The village at the foot of Ca Dam mountain

(Quang Ngai Newspaper) - In the chilly weather, we visited the village of the Cor people in Que hamlet, Tra Bui commune (Tra Bong). The village is nestled in the middle of the Ca Dam mountains and forests, covered in fog all year round. This is a special village for many reasons, but the most valuable is the humanity, the sense of responsibility of each person in preserving the national cultural identity.

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Accompanying us on the way to Que village was Vice Chairman of Tra Bui Commune People's Committee Ho Ngoc Ninh. Que village is 25km from the center of Tra Bui commune. The road is now solidly concreted. The car runs smoothly on the road between the deep green mountains and forests. In the past, to get to Que village, you had to be a skilled driver because the roads were very difficult to travel, otherwise you had to walk. Mr. Ho Ngoc Ninh said that the whole village has 84 households, all of whom are Cor people. Being a particularly difficult village, the people in Que village receive support from the State in many aspects, and their lives have improved a lot compared to before. The village at the foot of Ca Dam mountain now has electricity. Two kindergarten classrooms have also just been invested in and built, and children of school age can all go to school...

Que village, Tra Bui commune (Tra Bong) at the foot of Ca Dam mountain. Photo: N.VIÊN

What we recorded in this village is the story of helping each other "give birth". This is a story of humanity, but perhaps it is also a concern that all levels and sectors need to pay attention to. Almost all women here give birth at home, without going to medical facilities, although when they give birth, they always receive sharing and help from the villagers. We met Mr. Ho Van Lien (35 years old), who has been working in the medical field in Que village for nearly 13 years. Thanks to Mr. Lien, many mothers have successfully given birth, and the children in Que village are born healthy. In Que village, in addition to Mr. Lien, there are 3 elderly midwives who are skilled in delivering babies. Mr. Lien said that every day, the midwives go up to the mountains to work in the fields, and when they hear that someone in the village is about to give birth and needs help, they go through the forest to the mother's house.

When we asked: "Do you get paid for each successful delivery?", Mr. Lien said: "There is no need to pay, because all the people here are poor. They see helping each other as the right thing to do." Mr. Lien has been sent to the district many times to train in public health care to improve his skills. He often encourages people to go to commune and district health facilities to give birth. However, because of the habit passed down from generation to generation, most women in Que village give birth at home. Every time a woman in the village is about to give birth, to ensure their safety, Mr. Lien is there in time. When there is a difficult case, Mr. Lien performs first aid, then calls an ambulance and a car to take the pregnant woman to the district health center. Mr. Lien said that in the past 5 years, the road to Que village has been concreted, so cars can go up and down. In the past, when there was a difficult birth on dirt roads, people had to use hammocks to carry the pregnant woman to the inter-district road, then take her to the commune health station or district health center, so it was difficult to avoid bad things from happening.

“Currently, there are about 2km of road to group 8, Que village that has not been concreted, so people have difficulty traveling. The district has included this project in the medium-term investment plan with a capital of about 2 billion VND. Que village also has 4 people who grow seven-leaf ginseng very successfully, such as village chief Ho Van Tao, a household that escaped poverty thanks to economic development from seven-leaf ginseng. The district is orienting and supporting people to develop the economy from this plant, gradually helping people in Que village escape poverty sustainably."

Vice Chairman of Tra Bui Commune People's Committee
HO NGOC NINH

Although learning in Que village has changed positively, it is still very difficult. Mr. Chau Ngoc Thanh is a teacher "staying in the village" in group 7, Que village. Among the 6 teachers "staying in the village" here, Mr. Thanh is the only male teacher. The official housing for teachers is cramped and makeshift, and every time it rains heavily, the floor leaks and gets soaked. A room is less than 30 square meters, but male and female teachers separate the walls to live in. Mr. Thanh said that the weather up here is very cold. In winter, the temperature is about 13 - 14°C. Teachers all want to have solid housing so they can teach with peace of mind.

Despite the difficulties and shortages, teachers still take turns staying at the Que village school to teach the children of the Cor ethnic group. Normally, each teacher teaches here for about 5-6 years before being transferred to another place. Ms. Doan Thi Tai has been involved in education in the highlands for 25 years. In the Que village school alone, Ms. Tai has taught for 6 years. Although the school at the foot of Ca Dam mountain still has many shortages, the only thing that is not lacking is the love of teachers for their students.

A teacher takes care of meals for students in Que village. Photo: N.VIÊN

Parents leave the education of children in Que village to teachers. Every time the new school year begins, students go to school without school bags, pens or notebooks. The school uniforms of students are the clothes they wear at home. Teachers, who feel sorry for their students, take money from their small salaries to buy school supplies for them. “At the beginning of the new school year, parents often ask teachers to buy school supplies for their children and say that they will return the money when they receive support money for students at the end of the year. But there are many people who are too poor to pay, and I can’t bear to ask for it. I just hope that the students go to school regularly so that we don’t have to cross the forest and mountains to mobilize them to go to class, and that’s enough to make us happy!”, Ms. Tai shared.

Living conditions for teachers and students in Que village have been difficult for many years. Understanding and sharing the difficulties of teachers and students in Que village, in recent years, the education sector of Tra Bong district has provided a lot of support. Head of the Department of Education and Training of Tra Bong district Dinh Thi Thu Huong said that in 2022, the education sector will allocate funds to build official houses for teachers "staying in the village" in Que village, helping teachers have better living conditions...

Talking to the people in Que village, we saw smiles and the belief that life will get better and better. Difficulties will be solved step by step, just like before, to get to Que village was very difficult because the road was full of gravel and rocks, now there is a clean concrete road, and electric lights are shining on every roof...

The gong set is a valuable asset.

Although poor, for generations, the people of Que village have preserved their cultural beauty. Almost every family with an elderly person has a precious gong set, which is brought out to play on every occasion of Nga Ra festival, buffalo eating festival... Settling at the foot of the highest mountain in Quang Ngai, the roads are far away, the weather is harsh, the people's lives are sometimes difficult, many people from the lowlands see that the people of Que village have precious gongs so they often ask to buy them. But the people of Que village do not sell, because they consider gongs to be the soul of their family, of their nation.

Pearl

Source: https://baoquangngai.vn/channel/2481/202112/ngoi-lang-duoi-chan-nui-ca-dam-3096167/