Early spring for underprivileged students

Winter is not cold.
In the final days of the year, traveling over 300 kilometers, the Nghe An Newspaper delegation brought the "Warm Clothes for Winter" program to the poor and disadvantaged students of Na Ngoi 2 Primary School, located in Phu Kha 2 village, Na Ngoi commune, Ky Son district. This is also one of the communes with the harshest climate, covered in frost year-round, and at times the temperature drops as low as 1-2°C.

When the Nghe An Newspaper's supplies arrived, Na Ngoi was also engulfed in cold weather. Therefore, these warm jackets, though simple, were a timely and practical gift to warm the students as the New Year approached.

Staff and reporters from Nghe An Newspaper present warm jackets to students at Na Ngoi Primary School in Ky Son district. (Photo: Archival image)

Previously, the "Warm Clothes for Winter" program was implemented by the Trade Union and Youth Union of Nghe An Newspaper for about a week. With the desire to share in the hardships of students in mountainous areas, in a short time more than 200 jackets were donated to bring "Warm Clothes for Winter" to poor students.

On this occasion, the delegation also presented gifts to 30 other disadvantaged households in this border commune and visited and presented Tet gifts to Luong Thi Hien Nay, a 7th-grade student (Xieng My commune, Tuong Duong district) from a disadvantaged background, who is being helped by the Nghe An Newspaper Youth Union. In addition, nearly 300 warm jackets and 2 water filters were donated to Xieng My Kindergarten by the Newspaper in coordination with several businesses.

To celebrate the Lunar New Year of the Pig, Hoi Nga Ethnic Boarding Junior High School (Quy Chau) dedicated two weekend days to organizing the "Spring of Love, Tet of Reunion" program. Participating students experienced many meaningful activities steeped in the traditional spirit of Tet, such as a competition in wrapping banh chung (traditional rice cakes), cooking traditional ethnic dishes, and participating in games reflecting the culture of the highland people, such as throwing the "con" (a type of ball), dancing the "lam vong" dance, and walking on stilts.

Through this program, Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) arrived earlier for poor and disadvantaged students, as teachers voluntarily donated a portion of their salaries to give Tet gifts to them. Among them were many heartbreaking cases, such as Vi The San, whose father passed away and mother abandoned him, leaving him to live with his constantly ill grandmother; and Lu Thi Tuyen, an orphan who lost both parents and lives with her cousin, also facing difficult circumstances. Throughout the school year, these poor students always received attention from the school and were given gifts on occasions such as the new school year and the Mid-Autumn Festival.

An early Tet celebration for students at Hoi Nga Ethnic Boarding Junior High School (Quy Chau). Photo: My Ha

Meanwhile, in Tuong Duong, the border commune of Nhon Mai successfully held its first local goods fair. The fair featured a special booth run by teachers, students, and parents of Nhon Mai Kindergarten, showcasing many handcrafted items, toys, and other products made by the teachers themselves. Parents also contributed by donating rice, vegetables, bamboo shoots, pumpkins, and other agricultural products they grew. At the end of the fair, the school raised nearly 15 million VND from sales and donations. The entire amount was used to purchase warm blankets for the children.

Together and share

In 2019, the "For Your Effort" Fund of Dien Ky Secondary School (Dien Chau) celebrated its 5th anniversary. This fund is established by former students of the school through self-funded donations to support underprivileged students. After 5 years, the fund has raised nearly 600 million VND. To ensure the fund's effective operation, the school and the Alumni Association have also agreed on the fund's operating regulations: beneficiaries, benefit levels, and disbursement schedules.

Among them, many students have graduated, but through the Alumni Association, they continue to receive monthly support from the fund, such as Ngo Kieu Anh (a student in class 7A, whose parents passed away due to HIV).

The little girl whose letter, "Letter to Mom," touched the hearts of many readers and the online community years ago, is now in high school. She still receives about 500,000 VND per month from benefactors to motivate her studies. Another example is the case of orphaned student Nguyen Le Huy, who lives with his grandmother in a dilapidated house due to difficult circumstances. Out of compassion for the poor student, the school raised nearly 110 million VND to build a decent, warm house for the two of them.

Most recently, during Christmas 2018, the "For Your Effort" Fund also awarded many gifts and bicycles to students who are children of Catholic parents at the school. Receiving a new bicycle, student Dang Van Vuong (9B class) happily said: "My family is struggling financially, so buying a bicycle wasn't easy. Since I got the bike, I no longer have to walk or rely on friends' rides; I can now go to school on my own and help my parents with many things... Besides this program, the school has also maintained the "Helping Hands" Fund for many years. Especially during the Lunar New Year, all teachers and students of the school will donate to support and give Tet gifts to poor students at the school."

Dien Ky Secondary School in Dien Chau district donated bicycles to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Photo: My Ha.

Throughout the province, on this occasion, many other schools also gave special gifts to disadvantaged students, those with difficult circumstances, and students suffering from serious illnesses.

At Mau Duc Secondary School (Con Cuong district), on the very first day of 2019, the entire school dedicated the weekly flag-raising ceremony to raising funds for Lang Thi Tuy, a student suffering from "silent myocardial ischemia." Because of this rare disease, Tuy has to go to the district hospital for blood transfusions once a month. She has been referred to the provincial hospital for treatment, but due to her difficult circumstances, this wish remains unfulfilled. Despite her illness, Tuy has never missed a day of school and is a good student...

For the Dan Lai ethnic minority students of Mon Son commune, joy came at the beginning of the new year when the school put into use a spacious and beautiful dormitory building. The project, worth nearly 3 billion VND, is a gift from the Vietnam Children's Protection Fund and other sponsors to the teachers and students of the school. This gift not only helps the Dan Lai students no longer worry about studying far from home, but also gives them a true "second home" and strengthens their bond with the school and their classmates.

Sharing, supporting, and empowering underprivileged students are practical and meaningful gifts for them during the New Year; they also serve as motivation for the students to continue striving, excelling, and achieving good results in their studies.