Sparing every penny for your children's future
In a small rented room near Bac Thang Long Industrial Park (Hanoi), Ms. Hoang Thi Nhien (from Yen Bai) thinks about her two children in her hometown. To send their child to school at a more reasonable cost, the couple had to choose the solution of sending their child back to the grandparents for care. It was a difficult sacrifice.
"If we send our children here to study, my husband and I cannot afford it. In the countryside, the cost of education will be cheaper," Ms. Nhien shared.
At the beginning of each school year, their worries increase. "There are books, tuition, school supplies... there are many things to worry about," she listed.
With workers' salaries, after deducting nearly 2 million VND from rent, 3-4 million VND from food and drink savings, the money sent back to the hometown for the grandparents and two children is just enough to cover expenses. Sending children back to their hometown is an option filled with love and calculation for the future. They accept the daily longing for their children, in exchange for the opportunity to go to school for them, even though that road is getting more and more bumpy due to the pressure of living expenses.
The dream is temporary, waiting for a brighter day
If Ms. Nhien's story is the sacrifice for her children to go to school, then Ms. Bui Thi Khanh's situation (from Hoa Binh) is a tireless effort to keep the fire of her dream burning for her children. Her husband has been dead for 10 years, she alone is the pillar that shoulders the whole family, from her elderly parents to her only daughter who has just graduated from high school.
Her daughter cherished the dream of becoming a nurse, but now, that dream has to be put on hold. "With my own strength, it is difficult to take care of my child's admission to university right now," Ms. Khanh said choking up. The salary for overtime is only 12-13 million VND, she has to send 3-4 million back to her hometown to take care of her grandparents, the rest is spent in the city. Her parents were sick for many months, so she had to borrow more.
For now, the mother and daughter have a plan: "I decided to send my child down here to work with my mother for a year. I will accumulate experience, earn extra income to support my family, and then next year I will reconsider my studies."
It is not an end, but a temporary stop, a sacrifice of both mother and child with the belief that one day in the near future, the young girl will continue to write her dream. From Ms. Khanh's story, it is clear to see the extraordinary determination of mothers. They do not surrender to difficulties, but always find ways to cope, making the most solid support for their children.
Despite a hard life, workers always prioritize their children's education. The dream of going to class for workers' children will not be unfinished if there are more practical support policies on housing, social security and education. So that the sweat of parents at the factory can truly exchange for a more solid and bright future for the next generation.
