Ms. Chan Kien and the journey of building a 'small nest' for special students

For over 3 years, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngan (often called Ms. Chan Kien) has been diligently spreading the culture of reading to disadvantaged students through the 'Little Ants' library, helping hundreds of them open up to a brighter worldview.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngan, often affectionately called Ms. Chan Kien by her students, during a reading session with the children at the orphanage.

PHOTO: NVCC

In a small room in Hiep Binh ward (HCMC), soft white light shines on a table where colorful books are neatly arranged. At the corner of the table, Ms. Chan Kien reads the neat handwriting and colorful drawings in her student's literature notebook, while recounting the story of the founding of "Little Ant Group".

Building "Little Ant's Nest" from the pain of losing mother

Ms. Chan Kien is currently a lecturer in literature and modern life at the University of Management and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City. More than 4 years ago, while working away from home, she received news of her mother's sudden death. In that moment of grief, she decided to open a small library right in her mother's house in Phu Tho province (formerly Vinh Phuc ), as a way to heal and ease the pain.

The first day, the library welcomed 12 students to read. Then it was 20, then gradually more than 100 students each week. Besides reading, the female teacher at that time also directly taught classes, guided students to review for the 9th and 12th grade exams and taught elementary and middle school students how to appreciate literature. All completely free of charge.

"For me, the greatest joy is when children from 5 villages in Tam Hong commune come together to borrow books regularly every week. Becoming a village teacher gives me the opportunity to apply the educational methods and philosophies I have learned into practice," Ms. Kien confided.

The first "Little Ants' Nest" library in Ms. Chan Kien's hometown of Phu Tho (formerly Vinh Phuc)

PHOTO: NVCC

More than a year since the establishment of the first Little Ants' Nest library, when moving to Ho Chi Minh City, Ms. Chan Kien continued to bring the second "Little Ants' Nest" library to the children at Mai Tam Shelter in Ho Chi Minh City.

"I lost my mother when I was nearly 30 years old and found it a great pain. Meanwhile, the children here do not know who their parents are. My mother worked as a scrap collector, but whenever she bought books, she kept them for my sisters and me to read. Those old books were the first foundation that made me love reading and literature, so that I later became a literature teacher. Books are the best childhood gift for me, so I want to bring books as a companion, to fill the invisible void in my children's hearts," Ms. Chan Kien emotionally said.

In the early days, Ms. Kien personally asked for bookshelves, mobilized donations of suitable books, and found volunteers to arrange and read books with the children. By May 2023, the "Little Ants' Nest" library at Mai Tam Shelter officially began operating every Friday evening in the space of an old chapel of the shelter.

Creating happy reading hours

Talking about the reading program, Ms. Kien could not hide her pride. From her own expertise as a literature researcher and teacher, she built a reading time similar to a literature appreciation class. A reading session usually consists of 4 parts: Self-reading time at the beginning of class, knowledge quiz, storytelling and creative writing activities.

"I want to bring the spirit and activities of the literature appreciation class I taught to the library to help students not only read but also feel the beauty of language and love writing more," Ms. Kien explained.

A "little ant" who was reading excitedly told Thanh Nien : "There is a very strange bell in the library. Every time Ms. Chan Kien rings the bell, we will know to be quiet or go in to read. Every time we read, we write down what we read and what lessons we learn. Some days, we even get to play the roles of characters in the book, which is very interesting."

In addition to reading, students are also encouraged to write and draw. Each child has their own literature notebook. These are hardcover notebooks with nice paper and no grids so that children can freely create, record their feelings or sketch out ideas after reading.

"Not all children are confident in speaking in front of a crowd, so I hope they can write and draw so that everyone has the opportunity to share their thoughts," she shared.

Ms. Chan Kien reads books with the children in the library.

PHOTO: NVCC

Ms. Nguyen Hoang Phuong, an employee of Mai Tam Shelter, said that Ms. Chan Kien brought the library to the shelter at a time when the children really need to build reading habits, nurture their imagination and form many beautiful dreams.

"She always wondered how to build an attractive reading program to help children love books and enjoy reading and writing more. Even though the children here have quite special circumstances, she still persevered, every Friday night she and volunteers come to maintain reading time," said Ms. Phuong.

After more than a year of operation, Ms. Kien said the children have gradually formed a reading habit and a passion for books. "10 pages of a book a day is no longer too difficult for the children at the shelter. Many times when I arrive early, I see the children automatically pick up books instead of watching TV. At that time, I know I have planted a small seed of love for knowledge," Ms. Kien said.

To encourage children to come to the library, Ms. Kien and the volunteer teachers also prepared many small rewards such as pens and erasers with attractive colors and shapes for those who have good reading achievements. At the same time, the shelter also upgraded the reading space with bright lights, projectors, air conditioners and pillows to create a "happy library" space.

Chan Kien's Dream

Not only at Mai Tam Shelter, the "Little Ants' Nest" library has recently been expanded to another facility in Tan Phu district (HCMC) for children in especially difficult circumstances, helping to increase the total number of libraries to 3.

Ms. Chan Kien said that each child who comes to the library has a different story. There is a child who lives in Cu Chi, and every week takes the bus for nearly 2 hours to come to the library to read books. "Seeing them travel a long distance to the library and then borrow books to take home, I feel more motivated to continue maintaining activities at the library," she shared.

Philanthropists give year-end gifts to orphans at a facility of the "Little Ants' Nest" library

PHOTO: NVCC

What makes Ms. Kien proud is not only maintaining a reading space, but also the ability to connect the community from that small library. Through "Little Ant Nest", many organizations and philanthropists have joined hands to support scholarships, school supplies, gifts and programs to help disadvantaged children go to school at the library.

From these achievements, Ms. Kien cherished the desire to spread the library model to the larger community. Currently, she has completed the manual "Creating a friendly community library", and organized training sessions and shared experiences at schools and organizations interested in building a reading culture.

"What I hope most is to be able to transfer this model to anyone who really wants to build and develop a reading culture in their own locality," Ms. Kien expressed.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/co-chan-kien-va-hanh-trinh-xay-to-nho-cho-nhung-hoc-tro-dac-biet-185251120100034235.htm