The small road leading to hamlet 5 Khe Lech, Hung Khanh commune, Lao Cai province is steep in the midst of mountains and hills. Overcoming the slippery slope is the old house of Ms. Ha Thi Nhai (born in 1983) - where she, her mother-in-law and 8-year-old daughter are struggling to live day by day in many difficulties.
The house is dilapidated, wooden pillars are rotten, the old roof is stained with leaks. Inside, valuable assets are almost non-existent except for some old household items.
Every time it rains, water pours over the walls, leaking from the roof to the floor. On heavy rainy nights, mothers, children, grandmothers and grandchildren have to hug each other to sleep at neighbors' houses because they dare not stay.
Few people know that behind the quiet appearance of that woman is a long series of years full of loss. Many years ago, her husband fell seriously ill. All the money she had saved, all the hope, she poured it all into treating her husband.
But after a long struggle, he passed away in 2024, leaving behind debt and the burden of food and clothing piling up.
Since her husband passed away, Ms. Nhai has taken on the whole family alone. On her shoulders is not only her young daughter, Ha Hong Nhung, who is currently in 3rd grade, but also her elderly mother-in-law, who is often sick and needs care for every meal of medicine and sleep.
The family's life depends entirely on Ms. Nhai's worker salary of 6-7 million VND per month at Yamazaki Vietnam Co., Ltd. That amount of money must be saved for rice, fish sauce, children's education, medicine for the elderly mother and enough for living expenses.
Every day, early in the morning, she takes her child to school and then rushes to work. In the afternoon, when friends have been picked up by their parents, Hong Nhung quietly walks into the company, waiting for her mother to finish work.
A small child sitting huddled in a familiar corner, waiting for his mother in the factory lights has become an image that makes many workers feel sorry.
After work, the two mothers and daughters take each other back on an old electric bicycle - where the dilapidated house is still waiting in the dark. For that 3rd grade child, the simple dream is to have a house that does not leak every time it rains, with a small corner to study without having to worry about running to shelter at night.
Things that are very ordinary to many people, to Ms. Nhai and her children, are luxury.
Every night when it rains heavily and the wind is strong, I don't dare to sleep. I'm just worried that the house won't last, and my elderly mother and young child won't know where to cling to," the female worker choked up.
But with a meager worker's salary, after worrying about food every day, the matter of repairing or rebuilding the house is almost beyond her ability. The dream of having a healthy house so that her elderly mother can rest assured in her old age, and her young children have a place to grow up properly, is still far away for her.
Mr. Vi Viet Trung - Chairman of Tran Yen Commune Trade Union said that the circumstances of union member Ha Thi Nhai are particularly difficult. The grassroots trade union is proposing to higher levels to support the construction of a Trade Union Shelter for her family. However, resources are still limited, and it is very necessary to have more joint efforts from the community and philanthropists to have enough funds to rebuild a new house.
A solid roof may not be too great, but for the three grandmothers and grandchildren at this time, it is a support to continue. Every sharing, no matter how small, can contribute to building a home for the female worker's family," Mr. Vi Viet Trung expressed.
All help LD26098 please send to Tam Long Vang Charity Social Fund - 51 Hang Bo, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. Account number (STK) 113000000758 at Vietinbank Hoan Kiem Branch, Hanoi; Account number: 0021000303088 - at Vietcombank Hanoi Branch; Account number: 12410001122556 - at BIDV Hoan Kiem Branch.
