Still getting up early as usual but today, Ms. Ngan Thi Tam, Muong village, Yen Khuong commune, Lang Chanh district did not go to the field. She took the children to the cultural house of the Sang Hang village to attend the “Tet full of love” event organized by the Vietnam Red Cross in collaboration with the Thien Tam Club, Youth Union of Thanh Hoa Provincial Security Department.
Together with the villagers, Ms. Tam and her daughter today are allowed to attend the early Tet (New Year) organized by the Vietnam Red Cross.
In 2 days (December 27-28), Ms. Tams family and 256 households belong to the Sang Hang village, Phon village (Yen Khuong commune) and Can village belong to Phon Xay village group, Sam To district, Hua Phan province – Laos participated in cultural exchanges, exchanged goods and received 256 gifts, each gift valued at VND 300,000 from humanitarian fair booths; 100 households are particularly difficult, severely damaged by flooding and the Vietnam Red Cross donated 100 Tet gifts, each worth VND 600,000.
Ms. Tam and her daughter arrived at the earliest, two grandchildren helped the Red Cross brothers and border guards to clean up and display the stalls, and Tam and two small children sat to make “banh chung” or rice square cake and joy in the sad eyes of Thai women have just experienced great losses in life.
Ms. Tran Thi Hong An – Vice President of the Vietnam Red Cross (red shirt) and border guards and people of Yen Khuong commune, donated banh chung to people to celebrate the early New Year.
Tams husband, Lo Van Ai, died at the age of 37 in March 2018 because of a traffic accident, the pain was not calming, debt was piling up, she struggled to raise her four children. At the age of large, the flash flood suddenly overflowed the simple house of a great-grandchildren and husband built up in the flow of water. Four mother and daughter were lucky to survive but fell into homeless. With the support of the Red Cross, villagers and benefactors, Mrs. Tams family has rebuilt the house firmly to protect it from the sun. However, for Ms. Tam and her daughter, a new year full of banh chung, a new shirt for the children is not easy when she has to go to the forest to cut firewood every day, and find leaves to sell for her children.
Today, with Tam and many other villagers, Tet comes early and is really new, with “banh chung” and food, her family is also supported with money to buy necessities on Tet holiday, her children was given new clothes, and she chose from a charity gift booth a very necessary gift for her family, a beautiful set of bowls.
She said: “Tet this year I am very happy when my children have a New Year like this.”
Sharing about the purpose and meaning of the New Year with flood victims, Ms. Tran Thi Hong An, Vice President of the Vietnam Red Cross, said: “This is the 20th year the Vietnam Red Cross has implemented the Campaign “Tet for the poor and victims of Agent Orange”, the goal of the Lunar New Year in 2019 is that the Red Cross at all levels mobilize 1.5 million Tet gifts to help poor families and victims of Agent Orange , policy families, families affected by storms and floods have more favorable conditions to welcome new spring.
Ms. Tran Thi Hong An – Vice President of Vietnam Red Cross gave Tet gifts to poor people in Yen Khuong commune (Thanh Hoa)
This year, the Vietnam Red Cross selected Thanh Hoa as the first destination of the Campaign “Tet for the poor and victims of Agent Orange” with the name “Tet full of love”. Vietnamese Red Cross staff, members and volunteers wish to bring a compassionate spring to all people in all regions of the country, especially people in severely affected areas by natural disasters ”.
Mr. Le Van Khanh, Yen Khuong Party Committee Secretary shared: Yen Khuong commune has 9 villages with 1,226 households and 5,138 people, including 3 ethnic groups of Thai, Kinh and Muong. Poor households account for 37.8%, near-poor are over 20.5%. Peoples lives are mainly based on agricultural cultivation with small and scattered scale. The flood in last August caused great damage to peoples lives. Although people have received positive support from local authorities, border guards, benefactors, but overcoming the consequences of natural disasters and stabilizing life has been difficult. This is the first time Yen Khuong commune received a special program to organize an early Tet for people. With the efforts of the Red Cross, the border guards, the youth union of the Provincial Security Department, the benefactors, the New Year for the people in the flooded area, warm and kind, contribute to tightening the solidarity and solidarity. between the people of the two border communes of Vietnam and Laos.
Saying goodbye to the family of Ms. Tam, the people of the Sang Hang village, our delegation continued to travel to poor communes in all parts of the country, bringing joy and happiness of the villagers when welcoming a Tet full of love.
Đàm Nhi
Translated by Nguyen Vinh Hoa