How many happy days are there in life?

Nine years ago (2016), before I got married, I and my friends participated in many charitable activities, including two times with the "Life Has So Many Happy Days" group (affectionately called "Life") organized by Duy Anh. Later, I couldn't arrange to participate anymore, but I still follow the meaningful activities of him and "Life".

Give each other love.

The first program I participated in was called "Loving a Lifetime of Leprosy." A group of over a dozen people traveled in a 54-seater bus loaded with supplies, food, and clothing. After navigating flat stretches of road, we ventured deep into the remote villages where the leprosy patients lived. Understanding the difficulties faced by these patients, who were stigmatized, lacked affection, and lived in inadequate conditions due to their isolation from the outside world , Duy Anh and his volunteer group dedicated a great deal of effort to the people there. He explained that the "Loving a Lifetime of Leprosy" program takes place monthly at leprosy camps and villages in Gia Lai and Kon Tum. Closer to Ho Chi Minh City are: Ben San Leprosy Camp (Binh Duong), Di Linh and Gia Lanh (Lam Dong), Binh Minh Leprosy Camp (Dong Nai), and Soc Trang Leprosy Camp (Soc Trang City). For camps in Central and Northern Vietnam, he arranges visits two to three times a year.

Bringing love to the people in the leprosy village.

Photo: Provided by the author

Upon arrival, we distributed gifts, rice, clothes, and food, and visited the villagers before quickly turning around to get to another location. We visited orphanages at temples, where nuns care for countless orphaned and disadvantaged children. Recently, Duy Anh has also brought many chicks and ducklings for the villagers to help them become self-sufficient in food.

Every time he visits the children at the orphanage, he is deeply moved. Once, during the Vu Lan festival, while visiting the orphanage at Buu Chau Pagoda ( Gia Lai ), he confided: "Today, visiting the children on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, the Vu Lan festival and the day of atonement for the deceased, there were so many people at the pagoda, with many white and red roses pinned to the chests of the Buddhist brothers and sisters. Suddenly, I felt a pang of sadness seeing the children. Where are their parents? In the back, the 'mothers' are changing diapers and feeding the younger children… I suddenly realized that the children will have many roses on their chests, roses of love from the nuns, from the 'mothers,' and from so many brothers and sisters who regularly come to give them love…" Duy Anh always shows special care for the children; every time he visits, the children cling to him, hug his shoulders, and put their arms around his neck…

Cooking for patients at a psychiatric ward.

Photo: Provided by the author

The second time, I joined the group in a cooking program for patients at a psychiatric hospital in Lam Dong . To be honest, I was very scared at first, even more so when I arrived and heard the shouting and uncontrolled banging of the staff. Yet, when they interacted with Duy Anh, the patients became gentle and calm, like normal people. He gave them some candy, sweet-talked them, praised them, inquired about their health, and constantly held their hands or patted their backs to comfort them… His face always wore a kind, benevolent smile; he showed no fear or discrimination.

He brought his guitar to play for the elderly residents. Many of them sang well. He played, and they sang along like friends. Those with more serious illnesses weren't allowed to participate in group activities for safety reasons. I looked at their faces—sometimes naive and innocent, sometimes angry and frightening—and felt immense pity for them. Every month, he visited mental health facilities, going from one to another, constantly shifting between them. He once shared: "I realized something: even though they are riddled with emotional wounds, physical and psychological scars, they are still full of love, kindness, and the fear of human existence in their eyes, if they lack love in their lives. Whether it's just words of comfort, conversation, visits, a cigarette, or a song. Everything outside may be inanimate, but giving each other love is like a tranquilizer, easing the pain day by day for the brothers and sisters here."

Giving without expecting anything in return.

Furthermore, for the past 12 years, Duy Anh and his team have been running the "Together with You to School" program for students in mountainous schools in Ninh Thuan province. Countless bicycles, meals, notebooks, and textbooks have been given to poor but studious students and students from ethnic minority groups such as the Raglai, Cham, and K'Ho. In addition, every two months, he distributes gifts to needy people in remote areas of Ninh Thuan and Khanh Hoa provinces. He also organizes trips called "Giving Love, Brightening Smiles" and the "This Earth Belongs to Us" program during the Mid-Autumn Festival every year for children in various localities, and provides weekly support to five poor kidney dialysis patients at District 8 Hospital (Ho Chi Minh City).

The "Helping Children Go to School" program

Photo: Provided by the author

The most unforgettable memories for Doi are the activities during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, the group organized a "Zero-Cost Supermarket" for people in Ho Chi Minh City. In 2021, when the pandemic intensified and the entire city was shut down and quarantined, Doi's group implemented the "One for Everyone" program, distributing gifts everywhere for 153 consecutive days. The group also asked familiar restaurants to cook and supply food and drinks to support the health of medical staff and doctors at hospitals in District 8, Nguyen Tri Phuong, the Binh Chanh field hospital, Thu Duc, and Binh Duong. Duy Anh shared that he and Doi feel fortunate to still have their health to dedicate themselves to helping others and sharing their love.

He also undertook relief trips to help people in Central Vietnam affected by floods, visited and donated gifts to the blind association, collected used clothes for the "0-Dong Shop" organization, and organized many "Spring of Love" programs in various places.

When I asked him to write about him, he said, "Just write about Life, don't write anything about me." Initially, he did all the volunteer work by himself, contributing whatever he could. Later, friends and close acquaintances also wanted to join in. So, the number of members increased day by day, and now it's almost 200 people. The funding for the volunteer trips comes entirely from the members of Life; he doesn't solicit donations from strangers.

I admire and am grateful for Doi's 12-year journey and Duy Anh's more than 12 years of volunteer work. The persistent effort, as well as the material and financial contributions, that he and Doi have made are immeasurable. I also admire how he instills love and compassion in his two sons. He takes them on volunteer trips to various places. The two boys accompany Doi, singing, distributing clothes, books, rice, and more. This is a practical way to teach children through noble deeds.

The joy of the villagers upon receiving gifts.

Photo: Provided by the author

Life is full of burdens and pressures; living for oneself and one's family is already difficult, yet Duy Anh and his group, Doi, are able to give selflessly, finding joy in extending a helping hand to those less fortunate. I don't know how many happy days others have in their lives, but I believe that Duy Anh and each member of the Doi charity club have lived, are living, and will continue to live meaningful days, just as they have always done. Thanks to people like them, life is more beautiful, filled with laughter and love. As he often says: "However many happy days there are in life, love as much as you can, as if you were also loved."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-co-bao-nhieu-ngay-vui-185250606183314501.htm