Studying with a flashlight, going to school by boat early
Between the Buon Tua Srah hydroelectric reservoir (Dak Lak) and Ta Dung (Lam Dong), children born and raised on the water are trying to nurture the dream of a child in the midst of deprivation.
Those are the mornings when I wake up at 5am, clean quickly and then my parents take me by small boat to shore, then continue the journey by foot, cycling... dozens of kilometers to school. Those are school nights under the lights of battery chargers or phone lights, charging at the remaining battery level.
Vo Thi Tuyet Ngan - a 4th grade student - living on a raft floating in the middle of Buon Tua Srah lake - shared: "There are days when it rains heavily, there is no electricity, I have to use my phone to study. But after only 30-45 minutes, the battery ran out, and I had to put the book down.
I love my parents for the flood, making a living on the water every day. I dream of going to school nearby, to study more conveniently, to have friends to play with, and teachers to help me show my lessons.
That simple dream is also what motivates many families here to save every penny, persevere in fighting poverty, just hoping that their children will study well, not have to live a life like me.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Diem (from An Giang) and her husband are raising a young child right on Ta Dung Lake. In the past, when their children were young, every time they were sick, they had to cross the waves at night to go to the health station. "Now that my child is in preschool age, my husband and I take turns taking him to class, for meals, for meals, but no matter how hard it is, we have to teach him, so that he can have a future, know how to read, write, and know how to look forward to a better future" - Ms. Diem said.
Hoping for a place to anchor my life
According to statistics, there are currently nearly 40 households living in a landfill between Buon Tua Srah and Ta Dung lakes. Although most of them do not have an official household registration, their children are still being accepted by schools in the area. However, going to school is only a part, what people want most is to get ashore, stabilize their lives, so that children can study fully, and adults have a place to live in their late teens.
No one wants to live forever on the water. We just hope to have a small piece of land to build a house, send our children to school properly, while my husband and I work for hire, raise our children to study well" - Mr. Ho Van Thanh - a temporary resident in Ta Dung Lake - confided.
Mr. Thanh's confession is the common sentiment of many people in the lake. The hardships and difficulties of the people have been listened to and recognized by the local government.
Mr. Nguyen Van Huyen - Chairman of the People's Committee of Krong No commune - said that there are currently nearly 20 households living on the hydropower reservoir in the commune. Children of these households have many difficulties going to school. In that situation, the commune government has asked schools to create conditions to receive students, and at the same time asked teachers to pay attention and provide additional support so that they can keep up with the program.
Along with creating learning conditions, the People's Committee of the commune is also studying a plan to support disadvantaged households. In the long term, the commune will build a roadmap to bring people ashore to stabilize their lives.
Sharing the same concern, Mr. Tran Nam Thuan - Chairman of the People's Committee of Ta Dung commune - shared: "Immediately after the People's Committee of the commune officially came into operation from July 1, we held many meetings to discuss solutions to solve the situation of people living on the lake. If it continues for a long time, the father's life is a living, the children's life continues to drift, the consequences will be huge. The commune has sent officials to the site to record the thoughts and aspirations of the people, as a basis for developing appropriate and timely support plans".
