Keeping students by charity kitchen
For nearly 10 years, teacher Huynh Thi Thuy Dung, a teacher at Vo Thi Sau Primary School (Quang Phu Commune, Lam Dong Province), has cooked nearly 200,000 free meals for poor students - an emotional testament to the kindness and love of students.
Ms. Dung said that many students used to bring lunch to class in plastic bags. Seeing the students sharing their cold rice with silver, the teachers could not help but feel heartbroken.
"Listen, in 2016, I took a photo and shared it on my personal Facebook, hoping everyone would join hands to help," she recalled.
That image quickly spread, receiving the support of many domestic and foreign philanthropists. Thanks to that, in December 2016, the first meals were cooked and given to students. Since then, more than 100 children have had free lunch, one meal a week.
In 2019, Ms. Dung continued to mobilize benefactors to build solid kitchens on a plot of land of more than 1,200 square meters, creating a clean and safe space for students to eat and have lunch.
If a meal can help a child not drop out of school, then all the efforts I put in are worth it, because keeping them in school is the most precious thing, Ms. Dung shared.
Thanks to that persistent heart, from maintaining only 1 meal/week, up to now, nearly 200 students of the school have been able to eat 3 meals/week, even 4 meals/week during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many poor students have been motivated to go to school and continue to study at higher levels with the baggage of love.
Not only is she a " kitchen of love", Ms. Dung's actions also inspire colleagues, students and parents. In 2019, she was honored to attend the teacher appreciation program and received a Certificate of Merit from the Ministry of Education and Training for meaningful contributions to the cause of "growing people".
Helping many disadvantaged children
Since 2019, teacher Huynh Thi Thuy Dung has continued to connect with many benefactors to raise funds to sponsor more than 90 disadvantaged students in the old Krong No district.
Up to now, there are still 70 orphaned, sick or poor students who are being supported by Ms. Dung to study.
According to Ms. Dung, the support level depends on the circumstances, ranging from 500,000 to 2 million VND/month, can be in necessities or cash, helping students cover their study costs. In addition, she also connected with benefactors to provide additional support such as: treating diseases, buying books, clothes, bicycles, building houses...
"From 2019 to now, I have mobilized more than 1.5 billion VND to help students cling. Of which, 7 students were supported to build a house. Some students have studied a trade or university, but are still sponsored until they graduate, Ms. Dung shared.
A special case is Doan Thi Thao Nguyen (Krong No commune, Lam Dong province) - an orphan whose father and mother have fled the countryside, and the three of them have to support each other to study.
Knowing this situation, since August 2022, when Nguyen was preparing for grade 10, Ms. Dung has supported 1 million VND per month. Up to now, Nguyen has become a student at the Central Highlands University.
"Without Ms. Dung's help, I would not have been able to study today. I am truly grateful to you very much" - Nguyen said emotionally.
