A person who is wholeheartedly devoted to "strangers".

A person who is wholeheartedly devoted to

Ms. Tran Thi Oanh kindly guided disabled children through the scholarship application process in preparation for the new school year.

At 64, Ms. Oanh has a happy family, but she doesn't sit back and enjoy her old age; instead, she continues to work tirelessly in charity. With the motto "Life is about giving," she embraces charitable and humanitarian work because she believes that since God has given her health and the opportunity to be surrounded by her children and grandchildren, she must contribute and share meaningfully so that her joy and happiness will last.

In preparation for the 2025-2026 school year, she took advantage of the support from the Vietnam Association for the Relief of Disabled Children and the Thanh Hoa Provincial Association for the Protection of Disabled People, Orphans, and Children's Rights to award scholarships to 11 disabled children in the ward, each receiving 1 million VND and a gift bag. She accompanied the children to receive the gifts and handled the procedures with the same care and attention as a family member. This is one of the small things Ms. Oanh does, but with all her heart and love for the children, hoping to compensate for their disadvantages. Many times, she has not hesitated to spend her own money and mobilize benefactors to support many meaningful charitable activities to help orphans and disabled children with scholarships, bicycles, and monthly sponsorships so that they can attend school. In addition, she also obtains wheelchairs to donate to elderly people who have suffered strokes or have mobility issues...

During her years working at the former Dong Son District Party Committee, where she served as Deputy Chief of the Office and Chairwoman of the People's Party Trade Union, she became intimately familiar with the thoughts and feelings of workers and developed a deep connection to their work. After retiring from social insurance in 2016, she continued her social work in the local area. Witnessing many disabled children born incomplete – some lacking fathers, some lacking mothers, others with parents suffering from mental illnesses or serious diseases – Ms. Oanh deeply understood and wholeheartedly dedicated herself to helping these vulnerable individuals. She constantly pondered how to help these children find stable employment after completing their studies to support themselves. Without support and encouragement, these children would drop out of school prematurely to seek work before reaching working age, lacking sufficient social awareness, and easily becoming prey to unscrupulous individuals.

With that concern in mind, Ms. Oanh, along with the branch association, surveyed and compiled a list of orphaned and disabled children with particularly difficult circumstances studying at schools in the area to call for and mobilize support. Regardless of rain or shine, she tirelessly traveled the roads and used her previous work connections to persuade agencies, businesses, and philanthropists to sponsor and support the children, and to partner with the association. From 2020 to the present, she has successfully mobilized 27 organizations and 22 individuals to sponsor 86 orphaned and disabled children studying from grades 1 to 12, each receiving 300,000 to 500,000 VND per month. To date, many children have been admitted to universities and colleges, and some have graduated. She has personally helped two children find stable employment. I've been sponsoring Nguyen Thi Duong, from the former Dong Thinh commune, since she was in 8th grade. She's an orphan, living with her mother in very difficult circumstances. Duong has now graduated from high school and is studying a vocational course.

In addition, Ms. Oanh also called on philanthropists to support the establishment of a charitable club consisting of 8 members who organize the cooking of free porridge for poor patients at Dong Son General Hospital every Monday morning; and mobilized traders at Rung Thong market to donate clothes, shoes, and school supplies to the children. On average, 150 children receive gifts each year, each gift worth 300,000 - 500,000 VND. In 5 years (2020-2025), she and the organization have raised 630 million VND to build and renovate houses for orphaned children...

Ms. Oanh's contributions, along with those of the entire branch association, have somewhat alleviated the difficulties and disadvantages faced by orphaned and disabled children, helping them overcome their inferiority complex and confidently thrive in life. These actions have been recognized by the Party committee and government; the children's families are grateful. But above all, for Ms. Oanh, it is the right thing to do to spread love and sow hope, giving disadvantaged children a chance to confidently bước into life.

Text and photos: Le Ha

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/nguoi-het-long-vi-nguoi-dung-259645.htm