More than a roof

SMALL HOUSE, BIG HAPPINESS

Visiting the house of Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu - a worker at a packaging company, when her mother, she and her daughter were sitting together chatting in the newly built house located in Hamlet 13, Nghi Lien Commune. Until May 2020, all activities from cooking, eating, sleeping, bathing, studying... of the 3 of them were still confined to a 13 m2 rented room.²damp, dilapidated right next door.

The dilapidated rented house where Thu and her children have lived for more than 10 years is located right next to the new house. Photo: Diep Thanh

Ms. Thu confided: “For the past 2 years, my heart disease has become more serious. I often have difficulty breathing, cannot do heavy work, have to go to the emergency room, and seek treatment everywhere. Since then, my miserable life has become even more miserable. My labor force has decreased, my income has decreased, but my children's school fees, living expenses, and medicine expenses... have increased. Although I know my family needs a healthy home, with an income of less than 2 million VND/month, I don't know when I will be able to save enough money. We would definitely still be living like this if it weren't for the encouragement and support of my colleagues.Union Shelter Programsupport".

When asked about her feelings when living in the new house, Ms. Thu's daughter's eyes sparkled: "The first morning I woke up in the new house, I kept looking at the white walls, feeling surprised and extremely happy. Then, on my birthday, for the first time, I invited my friends to come over to play."

This year, the two young children of Ms. Pham Thi Ngan - Nghi Quang Secondary School, Nghi Loc District, will celebrate New Year's Eve in their new home, not at their grandmother's house, nor in a rented house. Her husband works far away, and Ms. Ngan is alone taking care of her two young children with limping legs due to atrophy on one side. The "Union Shelter" program came at the right time when the couple was planning to rebuild their old house. The small house is not only the passion of the couple but also the joint efforts and sharing of the union organization, the care and support of colleagues.

This year, Ms. Ngan's children will celebrate New Year's Eve in a new house. Photo: Diep Thanh

Having attended many “Union Shelter” house donation ceremonies, Ms. Nguyen Hoang Yen (Nghe An Provincial Federation of Labor) still remembers clearly the emotions she witnessed. Those were the happy tears of Mr. Cut Van Kham - a union member of Ban Canh Hydropower Plant, Ta Ca Commune, Ky Son District, whose house was swept away by the flood; That was the choked up gratitude of Ms. Lo Thi Huong - a teacher at Lang Khe Primary School (Con Cuong), whose family is poor, with all the sick and ill people in the house; That was the happy smile of Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy - Dong Vinh Kindergarten (Vinh City), a single mother, whose husband died when her child was very young... And many other pitiful situations.

Handover ceremony of the "Union Shelter" house to union member Pham Ngoc Uy, Quang Tien Ward People's Committee Union. His wife passed away due to a serious illness, leaving Mr. Uy to raise 3 school-age children alone. Photo: PV

“Every award ceremony is filled with human warmth. All theworkers, employees, laborersreceive support from the "Union Shelter" Programparticularly difficult circumstancesFor them, this shelter is not only a place to shelter from the rain and sun, but also a spiritual support, hope, and motivation for them to overcome all challenges" - Ms. Yen shared.

LOVE SPREADS

In addition to the 40 million VND supported by the "Union Shelter" Program, after deciding to build her house, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu also received a lot of other support from friends and relatives.

Visiting her small house, we saw the presence of love and solidarity everywhere. The workers considered her house as their own, built it themselves, supervised it themselves, and found the cheapest and best-priced materials themselves; The living room door was a gift from the company's colleagues; The bathroom door was a gift from the neighbor; The TV was a gift from the company's leaders... Since moving to the new house, the three of them have not only been happier but also much healthier.

Since moving to the new house, the three members of Ms. Thu's family are not only happier but also healthier. Photo: Diep Thanh

Not only sharing with members in difficult circumstances, the program also aims to arouse the spirit of mutual love and support."the healthy leaves cover the torn leaves" of workers, civil servants and laborersThis is also one of the activities that closely and practically connect workers with trade unions.

Supporting the “Union Shelter” is a motivation for poor workers and civil servants to have the conditions to build and repair houses, improve their lives, and contribute to stabilizing their thinking, helping workers, civil servants, and laborers feel secure in their work and be enthusiastic about working. Although the level of support from the union is still modest, 20 million VND for repaired houses and 40 million VND for newly built houses, the program has created a positive resonance and spread in the community. This is the motivation for union officials like us to continue to build, promote, and find funding sources... so that the program becomes larger and better in scale and quality."

Mr. Tran Dong - Legal Policy Department, Provincial Labor Federation

Hung Nguyen District Labor Federation presents "Union Shelter" houses to workers. Photo: PV

In 2020, from the “Union Shelter” Fund, 34 houses were newly built and repaired with a total amount of more than 1.2 billion VND. This year, the families of 34 workers, civil servants and laborers had a more complete and warmer Tet in a new, spacious house. With the dedication of the union organization for workers and the spirit of mutual love and affection of the community, this number and this joy will certainly continue to multiply in the following years.