The flashlight illuminates dreams.
(Baonghean) - Growing up in a family lacking warmth and happiness, facing poverty and hardship, this Thai girl from the remote commune of Chau Phong (Quy Chau) not only persevered on her journey to acquire knowledge but also achieved great success.
(Baonghean) - Growing up in a family lacking warmth and happiness, facing poverty and hardship, this Thai girl from the remote commune of Chau Phong (Quy Chau) not only persevered on her journey to acquire knowledge but also achieved great success.
Poverty and misfortune
The house of Lo Thi Hong Anh's family (born in 2002) is located at the end of the village, perched precariously between the mountainside and the edge of a winding stream. Even near midday, the house remained pitch black, with only a few weak rays of light filtering through the gaps in the wooden planks used for the walls.
Ms. Lang Thi Ha (born in 1982) - Hong Anh's mother - said: "The village doesn't have electricity yet. Our house only has one small flashlight used during dinner and for the children to study. Because of the lack of electricity and our difficult financial situation, we haven't been able to afford a battery to provide light."
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| Lo Thi Hong Anh and her disabled mother. Photo: Cong Kien. |
Hong Anh's parents had three children. Hong Anh is the eldest, followed by two younger siblings, Lo Thi Dao (born in 2009, currently in second grade) and Lo Manh Thuan (born in 2014). Their happy and warm family days were short-lived, partly due to difficult living conditions, and partly because a few years ago, Hong Anh's mother suffered a stroke and became bedridden, requiring them to scramble to find money for treatment. Now, Ms. Ha can get up, but her limbs are so contracted that walking is extremely difficult, let alone working or earning a living.
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| Lô Thị Hồng Anh uses a small flashlight to study. |
To make matters worse, the father suddenly became depraved, working far away and not only failing to bring money home to support the children but also beating and mistreating his wife. For a long time, the four of them have been living on the support and care of their maternal relatives and neighbors. Ms. Ha has to rely on her elderly mother and younger siblings to help cultivate the rice paddies, and the villagers bring her vegetables and bamboo shoots daily. Throughout the year, they are lucky to have meat in their meals only a couple of times.
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| After school, Lo Thi Hong Anh often goes to the forest to collect firewood to help her mother. Photo: Cong Kien. |
For nearly nine years, Hong Anh has been going to school, sometimes having enough to eat, sometimes not. While her classmates were driven to school by their parents or rode bicycles, Hong Anh walked alone for years, only recently receiving a bicycle as a gift. Despite her hardships and disadvantages, this Thai girl remains diligent and hardworking, even on days of torrential rain or freezing winter days, her small feet leaving their mark on the bumpy, treacherous road.
Determination and ambition
This school year, Lo Thi Hong Anh, a member of class 9A1 at Chau Phong Ethnic Boarding Secondary School, is well-known throughout the school for achieving high rankings in the district-level excellent student competition. Hong Anh was selected to compete in two subjects, winning second prize in Literature and an honorable mention in History, leading the school in overall achievement. Currently, her Literature teacher is actively tutoring and preparing her to join the district team for the provincial-level excellent student competition, which will be held after the Lunar New Year.
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| Lô Thị Hồng Anh cooked lunch for her mother and siblings. |
Speaking with us, Ms. Nguyen Thanh Thuy, the Literature teacher of class 9A1, said: “I directly mentored Lo Thi Hong Anh and noticed that she showed early aptitude and passion for Literature. Throughout her studies and assignments, she consistently demonstrated independent thinking and creativity, with smooth, fluent writing that conveyed depth of meaning. If given the opportunity to continue her education, I believe she will achieve even greater success.”
Despite her outstanding achievements, few people know about the daily hardships and difficulties Hong Anh has to overcome. Her home is nearly 7km from the school, and although she is eligible for a subsidized education, Hong Anh asks permission from the school to go home to help her mother and take care of her younger siblings. Every morning, she wakes up early to prepare breakfast, then rushes to take her younger sister to elementary school before going to her own class. After school, she picks her sister up again. With a little free time during the day, she goes to the forest to gather firewood and bamboo shoots, or goes to the stream to catch crabs and fish to improve the meals for her mother and siblings.
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| Ms. Nguyen Thanh Thuy provided tutoring to Lo Thi Hong Anh for her selection to the provincial-level gifted student competition team. |
The simple study desk in the corner of the house didn't have enough light even during the day. Regardless of day or night, Hong Anh had to tie a small flashlight to her forehead to illuminate her books and notebooks. Every day, that flashlight accompanied her to school to recharge, and then back home to continue its mission of "lighting the way" on her journey of discovering knowledge. It was like a close friend, sharing her joys and sorrows. Hong Anh's recent achievements, including the Second Prize in Literature and the Encouragement Prize in History, were partly thanks to that little flashlight.
“What do you dream of being when you grow up, Hong Anh?” we asked as she busily started the fire to cook lunch. After a moment of thoughtful silence, she answered hesitantly and shyly, “I want to be a teacher to help poor students, just like the teachers at my school have helped me!” Hearing this, her mother said, “I don’t know if that dream will ever come true. When I get sick and don’t have the strength to go to the fields to plant rice or to the forest to gather bamboo shoots, and the two younger children are still small, how will they get a higher education?”
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| An essay by Lo Thi Hong Anh that received a score of 9. |
Mr. Nguyen Ba Vinh, who guided us to Pieng Cam, comforted us, saying, "Try your best to help Hong Anh pursue higher education. Only knowledge can help us escape poverty. Besides her, she has teachers, the community, and society ready to help. The immediate goal is to join the provincial team for the gifted student competition, and then to attend a provincial or district-level boarding high school to continue pursuing her dreams."
Cong Kien