Warm bowls of porridge

(Baonghean.vn) - For a year now, every Wednesday morning at 10:30, the charity club Light Up the Faith of Young People distributes 350 - 400 delicious, free porridge portions to disadvantaged children.

Mr. Vuong Anh Tuan's face was covered in sweat after a busy morning taking care of paperwork for his two children.

Among the dozens of people waiting in line to receive free porridge at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, Mr. Vuong Anh Tuan from Nam Dan said he went to receive porridge for his 7-month-old son and 4-year-old daughter. Both children were sick at the same time, so early in the morning, he and his wife took them to Vinh to see a doctor.

The whole day they ran back and forth to do all the paperwork. Worrying about their sick and crying child and having to pay a large sum of money because they didn't have insurance made the couple, who only depended on a few acres of rice fields, feel like they were on fire.

During their time in the hospital, the couple tried to spend frugally to take the best care of their children. The free porridge from young people not only reduced the financial burden but also served as a great spiritual support for Mr. Tuan's family.

Members of the Light Up Faith Club gave free porridge to Ms. Luong Thi Phen and her children.

For the past few months, every two weeks, Ms. Luong Thi Phen, a Thai ethnic, has been taking her child to the Children's Hospital for treatment in Xop Thap village, Huu Lap commune, Ky Son. The family of five, which only depends on farming, does not have much money left over, and the youngest child's illness has made life even more difficult for her family.

Over 250 kilometers, mother and daughter Phen went to Vinh to seek medical treatment with limited expenses and had to save every penny. When receiving a free bowl of porridge from the hands of young people, she was surprised and excited. Because thanks to the free bowl of porridge, mother and daughter saved a part of the cost of food in the expensive lowland.

While blowing on porridge to feed her child, Ms. Phen honestly wished that her two older children at home could also eat a bowl of porridge as delicious as her youngest son was eating right now.

The bowls of porridge from the young people have truly warmed the hearts of many children and families in difficult circumstances.

Sharing the same thoughts as Mr. Tuan and Ms. Phen, Mr. Le Mai Long and his son traveled all the way from Thach Ha, Ha Tinh to Nghe An Children's Hospital for a check-up. After a series of tests for their child, the father and son planned to find a place to have a quick lunch and catch a bus home for the day, but were given porridge by young people.

Holding a bowl of porridge in his hand, the father with two-toned hair and worn-out shirt felt a different view of young people and considered this a practical activity. His child was often sick, he and his child had been to many hospitals but had only seen volunteer programs like this in some cities like Hanoi and Vinh, Mr. Long confided.

Nearly 400 servings of porridge were distributed in less than 1 hour.

In less than an hour, nearly 400 free porridge portions were distributed by young people. Nguyen Minh Tuan, founder of the Light Up Faith Club, shared that to prepare the porridge portions, members had to wake up early, go to the market, and prepare the ingredients themselves. Since its establishment in 2014, the free porridge distribution program is just one of many programs that the club has implemented.

The club’s members and volunteers are mostly students and some working people. Everyone has the mindset of doing good deeds to help as many unfortunate lives as possible. And that is also the ultimate goal of the club.

Chu Thanh