A model of compassion, a pillar of family love.

For many years, the Long Huong Social Welfare Center in Coc San commune, Lao Cai province, has been a shared home for 21 children with particularly difficult circumstances. With a family-like model rich in human values, the center not only cares for the material and spiritual well-being of these underprivileged children but also fosters their faith and guides their future.

Instead of operating under a conventional social welfare model, the Long Huong Social Welfare Center is organized like a large family. There, every meal, every night's sleep, every aspect of education, and every daily routine is built on a spirit of love and responsibility.

The founder and direct caregiver of the facility is Ms. Tran Thi Hang (born in 1974). For Ms. Hang, caring for and nurturing children with special circumstances is not simply a social job, but a choice stemming from a deep sense of responsibility and empathy.

"It truly stems from love, so when I took these children in, I treated them like my own. Once I've taken them in, I have to stay with them until they're mature enough and strong enough to face life on their own," Ms. Hang shared.

Before establishing the facility, Ms. Hang had made many trips to mountainous areas, directly witnessing underprivileged children lacking family affection and adequate care. These concerns gradually motivated her to realize her desire to create a home for these children. In 2015, the Long Huong Social Welfare Facility was officially established.

Currently, the facility is managing and caring for 21 social welfare beneficiaries, including 9 primary school students, 11 secondary school students, and 1 high school student. All of them are provided with opportunities to study at local schools, live in a family environment, and have their children's rights protected according to regulations.

Long Huong Social Welfare Center is a non-governmental organization located in Lao Cai province, which accepts and cares for orphaned children who have lost both parents; abandoned children who have lost their source of support; and children who have lost one parent but the remaining parent is not capable or able to care for them according to the law.

According to Ms. Hang, the biggest challenge lies not in material conditions, but in the long-term responsibility for the children's future.

Ms. Hang shared: Raising a child is not just about feeding and clothing them; more importantly, it's about teaching them how to live, how to be a good person, how to love, how to strive, and how not to feel inferior because of their circumstances.

Besides focusing on immediate academic support, the institution also emphasizes long-term career guidance for the students. Those with the potential for further education will be given opportunities to pursue higher education at colleges and universities; those with more limited academic abilities will be guided towards vocational training after completing high school, gradually becoming independent and securing stable employment.

Sung Thi Bich Phuong, one of the children living at the facility, said emotionally: "Here we get to go to school, and the grandmother provides everything for us. Sometimes she's strict, but it's because she wants what's best for us. Later, I want to study hard so I can come back and help her and the facility."

Alongside childcare, Ms. Hang's family maintains a garment manufacturing and uniform production workshop. This serves as both a source of income to sustain the business and a place to teach vocational skills and create jobs for older children and some local workers. This model helps the business gradually become financially independent, moving towards stability and sustainability.

Despite facing many difficulties, Ms. Hang has never considered giving up over the years. "As long as we have the health, my husband and I will try our best to contribute," she shared.

Volunteers teach English and Vietnamese to children at the Long Huong Social Welfare Center.

More than just a family home, Long Huong is also a destination for many charitable projects. Since 2022, the Rainbow Classroom – a non-profit project from Hanoi – has been teaching English, Vietnamese, and study skills to children at the facility. Volunteers, including students and young teachers, travel long distances to the highlands to bring knowledge and inspiration to the children.

Having been involved with Long Huong as a volunteer, Chu Thi Thanh Tam said that what impressed her most was the family atmosphere at the facility.

Thanh Tâm commented: "I've participated in many volunteer activities before, but I feel very different here. The children aren't shy at all; they're very natural, polite, and proactive. It's clear they've been thoroughly taught, not only about knowledge but also about behavior, and given the opportunity to change their future through their own efforts."

Living and studying in Long Huong, the children gradually form their own dreams. Chao Mui Van, a junior high school student, confided: "The volunteer teachers are very nice. I want to study hard so as not to disappoint my grandmother and the volunteers. I dream of becoming a teacher someday, having a stable job so I can come back and help my grandmother and the younger children."

In the context of increasing attention from the Party, State, and society to the protection and care of children, the presence and effective operation of the Long Huong Social Welfare Facility has contributed to concretizing the spirit of mutual support and compassion, promoting the fine tradition of "helping those in need" of the nation.

The Long Huong Social Welfare Center contributes to concretizing the spirit of mutual support and compassion, "the strong helping the weak".

Without fanfare or ostentation, Long Huong continues to fulfill its mission day by day through concrete and persistent actions. For Ms. Tran Thi Hang, the greatest reward is not recognition, but seeing the children grow up and confidently step into life.

"We don't dare think too far ahead. We'll try our best as long as we have the health. We only hope that in the future, no matter where they go or what they do, they will remember that they were once loved and trusted, so that they can live better lives and be useful to society," Mrs. Hang shared.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of life, Long Huong Social Welfare Center truly stands as a model of compassion, a haven of family love, where human values ​​are preserved and spread through concrete, quiet, yet meaningful actions.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/mo-hinh-nhan-ai-diem-tua-tinh-than-post889289.html