Volunteers from the Hearts Linking Bridge club organise a game for local children in Sang Pa Village, Pho Cao commune, Dong Van district, Ha Giang province at a Mid-Autumn Festival event the club hosted for the children. (Source: VNA) Ha Giang (VNS/VNA)- Vu Thi Mi, an 8-year-old Mong ethnic girl, cannot hide her excitement whenspeaking about her Mid-Autumn Festival experience.
In broken Vietnamese, shedescribed the surprises she and hundreds of other kids in the villages ofSang Pa, Seo Lung, Lung Sinh, Sa Lung A, and Sa Lung B, in Pho Cao commune, DongVan district, the northern province of Ha Giang experienced at the'Mid-Autumn Festival for You – Welcome to Schools' event.
“They gave us cakes, candies,lots of study equipment,” she said. “They gave us a delicious lunch. Then theyorganised games for us. I felt so happy. It was the first time Itasted Mid-Autumn cakes. They are so delicious.”
The idea to help lessfortunate children experience a joyous Mid-Autumn Festival camefrom a charity field trip the Hanoi-based Bridge Linking Hearts Club tookto Muong Nha commune, Dien Bien district, Dien Bien province.
At the end of July, young membersof the club visited Pha Thanh Village in Muong Nha to hand gifts to 68needy families.
“The trip impressed us,” saidNguyen Ngoc Hung, chairman of the club. “We knew children in remote areas havenever had a true Mid-Autumn festival. I thought about an activity spreadingfull moon festival from plain areas to high mountain areas.”
Within a month, the memberscontributed money and called for financial aid from friends, and wealthypeople.
“Mobilising financialaid through Facebook is not easy,” said teacher Le Van Uy, deputy chairmanof the club. “Especially at the present time, when charity groups areeverywhere, including fake ones which aim just for profit. Yet we stillgot the support as we have acted with transparency in finances.”
The club was established in 2016,gathering intellectuals, workers and students together to runvarious charity activities including blood donating, supporting needy patientsin Hanoi and giving gifts to poor people.
Sang Pa village was chosen forthe club’s event as it's located near Pho Cao commune’s centre,making it more convenient for children from other villages to attend.
According to local authorities,children enjoy Mid-Autumn Festival every year thanks to schools, the YouthUnion and Women's Union.
However, the commune is among theextremely poor communes of Dong Van district, so the festival is small andtraditional cakes are still “luxurious things” to local children, Hung said.
The club gathered 300 gifts ofMid-Autumn cakes, candies, milk, notebooks, pens, warm clothes and traditionaltoys for the festival.
Young members in the club alsomade 350 portions a 'Hanoi lunch' of rice, meat and vegetablesoup for the Mong children.
“We did this so the children feltlike they were visiting the capital, 400km away from the karst plateau, toenjoy Mid-Autumn Festival,” Hung said.
Children in other villagesreceived other gifts
“Just looking at the innocentsmiles of local children, we forgot our tiredness after 14 hours of driving,”Hung said.
“We hope local children willremember this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival," Hong Quan, a first-year studentclub member, said.
Spreading love
The festive cheer is aliveelsewhere too, and local authorities in the Central Highlands province of DakLak have hosted Mid-Autumn Festival events for children in remote andmountainous villages, giving hundreds of gifts to children.
In M’Drak district, 1,000gifts were given to children, as well as free medical checks.
Authorities also handed out 30grants, each worth 800,000 VND in cash (34.5 USD) to needy children with goodacademic results and 30 bicycles.
The Central Highlands EyeHospital offered 50 gifts, at the total cost of 10 million VND (431 USD)while M’Drak district authorities have handed 100 gifts worth a total 30million VND (1,300 USD) to needy children in the locality.
The Red Journey Group in Dak Lakprovince hosted a Mid-Autumn Festival for children at the CentralHighlands Hospital and residing in Ea H’leo district, 100km away from DakLak province’s centre.
According to Hoang Minh Trung, accoordinator of the group, the members raised funds for the event bymaking household utensils, drawing calligraphic works and collectingrecycled materials.
The group has given gifts to 200children in Cu Mot commune, Ea H'leo district and to 500 children at thehospital.
Lai Thi Loan, deputy director ofDak Lak province’s Labours, War Invalids and Social Affairs Department said thedepartment plans to hold a Mid-Autumn Festival for children in remote areas ata total cost of 1 billion VND (43,100 USD).
“Though their lives are still indifficult conditions, children in the province have been cared for warmly atthe event,” Loan said./.
VNA
