Blue shirts in thirsty land

(Baonghean) - People weeding, others clearing bushes with machetes, some cleaning water tanks... the sounds of voices and laughter echoed throughout the mountains and forests of Huoi Tu (Ky Son), even though it was already 11 a.m. when we arrived. Taking advantage of the time to finish their morning's work, the 24 volunteer team members forgot all about the heat and fatigue of the summer day in this drought-stricken land. By the roadside, some elderly people in Trung Tam village were carrying jugs of boiled water, occasionally pouring it for the students...

Student volunteers cleaned up the area and transported waste to the collection point.

During our lunch break, we went to meet the student group. Everyone was drenched in sweat. The leader of the volunteer student group, Le Anh Tuan, a thin man with dark skin, said that the volunteer group consisted of 24 students from the Faculty of Law, Vinh University, who had been here for several days. Tuan's home is in Ha Huy Tap Ward, Vinh City, and he is a second-year student. In the first few days here, Tuan was truly amazed because he never expected to find such a cool and refreshing place in the western part of Nghe An province. The locals were also very friendly and hospitable. But the biggest difficulty was... the lack of water. "Without running water, the villagers are also suffering, sir. Therefore, during group activities, we always remind each other to save water as much as possible," Tuan added. We asked a girl named Ha Linh from Le Loi Ward, Vinh City: "As a girl who's used to living in the city, how do you feel about being in these difficult areas?" Linh smiled brightly: "It's nothing, sir. If everyone else can do it, so can I. If I were afraid of hardship, I wouldn't have signed up. Honestly, seeing the smiles on the faces of the villagers makes me very happy."

Showing us the group's plan, Ha Linh meticulously introduced each task she and her friends would be doing over the next three weeks. These included cleaning, leveling the road to My Ly commune, teaching literacy, and disseminating legal information to the local people... "You know, there are even some students here from Son La province, like Vang A De, who didn't go home this summer but registered to stay in this area. His hometown is also very poor, but he wanted to come to find out if things are the same in Nghe An, what the Hmong people are like here, and if there are ways to get rich..." - Group leader Le Anh Tuan added.

Outside, an elderly Hmong couple was pouring precious water they had saved up for the students. The couple, Vu Chong Lau and Lau Y Xia, both from Trung Tam village, were deeply moved. Mr. Vu Chong Lau said, “We are so grateful that you have come here to help the villagers. Whenever student volunteers come, the roads and the village become much cleaner and more beautiful.” The faces of the couple, both over 70, lit up as they sat beside the students, offering them water.

Speaking with us, Vu Ba Phong, Secretary of the Youth Union of Huoi Tu commune, said: “Huoi Tu is a disadvantaged commune in Ky Son district, especially facing the problem of a lack of clean water and low awareness among the people. Local young people, after finishing their studies, often leave to work elsewhere or migrate to Laos. In the first six months of the year alone, 63 people left to work elsewhere or went to Laos. In addition, child marriage still occurs frequently, so we really want students to come here to focus on raising people's awareness.”

Leaving Huoi Tu commune, the image of the green uniforms will forever remain in our hearts. These young faces, full of aspirations, are sowing new life in this thirsty land.

Student volunteers teach literacy to the people in Huoi Tu commune.

Disseminate and publicize laws to every household.

Digging a road to the tea plantation helps the people of Trung Tam Huoi Tu village (Ky Son).

Dao Tho - Ho Phuong