The wish of 'Meeting the mother in my dream' of the children at SOS Children's Village Vinh

Hearing the children sing, Minh Hue turned away and quickly wiped away the water, not wanting the children to see.

Ms. Hue is an educator at SOS Children's Village Vinh, Nghe An. Having worked here for nearly 20 years, she said that every day no matter where she goes, she just wants to finish her work as quickly as possible so she can return to the Village with the children. To her, this Children's Village is more than a family.

Children in SOS Children's Village Vinh practice for the "You are a shining star" contest.

On the evening of April 11, 2023, Ms. Hue let her children practice the song "Meeting Mom in a Dream" to participate in the talent contest "You are a bright star" organized by the founder of Ecopark in coordination with the Department of Education and Training of Nghe An province.

Vi Quoc Khanh (character name has been changed) - a 10-year-old boy, an ethnic minority, was chosen as one of the main vocalists. With a deep voice, Khanh sang passionately, sometimes with his eyes closed, drifting along with each word and shedding tears.

Khanh has been living in SOS Children's Village Vinh for 3 years. When he first arrived, he was shy, introverted, and had little interaction with his brothers and sisters in the Village, although his mothers encouraged and shared with him. After a while, he gradually adapted to the new environment, and his "godfather" Mr. Le Ba Luong - Director of the Village spent a lot of time talking and encouraging him, so Khanh gradually opened up and became more sociable with everyone.

Mr. Le Ba Luong - Director of SOS Children's Village Vinh visits and takes care of sick children.

At SOS Children's Village Vinh, with the alternative care and education model, Khanh was able to continue going to school, study, and play like his peers. He always worked hard to complete his work, was highly appreciated by teachers for his determination, and was loved by friends for his many talents, including his singing talent.

Unlike Khanh, Nguyen Thi Nhan (character name has been changed), a skinny girl with a strong voice, is bold and adapts easily to life in the Children's Village. Having lost her source of support since she was a baby, Nhan truly considers her godfather and foster mothers in the Children's Village as her relatives. Coming home from school, she sees her godfather walking near the gate, she quickly greets him, runs to hug him, and then returns to her mother and siblings in the house named after a flower.

The moment mother and child gather together during Tet holiday.

Nhan is also the class's artist, so whenever the Children's Village has extracurricular activities or performances, Nhan enthusiastically participates. "We want to participate in a singing and dancing competition to have a playground to show our talents and also want to give our mothers this spiritual gift, instead of saying thank you to our mothers who work hard every day to take care of us. Our mothers did not give birth to us, but they raised us, and their raising is greater than the sky and the sea so that we can grow up every day," little Nhan boldly expressed.

Children of the Village perform at an event.

“Every time I mention a performance competition or just a performance practice in an internal event of the Children’s Village, the children are very excited. There are performances that only require one child to sing and 3-4 children to dance as a backup, but the other children just stand outside the window and look in, regretting not being able to participate. So this time, I decided to choose a group performance, so that a maximum of 10 children can participate,” Ms. Hue shared.

Ms. Hue said, SOS Children's Village Vinh is truly a warm family. Here, children are cared for like a natural family outside, with a godfather, mother, aunt, brothers and sisters. The children here also live very emotionally, after school they help their mother cook, clean the house, the older brothers and sisters look after the younger siblings, teach them to study and then take care of and cultivate the vegetable garden in front of the door. All the children after a period of time here live happily, positively, and try to be good and study well.

Looking at the children enthusiastically practicing the performance "Meeting Mom in a Dream", Mr. Luong could not hold back his tears. "The children have suffered a lot compared to their friends who have both parents, that is why the Village Leadership Board, the staff as well as the mothers always love and encourage the children to be good and overcome their circumstances so that when they grow up, they will be the ones to change their fate and their lives. Besides studying culture to raise awareness and gain knowledge to enter life, we always support and create conditions for the children to develop their own talents and soft skills. Participating in the talent contest also allows the children to go out and rub shoulders, learn to improve themselves day by day."