'Linking hands' brings warmth to the highlands

During the 2 days of November 7-8, on the journey of 'Connecting Warm Hands', the program sponsors visited a number of schools that were heavily damaged by storm Yagi to visit and encourage students and give many gifts to support the provinces of Thai Nguyen, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Yen Bai , and Cao Bang.

"There was a flood, my house was flooded up to the roof"

It has been exactly 2 months since storm number 3 (storm Yagi ) made landfall in Vietnam, but the severe consequences and echoes of the storm are still present in schools in the northern mountainous provinces.

Ms. Cao Thi Ngoc Dung (right) , Chairwoman of PNJ Board of Directors, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Golden Trust Fund and Ms. Vu Thi Tan, Vice Chairwoman of Lao Cai Provincial Women's Union, presented gifts to students in Lao Cai

In many places, schools were severely damaged, many school supplies, books and teaching equipment were damaged and could not be used. Many children in remote areas had even more difficulty going to school. Faced with this situation, the Central Youth Union, Thanh Nien Newspaper, Golden Faith Fund and PNJ announced the project "Connecting Warm Hands" with many businesses to provide educational support for children in areas affected by natural disasters.

At Tuc Duyen Primary School, Tuc Duyen Ward, Thai Nguyen City, Ms. Pham Quynh Trang, Principal of the school, said that due to the impact of storm No. 3, the entire school was severely affected, with flooding from 150 to 200 cm deep. Therefore, equipment including desks, chairs, boards, school supplies, books, teaching aids... were submerged in water and damaged, unable to be used. The total initial damage was estimated at about 2 billion VND. Of which, 2 outdoor green library areas and a library room, which are spaces for students to study, connect and develop life skills... were damaged and seriously degraded. In addition, many students of the school lost all their belongings due to their flooded houses and had no school supplies to go to school.

"These contributions not only help the school quickly overcome the consequences of natural disasters but are also a great source of spiritual encouragement, helping us to be more confident and determined to continue fulfilling our educational mission."

Ms. PHAM QUYNH TRANG (Principal of Tuc Duyen Primary School, Tuc Duyen Ward, Thai Nguyen City)

"The school has 776 students. When the flood passed, 615 families had their houses submerged, many up to the roof. Therefore, most students had to carry their belongings in plastic bags when they came to school," Ms. Quynh Trang shared.

Therefore, when the "Warm Hands" project brought funds to support the school and gave school supplies to students, Ms. Quynh Trang was moved to say: "These contributions not only help the school quickly overcome the consequences of natural disasters but are also a great source of spiritual encouragement, helping us to be more confident and determined to continue to fulfill our educational mission."

Journalist Bui Quang Duan, Deputy Secretary General of Thanh Nien Online , handed over project support resources to Cao Bang Provincial Youth Union.

As a student with very difficult circumstances, Vu Bao An, a 5th grade student, said: "My father passed away when I was still in my mother's womb, so my family only has 3 children, me and a 7th grade sister. My mother does not have a stable job, she only does small business to earn money. When the flood happened, my house was flooded up to the roof so I have no property left." When receiving the program's scholarship and school supplies, Bao An was very happy: "I will try to study well to become a useful person for society."

"THE EVIL BABY WILL NEVER BE COLD ANYMORE"

In Lang Son province, the delegation visited Co Huong school, which belongs to the primary boarding school for ethnic minorities in Huu Kien commune, Chi Lang district. This is a school in a commune in region III with particularly difficult conditions. Storm No. 3 has severely damaged many sections of the road, making travel extremely dangerous, with one side being a deep abyss and the other side being a seriously eroded mountainside. Therefore, after the storm, students' travel became even more difficult. There were quite a lot of students who wanted to stay at school, but the school did not have enough space for food, accommodation, and toilets, especially water for daily activities, because the water pipe from the mountain had been destroyed by the storm.

Ms. Vi Thi Diu, the school's principal, said that winter here is very harsh, sometimes the weather drops to 4-5 degrees Celsius, so the students are very cold. Most of the school's students are Tay ethnic children, whose lives are still difficult. Out of 121 students, 48 ​​are from poor households. Sometimes in winter they only wear thin clothes and sandals to school. The school only hopes to have a clean well to have water for cooking meals for the children and warm water for the children to use in winter.

With the project's financial support to invest in facilities and give warm clothes and school supplies to students, Ms. Diu excitedly said: "So this winter, the children will no longer be cold. We are very grateful and touched that the project has brought warmth to the students and the school to help us overcome difficulties."

Teachers and students of Co Huong school, Lang Son province, received warm clothes from the donation program.

In Lao Cai province, the delegation visited the primary boarding school No. 1 in San Chai commune, Si Ma Cai district. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Chung, principal of the school, said that the floods caused by storm No. 3 damaged some items of the school such as the front landscape area; the landscape areas, the boarding area of ​​students also had a room washed away, students still could not stay.

According to Mr. Chung, 100% of the students in the school are Mong ethnic people, and their families' economic conditions are also very difficult. Although the government cares and supports them, some families still work far away, so the children have to stay at home with their grandparents and relatives, which makes it very difficult. In particular, recently, due to the impact of floods, their families' lives have become more difficult. "Today, receiving support from the Central Youth Union, the Golden Faith Fund, PNJ Company, and Thanh Nien Newspaper, I am very touched. Through this, I would like to thank the units that have cared about the lives of students in the highlands," said Mr. Chung.

Corporate responsibility to the community

As the unit supporting up to 3 billion VND for the program, Ms. Cao Thi Ngoc Dung, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of PNJ, also Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Golden Trust Fund, shared that throughout the development journey of the past 36 years as well as the process of building future orientation, PNJ has always been associated with sustainable development. That philosophy has affirmed the right direction that the enterprise has always pursued since the early days of establishment, always putting the interests of customers and social interests in the interests of the enterprise.

"PNJ always believes that businesses not only create economic value but also contribute to the community. Seeing the value and meaning of the "Connecting Warm Hands" program, we want to express the spirit of sharing and love, the values ​​that PNJ always strives for. The support of 3 billion VND from the Golden Trust Fund is a testament to PNJ's commitment to the community, especially the young generation. We believe that children are the future of the country, and investing in education is a meaningful long-term action," Ms. Dung acknowledged.

In addition to PNJ, the "Connecting Warm Hands" project also received support from Dragon Capital Company's Employee Charity Fund of 400 million VND, Duy Tan Recycling Plastic Joint Stock Company (DUYTAN Recycling) of 200 million VND, Talentnet Joint Stock Company of 200 million VND, Ho Chi Minh City Women Entrepreneurs Association (HAWEE) of more than 300 million VND... Along with that, Hanoi Education Investment and Development Joint Stock Company (VN Education Publishing House), Hai Ha International Investment Joint Stock Company - Classmate and Vietnam Education Equipment and Publishing Investment Joint Stock Company (VEPIC) also have many incentives for books and school supplies specifically for the program.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/noi-vong-tay-am-mang-hoi-am-len-vung-cao-18524110820380868.htm