Nurturing the dream of literacy.

(Baonghean) - After her husband passed away and she was not acknowledged by her in-laws, Ms. Viet took her child to the Cua Tien River to make a living by mooring a boat. Homeless and jobless, she even considered having her child drop out of school. But then a kind person regularly sent scholarships twice a year, allowing Loi (her daughter) to continue pursuing her dream of education...

On a scorching October afternoon, as bright as summer, we visited the makeshift home of Ms. Ngo Thi Viet (born in 1964, residing in Vinh Tan ward, Vinh City) and her daughter. Under the shade of an umbrella, amidst a jumble of old shoes, Ngo Thi Loi (born in 1997) sat eating her meal, still wearing her school uniform. A bowl of rice, a bowl of soup, and a few pieces of fatty meat. Ms. Viet explained, “Loi just came home from school, so I brought her lunch here so she could eat before going to her afternoon classes. Studying is hard, so I have to scrimp and save to give her something nutritious. If it weren’t for the scholarship from a Vietnamese expatriate in France, Loi would probably be sitting in front of a used shoe stall or working as a porter in Vinh market right now.”

Originally from Nghi Xuan (Ha Tinh province), Ms. Viet went to Vinh market to earn a living as a porter. There, she met a man who made shoes and sandals. He had lost his wife early and was a widower raising his children. She fell in love with him without realizing it. When they decided to live together, his family strongly opposed it. Unable to convince his family, he moved in with her. But their happiness was short-lived when he suddenly passed away, leaving Ms. Viet and her children orphaned.

She raised her child alone amidst poverty, shame, and hardship. During the day, she would take her child to the market, working while also looking after her. At night, the two of them would return to their small boat moored on the Cua Tien River to sleep. Gradually, little Loi grew up and reached school age. With the help of the local government, Loi was able to attend school like other children. Watching her child happily go to school, carefree and without worries, she felt a heavy burden of anxiety: Where would she get the money for her education? “When Loi was in sixth grade, I truly didn’t know where I would find the money to pay for her tuition. There was no other way, so I had to tell her to drop out of school, but she cried and absolutely refused. We didn’t even have enough to eat, let alone a roof over our heads. What could we do?” Ms. Viet continued. Then, by chance, her story was published in a newspaper. The dream of going to school of this orphaned girl from the floating village touched the heart of a Vietnamese person living abroad. This overseas Vietnamese person decided to give Loi a scholarship worth 4 million VND per year so that she could continue her education. With the help of this kind person, little Loi was able to continue attending school. The scholarship was enough to cover her school fees, but Ms. Viet had to try her best to provide for her daughter. "They are strangers, yet they care so much for my child; as her mother, how could I not try my best to ensure she can go to school?" she told herself. She decided to move from the boat to rent a room on the shore so her daughter would have a stable place to live. On the days her daughter went to school, she went to the Vinh market gate to sew shoes and sandals to make a living. Each day, if there was work, Ms. Viet could earn a few tens of thousands of VND; if she was frugal, the two of them could manage for the day. When there were few customers, Ms. Viet would carry goods for other vendors, earning a few tens of thousands of VND each time, but work wasn't always available.

Ms. Ngo Thi Viet with her daughter.

Since receiving a scholarship from a "kind stranger," Lợi has felt more secure going to school. This year, Lợi is in 12th grade at VTC High School. "If it weren't for that overseas Vietnamese person, I probably wouldn't have been able to study until now. I want to thank them, but I don't know how. I only know that I have to try my best not to drop out of school so as not to disappoint their love, support, and trust." In her final year of high school, Lợi has almost no free time. She attends school twice a day – morning and afternoon – and attends extra classes in the evening. She says her dream is to become a pharmacist, so she's studying hard to pass the entrance exam for the Pharmacy department at Vinh Medical University. Between classes, Lợi helps her mother sew shoes for customers. “Every month, the rent alone is 1 million dong, Lợi’s extra tutoring costs 400,000 dong, not to mention food and daily living expenses. I myself suffer from high blood pressure; sometimes I feel dizzy while working and people have to take me to get IV fluids. But no matter how difficult it is, I have to make sure Lợi gets a proper education. I’ve suffered enough already, I can’t let his life be the same as mine. Now Lợi is almost finished with high school, if I don’t let him take the university entrance exam, it would be a disservice to him, but if I do let him take it, and he happens to pass, I don’t know how I’ll be able to support him through his studies. It’s heartbreaking for a mother not to be able to provide for her child, but…”, Ms. Việt said sadly.

The Vietnamese expatriate kept their promise to provide a scholarship until Loi finished 12th grade. Thanks to this compassionate and humane donation, Ngo Thi Loi, a girl from a floating village, has been given strength on her path to school to pursue her dream of changing her destiny. But her dream still needs support from kind hearts...

Lam Anh