Ngo Van Trung and his disabled father - Photo: HTGIAU
Life is hard, poverty is rampant, and the worries about food, clothing, and shelter are already a daily burden, so the cost of education and textbooks adds even more strain to parents' shoulders.
My dream is to study information technology.
Ngo Van Trung has just finished his 7th grade year at Truong Tan Lap Secondary School. Trung's family lives in Hamlet 2, Vinh Vien town, Long My district ( Hau Giang province). It's called a home, but in reality, the father and his children are staying with his maternal aunt's family (his father's sister).
Trung's summers had never known travel or fun. Because he struggled to make ends meet, the dream of a summer beach trip was simply too much of a luxury. Some days in class, Trung's face was always pensive, and sometimes he would even fall asleep at his desk from exhaustion. Although he had achieved good grades in the recently concluded 7th grade, he wasn't sure if he would even be able to attend class next year.
Father Trung - Mr. Ngo Van Mien - has just recovered from a stroke. That terrible disease drained his strength, leaving the 41-year-old man almost completely unable to work.
Trung has a younger brother in the third grade. Previously, his parents had to leave the two children in their hometown while they went away to work as factory workers. But since his father fell ill and had to return home, the burden of supporting a family of four has fallen on his mother's shoulders. She has to pay for food, medicine for her husband, and the education expenses of her two sons.
With his mother working far away and his father unable to work, Trung often found himself after school each day catching snails, picking vegetables, and casting nets to supplement the meals for the three of them. Their already difficult situation worsened as the two children grew older, their educational expenses increased, and his mother's work decreased, putting her at risk of losing her job.
Trung is well-behaved and enthusiastic about class activities. When asked about his dreams, he said he really likes studying information technology and working with computers. He often sees his friends with their own computers and secretly dreams of having one, but his family is too poor. He honestly admitted, "I don't know if my dream will ever come true!"
Chau Thi Kim Thao (left) discusses her studies with a classmate - Photo: HONG NI
I want to go to school, I want to change my life. What I need is an opportunity, and I really hope that everyone will give me a chance so that I can have more confidence and strive to change for the better.
CHAU THI KIM THAO
The arduous journey to acquire literacy.
Three years ago, Chau Thi Kim Thao, a 6th-grade student in class 6A7 at Hoa Lac Secondary School (Phu Tan district, An Giang province), lost her father. Facing such hardship, her mother had to decide to have Thao and her brother drop out of school, and the three of them moved to Binh Duong to find work. For Thao, the news of having to drop out of school came suddenly, a devastating blow that made her cry a lot. Everything before her at that time seemed like a bleak future.
In Binh Duong, the girl found work as a helper at a beverage shop. Her slender figure, barely taller than the table, carried trays and cleaned daily to earn money to help her mother make ends meet. Many times, looking out at the street and seeing other children her age in their school uniforms, she felt a pang of sadness thinking about her own situation, and tears would well up in her eyes.
One year, two years—those long, drawn-out years in Thảo's silent childhood memories, spent amidst the pile of cups and dishes she had to wash every day. Only one burning desire remained within her: to go to school!
Thảo took a chance and asked her mother to let her go back to school. Feeling sorry for her daughter, her mother's eyes welled up with tears. Her older brother added, "Mom, let her go back to school. She loves learning, and it's heartbreaking to make her quit!"
So, the little girl was able to return to her hometown, go back to school, and continue pursuing her dream. Homeless, Thao and her grandmother lived together in a makeshift rented house, open at the front and back. Many meals consisted of rice and vegetables shared with neighbors. But hardship was nothing compared to Thao's, because being able to go to school was a miracle that ignited hope in her life.
Thảo didn't have a bicycle, so her classmates came to pick her up from home. She lacked textbooks and a uniform, so the teachers at school provided support. The girl studied diligently, was very serious and hardworking when talking about her future aspirations. Not only did she achieve the title of outstanding student and top of her class, Kim Thảo also won first prize in the district's excellent Team Leader competition last school year.
The little girl believed that the difficulties ahead could only be overcome through her own efforts and hard work in her studies. And so, with each step Thao took on her path to school, she became more confident and secure, surrounded by the love and support of those around her as she pursued her dreams.
Like a gift of miracles
Two teachers submitted essays introducing their students to the "Wings of Dreams" scholarship program, both stating that the scholarship would be like magic, extending the wings of their students' dreams to fly far.
Teacher Hong Ni wrote: "My heart swelled with indescribable love when I saw this little student. I sent this article to the program, hoping to share with the community an example of overcoming difficulties, and to motivate him to study hard and move forward in life." And she comforted her student: "No one will abandon you!"
Meanwhile, teacher Huynh Thi Giau hopes that among the scholarships the program offers to students in 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta region, there will be a scholarship for her student.
The teacher likened this gift to a miracle, saying that after overcoming difficulties, the student would be given wings, giving them the strength to fly to their dreams – a gift for those who never give up and always strive for a brighter future.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hoc-bong-chap-canh-uoc-mo-chi-mong-duong-hoc-bot-chong-chenh-20240618093236754.htm
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