The warm winter roads of Western Nghe An

(Baonghean) – These days, the villages in the West are bustling with volunteer footsteps, people from all over the country turn to this poor land to share warmth, dispelling some of the coldness of the land and sky.

Bustling volunteer steps

Up to now, there are no specific and exact statistics, but it is estimated that there have been hundreds of volunteer groups from inside and outside the province heading to the western districts of Nghe An. Programs such as “Warm Winter in the West”, “Warm Winter”, “Warm School Clothes”… continuously appear in newspapers and social networking sites.

It must be said that the economic and social life of the Western districts still faces many difficulties, and the ethnic minorities here still have many shortages. There are families who do not have enough money to buy warm clothes for their children, forcing them to wear thin clothes to school, and the cold winds blowing into the classroom make their bodies shiver...

Teachers of Con Cuong High School give warm blankets to students in Cam Lam commune (Con Cuong). Photo: Ba Hau

The participation and support of volunteer groups have brought warm clothes and blankets to the people in the highlands, helping them, especially the children, have a warm winter. Parents have reduced a cost and a worry when their children go to school. As for poor students, in addition to dispelling the cold, those gifts also have the meaning of reducing their sadness due to deprivation.

Each philanthropist and volunteer group has a different way of doing things, such as cutting down on expenses; mobilizing friends and relatives or calling on the entire community to join hands in sharing warmth and love. But they all have the same goal of making winter in the highlands less cold, with the same humane meaning and full of love...

Warmth in the great Pu Mat forest

On the morning of December 24, Con Cuong High School organized the program "Warm Winter" in Cam Lam commune. Cam Lam is one of the most remote and difficult communes in Con Cuong district, people's lives mainly depend on farming, many children do not have enough warm clothes to wear when going to school.

To share the difficulties of children in Cam Lam, the staff, teachers and youth union members of Con Cuong High School mobilized and donated 30 new warm blankets and 80 bags of old clothes to give to children in kindergarten, primary and secondary schools in Cam Lan commune. At the same time, 10 youth union shirts were donated to the Cam village youth union, with a total value of nearly 20 million VND.

Teacher Nguyen Trong An - Secretary of the Youth Union of Con Cuong High School gave a warm blanket to Luong Thi Minh Thu, a first grade student at Cam Lam Primary School. Photo: Ba Hau

Student Luong Thi Minh Thu (grade 1A, Cam Lam Primary School) shared: “This cold season, I do not have enough warm clothes, I have to wear old clothes from previous years, which are both tight and torn. Today, I received a warm coat, I would like to thank you and promise to try to study better, worthy of everyone's attention.”

Previously, on December 23, 2017, the people of Trung Chinh village (Yen Khe - Con Cuong) received 230 new warm coats worth nearly 100 million VND from a delegation of officials from Nam Tu Liem district (Hanoi). This gift was donated and supported by officials from the district and some businesses in the area, bringing warmth to the villagers in the great Pu Mat forest.

"Spring Melody" from the seaside town

Last night, December 23, more than 200 members of the Youth Union of the Administrative - Career and Enterprise Block of Cua Lo Town traveled more than 200 km to the remote commune of Chau Hoan (Quy Chau) to organize the program "Welcome the New Spring - Spring Melody". Despite the drizzle and cold weather, thousands of people from all over the villages still gathered in the commune center to enjoy and join in the fun.

Many people in Chau Hoan commune (Quy Chau) enjoyed the program "Welcome New Spring - Spring Melody" organized by the Administrative - Career and Enterprise Delegation of Cua Lo Town. Photo: Luong Nga

The program "Welcome New Spring - Spring Melody" is an annual activity of the Youth Union of the Administrative - Career and Enterprise sectors of Cua Lo Town with the purpose of cultural and artistic exchange, helping union members understand more about life and share difficulties with those in difficult circumstances and unfortunate lives.

On this occasion, the delegation presented a set of drums and 30 gifts (worth 300,000 VND/gift) to policy households and families in especially difficult circumstances in Chau Hoan commune. Mr. Lo Dai Thang, Nat Duoi village (Chau Hoan) confided: “Due to old age, poor health, and not being able to work, my family’s life has been very difficult. Today, receiving this gift, I am really happy and would like to thank the charity group.”

The delegation of the Administrative - Career and Enterprise Block of Cua Lo Town presented gifts to families with meritorious services and those in difficult circumstances in Chau Hoan Commune (Quy Chau). Photo: Luong Nga

Mr. Nguyen Doan Minh Phuong - Head of the delegation said: "Through the program, the youth union members have understood the hardships of the people here. And we will continue to mobilize support and share with the people in the highlands."

Send joy to the Quiet

Also yesterday, the teachers of Hoa Binh Town Kindergarten (Tuong Duong) sent 1,950 warm clothes of all kinds (including 300 new warm coats) to the children of Yen Tinh Kindergarten. Yen Tinh is also a remote commune, about 50 km from the district center, people's lives are still difficult, not enough conditions to take care of their children to go to school.

Here, in the cold season, many children come to class with thin clothes. Through the heartfelt words of colleagues in Yen Tinh, teachers at Hoa Binh Town Kindergarten mobilized parents to support warm clothes to help and share with poor children. After a week of launching the campaign, the teachers collected the above amount of clothes and deducted their salaries to promptly transport them to the children in Yen Tinh.

Teachers from Hoa Binh Town Kindergarten (Tuong Duong) crossed the stream to deliver warm clothes to children at Yen Tinh Kindergarten. Photo: Dinh Tuan

Teacher Lo Thi Thuy - Vice Principal of Hoa Binh Town Kindergarten said: "Parents in the central area have better economic conditions, so their children are basically warm enough when they go to class. We really feel sorry for the children in remote areas who are not warm enough when they go to school. Therefore, we launched a campaign for parents to support and share, and we are happy that many people responded."

Ms. Thuy added that on this occasion, the school teachers also donated money to give a gift to a child named Lu Thi Kieu in Huoi Pai village (Yen Tinh) who has a serious illness.

Donating warm clothes to poor children at Yen Tinh Kindergarten (Tuong Duong). Photo: Dinh Tuan

It can be said that with different ways of doing things, each group, individual and volunteer organization, regardless of the long distance, obstacles, and difficulties, has brought to the people of Nghe An highlands practical gifts, with profound and practical humanistic meanings, contributing to dispelling the cold winter and helping children confidently go to school.

Kien - Hau - Nga - Tuan