood is not allowed to collect any money or remuneration”. It must be said that all club members are very enthusiastic about saving people and are responsible to the community. The club gradually became more organized and grew stronger.
From the situation where every time a patient needed blood, we had to call and go to their house to find them, we now have a club with a fanpage to spread information and attract many young people to participate. From 80 initial members, mainly from Quynh Luu district, to date, the club has had over 5,000 participants from all over the country, becoming a widespread humanitarian blood donation network. The blood donation club operates mainly in Nghe An, but when there are patients in need of help in Hanoi, Ha Tinh, Thanh Hoa, our volunteers are still ready to go.
Joining hands for the community, even during the Covid-19 pandemic, when traveling is difficult, we are still ready, regardless of danger, to help patients in urgent need of blood. Or at New Year's Eve, we are still ready to donate blood. On average, each year, the club has donated thousands of units of blood, contributing to supplementing the blood reserve for hospitals and emergency patients.
During my trips to the hospital to donate blood, I also witnessed many patients in extremely difficult circumstances who needed help. To help such situations, my club members and I organized many volunteer activities, such as organizing free meals, giving gifts, supporting hospital fees, and medicine costs. Later, the club expanded its volunteer activities such as organizing nutritious meals, giving gifts, and building houses for families in difficult circumstances, especially in mountainous areas. On average, each year, my club members and I mobilize and contribute more than 2 billion VND to help families in difficult circumstances and support patients.
PV: Do your family members support your “taking on the burden of prison”? Do you ever feel tired of “eating at home and taking on social responsibilities”?
Mr. Ho Minh Nam:Honestly, at first, many relatives did not really support my blood donation and blood donation campaign. Because in those years, the media in particular and the propaganda and blood donation campaign were not as popular as they are now. Therefore, many people still did not understand the benefits of blood donation, and even thought that blood donation was harmful to health. However, after I explained it clearly, everyone understood and supported my actions.
Among my relatives, my wife is the most supportive person. My wife and I "got together" when we both participated in the Youth Union and volunteer work. Therefore, my wife understands the nature of my community activities and those of the club members. The blood donation club is a non-profit club. However, to maintain the club, it is clear that some funds are needed to organize meetings and exchanges. At this time, as the chairman, I am responsible for paying those expenses. I discussed with my wife, "whether the business is profitable or not, every year we will set aside a few tens of millions of dong for the club members to meet." My wife always agrees with her husband's decisions.
I am happy and joyful with my blood donation and volunteer activities, so I have never felt tired. On the contrary, looking back on the past 18 years, these activities have given me a lot. Firstly, I have traveled a lot, met and made friends with many people - people with kind and loving hearts. They have helped me gain more knowledge, motivation to rise up and live more positively. Secondly, helping others is helping myself. Every smile, every grateful look of a sick person, a person in difficult circumstances... is positive energy for progress. Thirdly, these actions are always recognized, praised and honored by society. Since 2017, I have received many Certificates of Merit from the People's Committee of Nghe An province, the Ministry of Health, the Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An province; Certificates of Merit from the Provincial Red Cross Society and the People's Committee of Quynh Luu district.
PV: In the near future, do you have any plans to contribute to building a happy community?
Mr. Ho Minh Nam:Community happiness is built from small bricks - that is family happiness. Personally, my wife and I continue to love and try to raise our children well. So that they grow up to be good citizens, continuing to contribute to society.
As for the blood donation club, we will continue to maintain our activities. As long as there are people who need blood, we will continue to donate blood, because every drop of blood donated is a chance to save someone else's life. In addition, the club will also promote volunteer activities, help the poor; donate hair to cancer patients; coordinate with the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center to promote and mobilize people to register to donate organs. At this point, the club has mobilized more than 40 people to register. I myself have also registered to donate organs.
PV: Thank you!
In June 2012, the United Nations declared March 20 as the International Day of Happiness. To date, 193 member countries, including Vietnam, have pledged to support, act, be more active and make more efforts to build a world of solidarity, improve the quality of life, build a fair society, develop sustainably, and bring happiness to humanity. The International Day of Happiness carries the message: Balance and harmony are one of the keys to happiness.
In Vietnam, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 2589/QD-TTg dated December 26, 2013 approving the Project "Organizing activities on the occasion of the International Day of Happiness on March 20 every year" to continue implementing the goal of developing social security, building prosperous, progressive and happy Vietnamese families; raising awareness of the whole society about the International Day of Happiness, thereby taking specific and practical actions to build happy families and happy communities of Vietnamese people; calling for cooperation and assistance from domestic and foreign organizations and individuals for activities on the occasion of the International Day of Happiness.
