Spreading love at a summer camp for orphans

“I feel lucky…”

“Mom, this is the first time I’ve written to you. It’s been more than 4 years, Mom, more than 4 years since I’ve been without my dad’s love. During that time, you had to be both a father and a mother, while you also endured the pain of losing the person who loved you the most… One time, when I held your hand, I noticed the calluses - that was also the first time we held hands, after 4 years since dad passed away. Mom hugged me and cried loudly, we held hands and talked about dad… Mom, let me apologize to you, for the times I argued with you, the times I didn’t help you with the housework, the time you had an accident but I still went out with friends… And yet you didn’t blame me…”.

“… Dad, what can I do when I can’t see you anymore, I miss you so much! Many nights I feel sad, I cry until my chest hurts, my throat chokes because I’m jealous. I’m jealous of my friends who are taken to school by their dads, taken out by their dads… And me… You know, at that time I just wished you were there to hug me, comfort me and say loving words. Dad, now I think that I’m still luckier than many of my friends, I got to live with you for 5 years. That’s the biggest motivation in my life… Don’t worry, Dad, your daughter promises you, I will always try my best every day. On the other side, rest in peace, Dad. Your daughter loves you so much!”

This is excerpt 2 of more than 200 letters sent to parents by students at the summer camp "Love Connection” in 2024 organized by the Provincial Labor Culture House in collaboration with the Khai Minh Duc Education System, under the direction of the Provincial Labor Federation. At that special summer camp, one can easily find very special circumstances and very special children. The children entered the summer camp with a timid, self-conscious mentality and returned with a common belief: I feel luckier than many other children, lucky to be the children of my father, mother...

Vuong Tra My (11 years old, Dien Chau) is such a child. Tra My's father passed away 7 years ago, when Tra My was only 4 years old. At that time, My's older sister was only 8 years old, and My's twin brothers were just learning to walk. Her father's passing put the burden of the whole family on the thin shoulders of My's mother - Ms. Pham Thi Hai, a garment worker at Wooin Vina Company Limited. Recalling the stormy days, Ms. Hai's voice choked up: "Tra My was very attached to her father, so when he passed away, she missed him so much. From a chubby child, My became weak and skinny. An emotional child, My gradually became less talkative, her face always sad, shy, and scared. Until now, every time she cries, My only calls her father, never her mother...".

Although she doesn't call her mother and rarely confides in her mother, Tra My loves her mother very much. Her 9th grade sister both studies and works to earn money to help her mother raise her younger siblings. Her mother works shifts from early morning until late at night, leaving My alone at home to cook, do laundry, and bathe her two younger brothers... Loving her daughter, when she received information about the "Connecting Love" summer camp, Ms. Hai registered Tra My to participate.

“After returning from the 2-day summer camp, after this first time away from home, My has changed a lot. She is happier, talks more openly, is more confident, and actively confides in her mother about the trip, the teachers and friends at the summer camp, her thoughts… The money, milk, and cakes were supported by the Dien Chau District Labor Federation. She saved some to share with her 2 younger siblings, and gave the rest to her mother to buy books,” Ms. Hai confided.

Feeling surprised and proud of her son's changes, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa - a union member of Chau Khe Primary School - Con Cuong choked up: "Orphaned from a young age, my son Hai Dang often had low self-esteem and an inferiority complex about his family situation. Combined with the psychological changes of puberty, he tended to be more distant from people, talked less with his mother, and was bored with studying. After attending the summer camp, even though it was only for 2 days, he seemed to have become a different child. He did housework on his own, sent letters to his mother, took the initiative to confide in her and make study plans... I was very moved."

The above recorded emotions are just a small part of the special summer camp. There are many more thoughts and confessions that cannot be expressed in words at this event of love bonding.

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Taking place over 2 days with the participation of 200 orphans who are children of union members and workers across the province, the 2024 "Connecting Love" summer camp was organized with a series of useful experiential activities such as listening to the meaningful lectures on the 5 teachings of Uncle Ho, self-care skills and others, meal preparation skills, learning about gratitude, writing letters to relatives, learning regulations, talent competitions, folk dancing... Through this, children are educated in patriotism, national pride, honoring a beautiful lifestyle, improving their awareness and perception of life, creating motivation for children to overcome their circumstances.

One big family

Although it was a fun event, the 2024 “Connecting Love” summer camp brought tears to the eyes of many participants, from children to volunteers, from teachers to parents, from union officials to strangers. The humane meaning and beautiful emotions of the program connected all the small families to form a big family.

Admitting that she is a mother of few words and rarely expresses her emotions, Ms. Nguyen Thi Dien (Nghe An Provincial Library) could not hide her emotions when she directly participated in the closing ceremony of the summer camp with her child. “I cried almost the entire program, because I felt sorry for the children, sorry for my child, and because I was moved and grateful to the organizers. As a mother whose child participated in the program, representing a small family in a group of 200 large families, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the organization.union, to those who made this summer camp possible. Hopefully in the future there will be many more activities like this so that more children can be loved and cared for, more families can be reunited and supported…”.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa confided: “If it weren’t for the trade union, I would have collapsed 4 years ago due to depression. The agency’s trade union and the district’s trade union visited, encouraged, and stood by me regularly even though we were not related by blood. That love kept me here, kept me a mother for my children. And now, once again, at the exact moment I needed it most, the trade union with the “connecting love” summer camp has brought my son back to the journey he needed to continue.”

To achieve the success of the summer camp, to have the participation of the children, to have safety and care throughout the journey, it is impossible not to mention the green-shirt union cadres at the grassroots level. They had to mobilize and convince each family to let their children participate, accompany the children for 2 days, continuously update information and maintain connection with all families...

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien - Trade Union Officer of Dien Chau District said: “Our group has 17 children, the largest in the province. There were many problems that needed to be controlled during the process of taking the children. From the facility not providing enough information to parents being overly worried, from the children getting carsick to losing things, missing their mothers... It was tiring but fun. Summer camp is not only an opportunity for children to grow up but also an opportunity for parents to "grow up". I hope that these programs can be organized at the district level so that more families can participate. If so, we are ready to support them wholeheartedly”.

“For the first time, more than 150 teachers and volunteers from all over the country gathered in Nghe An to create an event full of memories. Witnessing the children break out of their “cocoons” to connect and have fun together, reading the emotional letters from the children, the messages of love and gratitude from the parents in the family groups, we, the program organizers, were extremely happy. We are truly grateful to the parents and children who trusted and participated in the program so that we had the opportunity to connect with love” - Mr. Nguyen Duc Thu, Director of the Provincial Labor Culture House shared.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Dr. Phan Trung Phuong - Chairman of the Board of Directors, Head of the Executive Board of Khai Minh Duc Education System, was moved to say: "Witnessing the concerns, dedication, care and thoughtfulness of Nghe An union officials for this program, I admire and am extremely grateful. What they do today will certainly bring sweet fruits for the future, for the future generations of the country..."./.

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The "Connecting Love" summer camp program is one of four activities assigned by the Provincial Labor Federation to the Provincial Labor Cultural House to organize in 2024.