Grain of rice of love

(Baonghean)Responding to the Campaign “Studying and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh”, the Women’s Association of Hanh Tien village, Chau Hanh commune (Quy Chau) has actively launched many emulation movements to build a new life for women. In particular, the model “Charity rice jar” has helped many poor women in the village.

Rice loading teams at Ms. Pham Thu Uyen's family

In the kitchen of Ms. Tran Thi Ly, there is a plastic bucket called "Love Rice Jar". She said: "I think, if we reduce a handful of rice for our family meal, it's okay, but it also helps others, so from the day I went to the meeting and heard the officials deploy this model, I went home and implemented it right away. Last month, I contributed 3kg of rice". Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai (a civil servant family) said: "I actively participate in this movement because I am luckier than many other women, with little money but a lot of heart, each meal cooking and sharing a handful of rice is not much, but I have the joy of helping women who are in more difficult circumstances than me".

Many members share the same thoughts as Ms. Ly and Ms. Mai, so from the initial 1 jar of rice, up to now, the Women's Association of Hanh Tien village has 3 jars of love rice/3 groups with 40 members participating. Every month, when the association meets, the groups bring their rice jars to the meeting place to contribute to the association's common love rice jar. This amount of rice is considered by the women in consultation with the Party cell and the Village Front Committee to support poor women, women in difficult circumstances, the elderly and the sick, etc.

Ms. Pham Thu Uyen - Head of the Women's Association of Hanh Tien village recalled: "When it was first launched, some women did not agree, but the Executive Committee of the association persistently encouraged women to participate with a gentle and friendly attitude, so that members voluntarily opened their hearts to women in difficulty. During the implementation process, we were transparent and received the support of members". Therefore, from January 2012 to now, the Women's Association of Hanh Tien village has collected dozens of kilograms of rice and hundreds of thousands of VND in cash to support women in difficult circumstances in the village. For example, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Quang (70 years old), a poor household, was supported with 10 kilograms of rice and 50 thousand VND in cash, and Ms. Tran Thi Nga (39 years old), who is blind in both eyes, received rice twice during the lean season. Ms. Nga emotionally told us: "Recently, I received nearly 100,000 VND and 15 kg of rice from the women in the village. I used the money to buy medicine, and the rice each time helped my mother and I eat for about 10 days...".

In addition to supporting rice for the poor in the village, in the past, the Women's Union of Hanh Tien village also mobilized women to donate cash to support flood victims with 500,000 VND. The family of Lo Van Ca (in Na Xen village) whose wife, Vi Thi Hong, was swept away by the flood was supported with 200,000 VND. The two families of Vi Thi Mai and Lim Thi Lan (in Dinh Tien village), who are poor and disadvantaged ethnic minorities, each received 100,000 VND... In particular, on International Children's Day (June 1, 2012), the union donated and awarded poor students in the village with the amount of 1,200,000 VND.

Up to now, the "Rice Jar of Love" movement following Uncle Ho's words of the Women's Association of Hanh Tien village has not only stopped at members but also expanded to all families in the whole village.

Tran Ngoc Lan