Prolonged difficulties
The dilapidated little house deep in the village in Thuan Hoa ward (Hue city) is where Nguyen Thi Dieu Thao, a 6th grade student at Chu Van An Secondary School, still quietly walks home on the familiar small path with her younger sister every day. The house is damp, cramped, and has a moldy smell that sticks to every black walls that have been dark for years.
In the corner of the house, Thao's old study table is placed close to the window to take advantage of the daylight. Few people expected that that place would be the support of a good, hard-working girl, but carrying on her shoulders so many worries and hardships of a particularly poor family.
For many years, Thao's parents have left Hue to work for hire in Nghe An. The work was unstable, sometimes not, but the couple still tried to save every penny to send home to take care of their three younger sisters at home. The eldest sister is in grade 10, while the youngest student is in preschool but cannot speak, and has mild autism. Each month, the cost of treatment for the youngest child was up to more than 4.5 million VND, an excess amount of money for poor workers like Thao's parents.
In Hue, grandparents take turns taking care of their grandchildren. Mr. Nguyen Dac Y, their grandfather, who is 75 years old this year, still regularly takes the youngest child to class every morning and welcomes him back in the afternoon. Despite his old age and weak strength, he still tried, just hoping that their parents would take care of them less.
"The children are too young and have a hard time at home, so they have to live far away from their father and mother. It's very difficult, Uncle" - Mr. Y said.
Thao's teacher shared that although Thao's family was poor, Thao was kind, hard-working and especially her exam score was getting higher and higher, and she tried her best. "I was just in high school, with a more difficult learning environment, more frequency of learning, but I adapted quite well. The score of the previous round was quite high. That is Thao's important effort" - the teacher shared.
The incident happened
Life was already full of difficulties, but disaster came when the whole family could not expect it. On a seemingly normal day in a foreign land, Thao's father, the main breadwinner of the family, suddenly left after a meal. He was taken to the emergency room but did not survive, passing away suddenly due to a stroke at the age of 49.
In the following days, the choking cries of Ms. Dang Thi Thuy Trang (Thau's mother) blended with the panic of her three daughters who were too young to accept the great loss. "Every night, I call you guys...", Ms. Trang said, her voice was shaking. The passing of the father and husband not only left a lasting pain but also a great spiritual and economic gap in which the whole family did not know where to stay to continue.
Since her father passed away, Thao has been discussing things differently. I no longer whisper like before, rarely talk, or sit quietly in the corner of the house looking up at my father's photo. Since the family incident, my eyes have always been so sad that I can't describe it. "I miss you, Dad..." - Thao could only say that and then went silent, tears flowing.
Her mother alone cannot handle the job, her grandparents are old, and the Thao sisters are even more struggling to cope with the needs. The house is leaking and leaking, the roof is thin and weak every time it rains, it shakes again because of the wind. The lives of the little people now depend only on the mother who lost her husband and suffered the anxiety of struggling to find a way to raise children and raise parents.
Complaining about the students' situation, the Board of Directors and the Parents' Association of Chu Van An Secondary School have launched a fundraising campaign, allocating additional "Friends' Hands" Fund, which preserves savings from the students' own pigs to support Thao's family. In a short time, the collective of teachers, parents and students has raised a large amount of money to send to the family. The money cannot erase the pain of losing a father, but it is a fulcrum for the family to overcome the period of overwhelming cruelty.
When the school representative came to give the support, the whole family could not hide their emotions. In the middle of the small house, the choked thanks of the members spoke, joined in the wind blowing in the porch, listening with pity. And who knows, with today's support, the future of Thao and her sisters will be less bumpy, so that their journey to adulthood will still be bright.
Please send any help to the life of LD25071, Nguyen Thi Dieu Thao, to the Golden Heart Charity Fund - 51 Hang Bo, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. Account number (STK) 113000000758 at Vietinbank Hoan Kiem Branch, Hanoi; Contact number: 0021000303088 - at Vietcombank Hanoi Branch; Contact number: 12410001122556 - at BIDV Hoan Kiem Branch.
Or please scan the QR code:
Or contact Ms. Dang Thi Thuy Trang directly (Thai's mother), phone number: 0796543943.
