Enhancing the value of volunteer work

(Baonghean) - In just a few days, the volunteer teams from universities will be setting off, bringing with them the intelligence, enthusiasm, and passionate dedication of young people to volunteer activities to help the people in local areas. Volunteer activities are becoming increasingly meaningful, leaving behind many beautiful images, marking the contributions of young people, and helping to change the behavior of local people.

Help the areas where people need it.

With the theme: “Youth actively volunteering towards the Party Congress at all levels” and the slogan “Practical - Creative - Effective - Safe”, Vinh University this year planned early with 4 regional volunteer programs and 1 local volunteer program. From the beginning of June, the University's Youth Union Executive Committee received volunteer applications from 400 students and divided them into 19 teams in 19 communes, mainly those units requested by the Provincial Youth Union for support and whose needs were surveyed beforehand by the University's Youth Union. This year, the selection of volunteers was also done through various information channels to choose outstanding students with high capabilities and spirit, with the aim of leaving a lasting impact on youth projects. Mr. Nguyen Anh Chuong, Secretary of the Vinh University Youth Union, said: “Most of the volunteer programs haven't changed much compared to previous years; however, this year we will conduct a more thorough survey of the actual needs of the localities where the students will go, with the aim of bringing about meaningful experiences.” "The real value of volunteering for local people."

Student volunteers from Vinh Medical University are caring for patients at Quynh Lap Leprosy and Dermatology Hospital (Hoang Mai Town).

According to Mr. Nguyen Anh Chuong, after conducting field surveys, the volunteer teams found that some tasks had arisen locally, leading to adjustments in their programs. For example, after surveying, they discovered that many areas needed manpower to complete rural road construction or build a new inter-village trail, rather than organizing summer activities or disseminating information on reproductive health protection as previously planned. In such cases, the school's Youth Union Executive Committee would agree to modify the team's plan. A typical example is the volunteer team in Yen Tinh commune, Tuong Duong district last year. Initially, their plan focused on assisting with "hard" tasks as instructed by the higher-level Youth Union Executive Committee. However, after surveying the area, they realized that the villagers needed information on preventing social vices and building a new inter-village trail to facilitate trade. They then revised their plan, which received strong support from the school's Youth Union Executive Committee. After a 15-day volunteer trip to Cap Chang village (Yen Tinh - Tuong Duong), team leader Pham Van Hoi and 15 student volunteers were commended for their practical achievements. Hoi stated: “If it were just about cleaning, organizing summer activities, and disseminating legal information, the local workforce could do it. Therefore, the people here needed more projects with a quantifiable impact. From that experience, we realized that simply volunteering according to the initial needs of the commune's Youth Union was insufficient.”

Meanwhile, in Vu Quang district, Ha Tinh province, despite careful planning during their site survey, the volunteer team realized that the local people needed to complete their electricity grid system as part of the new rural development program. While the locality had received funding and materials, no contractor had yet agreed to undertake the project. Therefore, the Physics students from Vinh University volunteered to complete the electricity grid system for the local people within five days. Their reward was gratitude, heartfelt handshakes, and gifts of local produce that the villagers cherished as they parted ways. This demonstrates that thorough assessment of local needs is key to the success of Vinh University's volunteer teams.

In their volunteer activities last year, the Vinh Medical University Student Union sent 13 volunteer teams to support 8 local units with activities related to and closely aligned with the students' expertise and abilities. Their operating principle was to plan activities according to their own capabilities and the needs of the localities requiring support. Besides supporting the care of special patients such as severely wounded soldiers at the Provincial Center for Wounded and Disabled Soldiers, psychiatric patients at humanitarian centers, and leprosy patients at the Quynh Lap Leprosy and Dermatology Hospital, and teaching skills to autistic children, the Vinh Medical University Student Union also organized programs to distribute free porridge to poor patients receiving treatment at oncology and orthopedic hospitals in Nghe An. Nguyen Anh Duc, team leader of the volunteer team at Quynh Lap Leprosy and Dermatology Hospital in 2014 and the person representing the University's Youth Union Executive Committee in managing 24 volunteer teams this year, said: “For each place we are asked to assist, we have to plan carefully, for each day, each workload, and we must use the satisfaction of the patients where we provide assistance as a measure.” Le Dong Hieu, Secretary of the Youth Union of Vinh Medical University, said: “Our strategy is to bring what society needs. Therefore, out of 6,000 students, we only selected 600 students to participate in the summer volunteer campaign, and 20% of those students have excellent professional skills and good organizational and management abilities. Most of the units we have participated in have submitted written requests for assistance this year.”

Make a strong impression

Student volunteers from Vinh University are building roads in Yen Tinh commune (Tuong Duong district).

Presenting her volunteer activity plan at the Vinh University Student Union Office, Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang, a student from the Faculty of Mathematics Education and team leader of the volunteer team in Chau Thai commune, Quy Hop district, said: “We mainly learn from the experiences of previous volunteer teams, so we have to wait until after the survey and preliminary work before we can develop a detailed plan.” Nguyen Anh Chuong, Secretary of the Vinh University Student Union, said: “In reality, to meet the real needs of the people, the most important things are still infrastructure projects like electricity, roads, schools, and health stations. But to have those projects requires funding, and the Student Union doesn't have that much money. Therefore, a solution that is both effective and affordable remains the top choice.” Mr. Pham Ngoc Canh, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union, further explained: “Volunteer teams that are not part of the specialized support teams designated by the Provincial Youth Union will, of course, not have specific youth projects that create a high impact. However, the spirit that the students bring to the areas needing support is like ‘igniting a flame,’ creating a ripple effect among young people in the area to join hands in helping the community. That is what is important!” To achieve that ripple effect, more thorough surveys are needed, as well as the spirit and implementation plans of the volunteer teams. Ms. Vo Yen Phi, Team Leader of the volunteer team in Yen Tinh commune, Tuong Duong district this year, said: “We have been assigned to train and transfer scientific and technical knowledge on key crop varieties in the area, so we are trying to research in detail and survey what we will impart, at what level, and what results we will achieve…” So, can the transfer of science and technology be effective without pilot models, without support in terms of scientific and technical conditions, or without accompanying irrigation projects? That's an unanswerable question when funding is the deciding factor.

From 24 volunteer teams in the summer of 2014, this year the Provincial Youth Union only has 17 provincial-level student volunteer teams. These teams were selected and screened from various localities, including 10 specialized teams deployed to 8 communes throughout the province. With the motto of enhancing the value of volunteer activities through specialization, the Provincial Youth Union chose Tien Phong commune, Que Phong district, to provide free medical examinations and medication, build charitable houses and playgrounds for children, and restore electricity systems for the people… This deployment aims to study the needs of a specific commune and provide maximum support, creating a significant and memorable impact.

Thanh Nga