Visit the charity class, listen to the reading of lessons on a summer day
The place where the pain is recorded
Every summer, my footsteps find their way back to the small classroom nestled at the corner of Nguyen Du Hamlet. More than three decades ago, no one called this place a classroom, no one believed that this place would become a support for so many small people. Nguyen Du Hamlet at that time was just a poor, noisy working-class neighborhood full of worries about making a living. Where makeshift houses were crowded together, the sounds of arguing, children crying or adults drinking were familiar sounds, seeping into every small alley.
“Most of the children’s families are poor workers, working hard all year round, struggling to earn every penny. Due to various circumstances, most of them do not have birth certificates and cannot go to school like their peers. Being busy and miserable makes parents give up and no longer have enough time to care about their children’s activities, morality, and education. Some families even ignore them, leaving their children to their fate, accepting them to grow up amidst the temptations and dark corners of life. The children do not go to school, wander here and there, sell lottery tickets, collect scrap metal, and are even drawn into mischief and social evils” - Mr. Nguyen Huu Thoi (the “founder” of the charity class), shared with us many times about that past.
Nurturing love
After many sleepless nights, Mr. Thoi decided to ask for the opinion of the leaders of My Binh ward (old), hoping to open a charity class right in Nguyen Du hamlet. With the support of the local government, the Nguyen Du hamlet charity class was officially established in October 1992, currently located in Long Xuyen ward. At that time, the class was just old tables and chairs, a blackboard with chalk stains placed in the hamlet office, but the children's eyes lit up with new hope.
Gradually, the children's melodious reading and clear laughter echoed in the poor working-class neighborhood, dispelling all the heaviness and gloom. In the blink of an eye, the charity class has now entered its 33rd year and has been built very spaciously. I still keep the habit of visiting every summer to see the children grow up, some become workers, some become traders, but no matter what they do, they are still "nourished" by the love of the teachers in this poor neighborhood.
“The classroom is not only a place to impart basic knowledge, but also a place to nurture love and nurture the willpower of many generations of students from poor working-class neighborhoods. Many children who were once forgotten by their families and society, thanks to the classroom, have not fallen into the dark spiral of social evils. Our goal is not only to impart basic letters and calculations from grades 1 to 5, but also to educate them on personality and human ethics. Fortunately, on that journey, we received a lot of attention and support from local authorities and philanthropists. That is the motivation that helps “unpaid” teachers like us to stick with the classroom for a long time” - Ms. Phan Thu Thuy (born in 1964, residing in My Thoi ward), who has been with the charity classroom for more than 10 years, confided.
Faith for the future
In recent years, the appearance of Nguyen Du has changed. The poor working-class neighborhood now has concrete roads, and many families are better off. However, there are still unfulfilled lives, children who need a school and a helping hand. The charity class still persists, becoming a bridge to bring children closer to knowledge, to dreams that seem far away.
As a retired primary school teacher, at the age of nearly 70, Ms. Tran Kim Phuong (residing in Long Xuyen ward) still spends time going to class, teaching letters in the charity class. “I have known and started teaching here since 2018. The more I teach, the more I sympathize with the children's circumstances and efforts to overcome their fate. Each child has a different situation, a different story, which just hearing it makes people feel sorry. In each of my lessons, I always incorporate life skills and ethics to help the children develop their thinking. Here, the youngest child is 9 years old, the oldest is 16 years old, but they still consider each other as family. That is something we are very proud of!” - Ms. Phuong shared with a deep heart.
Every time I return to this place, I hear the old teacher's voice telling stories, the students reading their lessons, and the mumbling of numbers adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing amidst the sweltering summer sun. 33 years - not a very long time, but enough to write a beautiful story about kindness, about the desire to change fate with simple words.
| “With support for my birth certificate, I will be attending Le Van Nhung Primary School (Long Xuyen Ward) when I start school. This is a great joy for me. I promise to study well at the new school so as not to disappoint the love and guidance of the teachers in the charity class!” - Le Thi Lan Anh (9 years old) said excitedly. |
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/he-ve-lop-hoc-tinh-thuong-van-sang-den-hy-vong-a424227.html
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