Each livelihood model carries the heart of the Border Guard Women's Union members.

Weaving through the small roads of Pe Ay 2 village (formerly Quang Nham commune, now A Luoi 2 commune), we arrived at the guava garden of Ms. Nguyen Thi Thi's family. The rows of guava trees laden with fruit, seem to be bearing warm joy in this remote and difficult borderland.

Pausing to harvest guava, smiling brightly on her sun-tanned face, Ms. Thi said: The land from her grandparents, parents, and then her husband and she, has only been used to grow cassava and corn, with good seasons and bad seasons. Nearly 4 years ago, the Women's Union of the Border Guard of the province, now Hue city, encouraged her family to switch to high - value crops, and donated all 200 guava seedlings and fertilizers; along with officers and soldiers of Quang Nham Border Guard Station, helped her and her husband grow this guava garden.

“About 6 months after planting, the guava trees have blossomed and borne fruit. The first time we harvested guava, brought it to A Luoi market to sell, and held the money in our hands, my husband and I were very happy,” Thi shared. She also said: “With the Border Guard’s guidance on pruning and fertilizing properly, the trees quickly produced new fruit, and the income from the guava plantation became more and more stable.”

Lieutenant Colonel Tran Thi Nam Phuong, military officer of the General Staff Department, City Border Guard Command, President of the Border Guard Women's Union, recalls the trips to bring love to the border. Those were trips over steep passes, to remote A Luoi villages to give poor and near-poor households practical livelihood models: Trees and breeds suitable for the climate and soil of A Luoi, such as guava, goats, chickens, geese...

During those trips, many women suffered from severe motion sickness and had to stop by the roadside, vomiting profusely. However, when they reached the villages, the genuine affection of the villagers was the “medicine” that made them forget all their fatigue, perform their duties well, and fully fulfill their responsibilities as soldiers. Over the past 5 years, 25 livelihood models have been awarded and developed effectively, thereby spreading the spirit of converting suitable crop and livestock varieties with high economic value to the villages.

Colonel Dang Ngoc Hieu, Party Secretary and Political Commissar of the Hue City Border Guard, said: Members of the Border Guard Women's Union play an active role in joining hands to implement meaningful programs: "Green Banh Chung", "Spring on the Border Guard warms the hearts of the villagers", "Spring on the Island Border - Tet warms the love between the army and the people", "Border Full Moon Festival"; the movement "Border Guard joins hands for the poor - leaving no one behind". In 5 years, through the programs, they have visited and given more than 2,000 gifts, necessities, free medical examinations and medicine to students and poor households, with a total value of more than 3 billion VND.

The Border Guard Women's Union has become the core force in social, humanitarian, charitable and gratitude activities. At the same time, the women actively coordinate with the Women's Unions of border communes to mobilize social resources to support the implementation of the program "Accompanying women in border areas", helping women in border areas reduce poverty, develop the economy and reach a better life.

"The constant efforts to bring immeasurable love to the people facing many difficulties in the border area have portrayed the image of a female Border Guard officer with compassion and responsibility to the community, contributing to building trust among the people," affirmed Colonel Dang Ngoc Hieu.

Article and photos: Duy Tri

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/chinh-tri-xa-hoi/bien-gioi-bien-dao/mang-yeu-thuong-den-vung-dat-bien-cuong-159091.html