Warm Tet journey for the poor

(Baonghean) - When I started writing this article, I suddenly remembered the saying of Diderot - a French thinker, that: "The happiest person is the one who brings happiness to others". Indeed, on the year-end journey to the poor people in the western region of Nghe An, we really felt warmer because the hardships were shared and the joy was multiplied. That was the journey of a warm Tet for the poor, jointly implemented by Nghe An Newspaper and Ban Ve Hydropower Company.

Our journey began on a mid-January morning in 2014, when the northeast monsoon winds blew relentlessly, bringing with them the dry, cold air of the last day of the lunar year. When we arrived at the headquarters of the People's Committee of Ngoc Lam commune (Thanh Chuong), many people had already arrived. Some were wearing only a thin coat, shivering in the cold wind. There were also gaunt faces standing silently behind bushes, as if both embarrassed and waiting for their names to be called. Trembling, holding in her hands a gift bag from Nghe An Newspaper and Ban Ve Hydropower Company, old lady Lo Thi Pon, from Noong village, Kim Tien commune (Tuong Duong), who moved to the resettlement area of ​​Ngoc Lam commune (Thanh Chuong), could not hide her emotions: "I'm 81 years old, I'm so happy and excited. I'm so old, I don't know what to say. Thank you, the journalist and the hydropower company, for remembering to give me gifts every year...".

Leaders of Nghe An Newspaper share difficulties with sisters Huyen - Ly.

Ngoc Lam Commune, Thanh Chuong District has 1,375 households, 5,786 people and 100% of Thai ethnic people moving to a new place under the resettlement project of Ban Ve Hydropower Plant. It has been nearly 7 years since moving to the new settlement, but people's lives are still extremely difficult. As old lady Luong Thi Dung said, in the past, in her old hometown, she was also poor but every day she still found bamboo shoots and fruits in the mountains and forests. "When you come here, if you don't want to go hungry, you have to do everything with techniques guided by the staff. It's very difficult!" Changing the living environment means changing the habits, living habits, production and working methods of an entire community. Therefore, it is completely possible to sympathize and share the hardships of the people.

During the meeting and giving Tet gifts to the extremely disadvantaged families of Ngoc Lam commune, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Toan - Deputy Director of Ban Ve Hydropower Company said that because of the electricity of the Fatherland, the people accepted to move to the resettlement area, Ban Ve Hydropower Company will never forget that sacrifice. Coming to the poor, sharing difficulties with the people is both the sentiment and the responsibility of those who are managing and operating the largest hydropower project in Nghe An homeland. In that spirit, this year Nghe An Newspaper plays the role of a bridge for many agencies, units and businesses to organize activities to support the poor to celebrate Tet. In Ngoc Lam commune, the delegation directly gave 70 gifts to families in extremely difficult circumstances, thereby encouraging people to celebrate the traditional Tet of the nation.

In the cold weather at the end of the year, the meeting with the poor people of Ngoc Lam seemed to become warmer with the confidences of Mr. Lo Hoai Dung - Chairman of the Commune People's Committee: "There are still some people whose thoughts are not clear, some people still want to return to the Ban Ve lake area. But think about it, we have lived for hundreds of years in the mountainous area but still have not escaped poverty and backwardness. So, don't be impatient when we have only been in Ngoc Lam for six or seven years. Moreover, the elderly now have a health station to take care of their health. Children can go to school properly. Traffic routes are convenient to each house. The more the Party, the State and the sectors encourage and support us, the more grateful we are and try harder. We will not be poor forever..." Indeed, this Tet, two households have left the Ban Ve lake area to return to the resettlement area in Ngoc Lam commune.

Like Ngoc Lam commune, 100% of households in Thanh Son commune are Thai ethnic people from Kim Da and Huu Duong communes (Tuong Duong) who moved to a new place of residence under the resettlement project of Ban Ve Hydropower Plant. After nearly 7 years of moving to the new land, 1,148 households, although having to change their living habits, still have many shortages in life, but the most remarkable thing according to Mr. Vi Thanh Vien - Chairman of Thanh Son Commune People's Committee is that no household has returned to their old settlement. Therefore, the 80 gifts that Ban Ve Hydropower Company gave to poor households in the commune are meaningful as a source of encouragement and motivation for people to strive to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty in the new land.

Following National Highway 7A, we went up to Ban Ve Lake to visit poor households in Yen Na and Xieng My communes, Tuong Duong district. The Co Phao village cultural house, Yen Na commune, is located on a steep hill. Ms. Luong Thi Mai Huong - Village Chief welcomed us with a friendly smile, holding in her hand a list of 20 households in especially difficult circumstances who would receive Tet gifts on this occasion. "To tell you the truth, out of more than 60 households in the village, 29 are poor, it took a long time to consider before choosing." - Having said that, the female Village Chief quickly read each person on the list to receive gifts. Although he was holding a bag of rice and a bag of Tet gifts he had just received, Mr. Luong Van Hoa still lingered, his eyes fixed on the Nghe An newspaper, Tet Giap Ngo issue. When he was given the latest publications of Nghe An newspaper that still smelled of ink, he smiled toothlessly: "Over 80 years old. Still reading. Good newspaper." Through investigation, it was found that Mr. Luong Van Hoa's family is the most difficult in Co Phao village. His wife has been paralyzed for nearly 3 years due to a stroke. His son is sick, so the family can only make ends meet.

During the journey of implementing the warm Tet program for the poor in the upper reaches of the Ca River, we witnessed many scenes of hard work and deprivation. The old year is gradually passing and the new year is approaching, but to have an extra bowl of rice for children during the cold days at the end of the year is also a problem for poor families. Therefore, the few kilograms of rice, bags of cakes, packages of MSG, cooking oil, and jam given to each poor family before Tet may not be much, but it has partly brought joy to the people when Spring is near. Mr. Lo Xuan Tinh - Chairman of the People's Committee of Xieng My Commune (Tuong Duong) was very excited and sincere when saying that Nghe An Newspaper has helped Xieng My Commune a lot in the past time. It is impossible to express all the feelings and gratitude that the people of the commune have for the Newspaper. “Less than 20 days ago, the Newspaper called on businesses and philanthropists in Hanoi to donate 300 gifts, each worth 500,000 VND (total amount of 150 million VND) to poor households in the commune. Now, Nghe An Newspaper has come directly to give 10 more gifts to the villagers. I can’t express all the joy, but I know that we have to find a way to keep the people from going hungry, the house must be windproof to protect from the morning sun and afternoon rain.”

Our joy does not only come from the fact that 200 gifts have been delivered to those in need. Moreover, in Phay village, Xieng My commune, we also witnessed the representative of Nghe An Newspaper handing over two breeding cows to poor households after separating the herd. According to the decision of the Provincial People's Committee, Nghe An Newspaper was assigned by the Provincial People's Committee to support Xieng My commune. Along with many programs and activities to provide practical support in both material and spiritual terms, at the end of 2011, Nghe An Newspaper supported the commune with 4 breeding cows for poor households. Among the 4 households receiving cows, Mr. Lo Van Pa in Phay village is considered to be the most skillful. Thanks to good breeding, the breeding cow cared for by Mr. Pa has given birth to a calf 9 months ago. Up to now, the mother cow has been transferred to the family of Mr. Vi Van Son, also a poor household in Phay village, to raise. The good news is that the mother cow mentioned above will continue to give birth to a second calf in the coming April.

When preparing to lead the mother cow out of the barn to hand over to the new breeder, Mr. Lo Van Pa was moved to tears, his hands constantly stroking the back of the cow that was about to give birth: "Or let Pa keep it for himself to raise". In the narrow space on the hillside, we saw Pa's eyes filled with regret when the mother cow that he and his wife had taken care of and warmed every day was now led out of the barn, leaving behind a large tree stump that was burning in the cold afternoon. Suddenly, everyone was quiet. Only Vi Van Son, the next person to receive the cow, was overjoyed. He came over and patted Lo Van Pa's shoulder and encouraged his neighbor: "Don't worry. Nghe An journalist also helped me with money to build a barn, the firewood has been burned to warm it up. Don't worry, I will take good care of the cow so it can continue to reproduce".

Also on this occasion, in Cha Hia village, Xieng My commune, Mr. Lo Van Ang’s household will adopt a mother cow after separating the calf for Mr. Lo Van Pay’s family. With the model of giving cows to poor households of Nghe An Newspaper, from the first 4 breeding cows, the number has increased to 6 and will continue to increase by 2 cows in 2014. “We must know what the poor need and what support we can provide. We help people with “fishing rods” but also guide them on how to bring the “fish” to shore.” – the leader of Nghe An Newspaper said so when we returned to the lowlands after a day full of small happiness in the mountainous region of the West.

On the second day of our journey, we headed to Anh Son Town (Anh Son District). In block 1B, the house of two sisters Dang Thi Huyen and Dang Thi Khanh Ly lies humbly and quietly behind the trees in the leaf-shedding season. Only 12 years old, but in the naive thoughts of the 5-year-old sister, Huyen plays both the role of father and mother in every meal and her fitful sleep. In 2010, Dang Van Kieu - Huyen and Ly's father fell ill and passed away, then in 2013, Tran Thi Hoa - their mother also passed away from a serious illness. The two young children, who did not even know how to hold chopsticks straight, had to spend their nights and days shivering and empty. Since their mother passed away, Huyen and Ly have been living on the care and protection of their aunt, uncle and neighbors. Unfortunately, her aunt and uncle's house was far away and, like the other relatives of the two cousins, they were in extremely difficult circumstances. Dang Thi Huyen's big eyes with thick eyelashes contained so much undefined sadness about the countless hardships that awaited her ahead. But what Huyen knew most clearly was that she and her sister would never again be held in their mother's arms, or hear her choked up calling each of their names before her death.

The tragic circumstances and losses of the two sisters Dang Thi Huyen and Dang Thi Khanh Ly have been reported to readers by Nghe An Newspaper in a number of previous articles. And this time, on the eve of the New Year, to share the hardships and deprivations of the children, Nghe An Newspaper has given two gifts worth 2 million VND to help them celebrate Tet with peace of mind. The sympathy of those working in propaganda has created a positive effect. Through Nghe An Newspaper, a business in Hanoi has transferred 2 million VND to support the two sisters so that they can have a less lonely Tet. Also on this occasion, the Fatherland Front Committee of Anh Son Town donated 5 million VND; the Association for Promoting Education of Anh Son Town donated 600 thousand VND, and the Association of Former Teachers donated 300 thousand VND. These are truly kind hearts with the meaning of sharing and encouraging those in difficult circumstances, helping the children gain more strength, gradually overcoming the pain of fate for a brighter tomorrow.

During our journey to the poor in the last days of the year, we experienced many different levels of emotions. There are still lingering feelings that are difficult to put into words. The poor really need such sharing.

Article and photos:Peach Blossom