Journey of building Project for children: Extending love

To win a series of national awards for youth such as "Beautiful Youth 2025", "National Volunteer 2024", "January Star", "Outstanding Young Face of the Pink Lotus Land 2024", "Pink Lotus Land Volunteer 2024"..., Dong Thap University student Thach Ngoc Hai has gone through a journey of building love for children in remote areas, ethnic minority areas with a volunteer program called "Project for Children". This is also the project that Mr. Hai wants to continue for the rest of his life.

Highland children take souvenir photos with members of the "Project for Children". Photo: VNA

Bring love, give silently

When he was young, Hai lived with his grandmother in Dong Thap province and often listened to Buddhist monks preaching in his free time. Meeting Thach Ngoc Hai one afternoon in October, he shared: When he was in 5th grade, witnessing the monks in the temple near his house walking slowly to the main hall when it was time for the repentance chanting ceremony, the 11-year-old boy wondered how the monks could be so calm in the tense atmosphere around them. After each sutra listening session, Hai listened to a sermon on kindness, and the thought of kindness and volunteering was born from that moment. Until entering Dong Thap University, Hai also participated in a volunteer program to help cancer patients in the province.

Entering his second year of university, Thach Ngoc Hai discovered that there were still many children in different circumstances who needed help. And perhaps this was when his childhood wish began. He and a few friends in the Faculty of Culture - Tourism and Social Work of Dong Thap University started a project called "Project for Children". Launched on June 1, 2023, the project targets disadvantaged groups, children in remote, mountainous, and ethnic minority areas. Later, Hai added a section to the charity program to help children in disadvantaged areas.

Up to now, "Project for Children" has visited 55 love stations (55 times supporting children) across the country, helping 5,300 children, with a budget of 2.6 billion VND from benefactors and Hai's own budget and the project members.

"Project for Children" is like a train of Thach Ngoc Hai and members and benefactors nationwide. Each time of helping is like a stop on the train. And this train only has a starting station, no ending station, when there are still children in this life who need help. At each station, Hai and his associates spend their own money and time to survey, calculate the number of gifts to give, and the funding needed. There are stations where Hai and program members have to go to remote villages in the highlands of Lam Dong province, 100 km from Da Lat, through forests, over bumpy, winding roads to get to the village...

Members of the “Project for Children” award scholarships to support children in mountainous areas. Photo: VNA

Ms. Nguyen Doan Ngoc Dieu, Permanent Deputy Head of "Project for Children" commented: Thach Ngoc Hai is very good at studying and social activities, has a very positive energy and always wants to bring good things to children in difficult circumstances. Having been with the project for 2 years, she finds the project really meaningful. When participating in the project, she feels that the members have contributed their youth to social activities, especially helping children in difficult circumstances have more motivation to try to study and develop. Thach Ngoc Hai's achievements and contributions are clear evidence of a compassionate heart, a spirit of enthusiasm for living beautifully of youth, strongly inspiring the social community.

Dreams last forever

To get the project to where it is today, Thach Ngoc Hai and the members have gone through many ups and downs. Most of the project's love stations have no stage, no banners, no banners or ribbon cutting to welcome the volunteer group giving gifts, no certificates, no gratitude to the benefactors..., but Thach Ngoc Hai is still very excited, looking forward to meeting and giving practical gifts to the children in person. Every time he gives, he sees innocent and extremely happy eyes, happiness and gratitude; just needing the children to be helped at the right time will create the motivation to change their lives.

Hai shared that the project does not only stop at giving gifts but also aims to create a comprehensive development environment for poor children, through practical activities such as: Awarding long-term scholarships, building self-study rooms, bookcases, supporting study costs; organizing workshops to practice life skills, develop creative thinking and social skills; implementing a milk donation campaign, organizing cooking activities for children; mobilizing support to build boarding kitchens, repainting degraded walls, cleaning public works...

Mr. Thach Ngoc Hai reads books with children at the charity program "Classroom for Children". Photo: VNA

In addition, Thach Ngoc Hai also founded the "Messenger of Kindness" model so that everyone in society can participate in charity. With this model, everyone can do charity by contributing 50,000 VND per month. The model aims that no matter who you are, rich or poor, old or young, you can spread kindness, love and share in life. Through that, the model creates a network to join hands to spread good things in life, aiming to build a kind and compassionate community. To date, the "Messenger of Kindness" model has attracted 1,600 ambassadors nationwide and students from abroad such as Japan, Korea, Taiwan (China), Australia, New Zealand... to participate.

Accompanying Thach Ngoc Hai in recent months at the survey site in Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Duong Ngoc Tram shared that when participating in "Project for Children", Tram found this to be a meaningful project, bringing much joy and happiness to children in difficult circumstances in remote areas. When working together, Ngoc Hai is a very dedicated, responsible and sociable person, willing to help and support the members of the group. Everyone shares, works, and supports to complete the assigned tasks.

"I hope that the love will always be present so that the "Project for Children" train will have more motivation to move forward. In the near future, the project will have more long-term sponsorship activities for each child, so that they will be best supported until they graduate or have a job and stabilize their lives. The gifts will also change into essential, long-term items for the children to use more effectively and usefully. Only then will the program be sustainable," Thach Ngoc Hai shared.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/nguoi-tot-viec-tot/hanh-trinh-xay-dung-du-an-cho-em-noi-dai-yeu-thuong-20251026080149590.htm