'Fatherly love' in a house with more than 40 sons

The job of being a… father

I first met Mr. Pham Ngoc Hoa more than 3 years ago. At that time, he was an education officer at the youth hostel. I was impressed by his simplicity, kindness and respect for the children and teenagers at the Youth Hostel.SOS Children's Village Vinh. That time, our conversation was constantly interrupted because he needed to answer the phone, sometimes from the children, sometimes from their families, sometimes from the doctors... The night before, a teenager in the Village had an accident on his way home from school, he was the one who directly took him to the hospital, found a good doctor to treat him, and took care of him like his own son.

“Sorry for the phone calls, reporters. People like us are always on call 24/7, even in the middle of the night. Because we take care of a lot of children and need to support them immediately, whenever they need it,” Mr. Hoa told me.

A chess exchange session of uncles and nephews of the Youth Men's Residence - SOS Children's Village Vinh. Photo: CSCC

After that visit, I was forever impressed by the stories I heard from the person in charge of the dormitory at that time - Mr. Tran Minh Thanh. Stories about orphaned boys who came to the dormitory for the first time, missed their home, missed their hometown, asked to sleep with the uncles and then considered them as their fathers. Stories about the uncles' "detective" ability in understanding the psychology and managing the time and expenses of their children. Stories about the uncles building a network of "informants" to anticipate unexpected situations at the children's rebellious age...

It can be said that the “fathers” here have built the trust of many generations of children as friends, guides, and role models for children like a father. Many teenagers in the dormitory have grown up and found success in life thanks to those orientations. Then those successful young people return, ready to lead and guide the younger generation.

This time, the dormitory management board consisted of 3 members: Mr. Pham Ngoc Hoa - the main person in charge, Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung and Mr. Nguyen Canh Luong. Still with a kind face and a gentle smile, Mr. Hoa showed me the recent changes in the dormitory grounds and then hurriedly and busily prepared to organize a friendly soccer match between the teenagers in the dormitory and the student volunteers.

For the teenagers in the youth dormitory of SOS Children's Village Vinh, the uncles and aunts in the management board have truly been attentive, caring and understanding fathers. Photo: CSCC

To facilitate monitoring and taking care of the children, Mr. Hoa's family moved into a public house right on the campus. In the front yard, the management board planted more trees, added a ping pong table, and in the empty land behind the house, they bought some pigeon coops to raise, and built a small pond to raise fish. Mr. Hoa explained: "This change is first to improve the landscape, then to give the children more joy in working and competing, and more clean food sources to improve their health."

Walking around the dormitory and meeting many young boys here, I learned more stories about them. That was the youngest boy who was sent to the dormitory early because he did not listen to his mother. 3 months in the dormitory were 3 months when he became a sensible boy and took the initiative to do housework, surprising everyone. Or the spectacular progress of a special student, from being at the bottom of the class to 8th in the class after only 1 year... Without a single scolding or harsh punishment, the children were moved by the exemplary behavior, sympathy, and encouragement of the uncles and brothers.

An activity of the children in the Youth Dormitory with the participation of the children in the management board. Photo: CSCC.

During the peak of the outbreak in Vinh city, there were times when the brothers were quarantined to take care of 24 children with Covid-19 at the same time. The fathers with many children in the dormitory took on the work of mothers, going to the market, buying medicine, porridge, etc. "The children are very sensitive children, everything we do, they don't say it but feel it all. I just hope that these things will help them live better, have a happier life" - Mr. Luong confided.

When at home, my father is also a teacher.

One of the greatest joys of the Youth Dormitory - SOS Children's Village Vinh in the 2022-2023 school year was the unprecedented progress of the children. 32/35 children achieved good and excellent results, only 2 children achieved average results. In particular, many children achieved high school graduation exam scores, becoming valedictorians of the whole school. That is a source of pride and also a worthy sweet fruit for the teaching methods and orientation of those working in education here.

Birthday joy in a family with only father and son. Photo: CSCC

Most of them were teachers themselves, but the greatest value these teachers impart to children is not specific knowledge. They inspire their children about the meaning of learning and effective learning methods.Van Hieu(18 years old) and Cong Loi (17 years old) are typical examples of change from this educational perspective. Starting out as shy, timid boys, both of them have now become exemplary officers of the youth group that manages the dormitory.

Sharing about this change, Cong Loi said: “At first, I was very lazy. After a period of monitoring and reminding, the uncles moved me to a house with many good friends, showing me the meaning of studying. To have a suitable job and a good future, I improved myself and tried harder to study. Here, we are listened to, respected, cared for, guided and trusted.”

With the care of the uncles and aunts, the children at the Youth Hostel can balance their time between studying, working and playing. Photo: CSCC.

“We create the best learning conditions for our children, including seeking help from volunteer students, registering for suitable courses, collaborating with some teachers to teach at the dormitory, always having printers, computers, and paper ready to help the children practice, organizing relaxation activities, increasing food rations, etc. In addition, we build pairs of friends to progress together to create a competitive environment,” said Mr. Hung.

In addition to orphans in the village, the youth dormitory is also home to students with difficult circumstances, good academic achievements, and scholarships from the school.SOS Children's VillagesVinh. Taking advantage of that, the management board arranged for good students to tutor and support weak students and then created competition between the houses. Progress would take months, years and hundreds of conversations. The important thing is that the teachers always persevere in their belief: the children will improve and achieve what they want.

Football exchange between children at the SOS Children's Village Vinh Youth Hostel and volunteer students of Vinh University. Photo: Diep Thanh

During my visit to the men's dormitory, I met Xuan Sang. That day was the last day Sang stayed in the dormitory. Sang came to the village when he was very young and moved to the dormitory a year ago. He and his family had just submitted a request to leave the village to live with his grandparents who were over 80 years old. Looking at his friends with teary eyes, Sang sadly said: "I know I am losing the opportunity to be cared for, loved, trained, and studied in the best way and I know I will regret leaving this place. But I have no choice, my grandparents need me."

Knowing that Sang's road ahead would be extremely difficult, Mr. Hoa could only secretly wipe away his tears and advise: "From now on, no matter what happens, don't hesitate to contact us. Remember, you are always a member of this family and we are always here, always helping you when you need it. I hope you will be strong and happy in life." During the friendly match that day, outside the field, many eyes were red...

Diep Thanh