Ho Chi Minh City teachers bring knowledge to remote children

Ten years, hundreds of trips, thousands of books sent - that is the persistent journey of dedicated teachers from Ho Chi Minh City.

Founded in 2016, the project "Good books for primary school students" was founded by Ms. Hoang Thi Thu Hien (former teacher of Le Hong Phong High School), with the joint efforts of Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Diep (former Head of Literature Group of Giong Ong To High School), Ms. Tran Thi Bich Nga (former Principal of Huynh Khuong Ninh Middle School) and many colleagues from schools in Ho Chi Minh City, has persistently brought "the light of knowledge" to students in remote areas.

Sowing seeds of hope

Amidst the thick fog of the Northwest mountains, each box was opened, revealing small books, light enough to fit in the hand but containing the love and hope of teachers who traveled all the way from Ho Chi Minh City.

The books that the teachers brought were very diverse: from Vietnamese fairy tales, world fairy tales to life skills books, national history books and famous people books. The teachers said that these were not only gifts of knowledge for the students but also spiritual luggage to nurture dreams and national pride.

Unforgettable Huoi Pung school with "4 no's": no electricity, no water, no wifi, no TV

After a lifetime of teaching, they understand better than anyone what students need. "Not only students, but also teachers and parents in the highlands need knowledge and skills to accompany and help their children grow up - to live more confidently and intelligently" - Ms. Bich Nga shared.

Ms. Thu Hien added: "I once asked a friend who worked at the Department of Education and Training of Quang Binh province (formerly) what students in remote areas needed most. My friend said that many people gave notebooks and textbooks, but reference books and life skills books were in short supply. At that moment, I thought I had to bring those books up the mountain because children everywhere deserve to read good works and learn useful things about life and people."

Ms. Bich Nga still remembers clearly the trip to Huoi Pung village (Tuong Duong district, Nghe An province). The road was winding, cars could not enter, the group had to row boats, walk, wade across streams, and then cross makeshift bamboo bridges precariously between the mountains and forests. That time, she slipped and fell, her leg was swollen but she still tried to use her cane to continue walking. "As long as I can walk, I am still happy, as long as I can carry books, I am still happy" - she smiled gently.

In the rickety classroom halfway up the mountain - surrounded by bamboo walls and low, worn-out tables and chairs - Ms. Ngoc Diep and the other members of the group were speechless when witnessing the deprivation of students in the highlands.

The class is called "contributing class" - where students in grades 2, 3, and 4 have to study in the same room. During the exchange, while she was singing with the children, Ms. Diep's eyes stopped at a boy wearing a faded white shirt stained with mud. With the love of a mother, she approached and asked: "Why are you wearing this shirt, son?" The boy mumbled: "I only have one shirt to wear to school." Then he burst into tears, saying that it rained on his way home from school yesterday, and his shirt hadn't had time to dry yet, so he wore a wet shirt to class this morning.

The teachers consider themselves family, going through hardships together, because in their hearts everyone holds the word "love" for their students.

Upon returning, Ms. Diep wrote the article "I only have one shirt to wear to school" to call for donations to support each child with two new uniforms. On each trip, the teachers not only brought books but also set up bookshelves, hung up signs, and put a solar light bulb on the roof. The small light in the middle of the night in the highlands made her choke up: "We just hope the children have a place to read, have light so they don't have to sit and study in the dark."

Images like these make the teachers believe even more that bringing books to remote areas is not just about giving gifts, but about sowing seeds of hope. They not only give books and go, but also organize workshops to guide local teachers on how to help students love reading more. In the school yard, the calls of women over 60 years old still resound warmly: "Children, this book is very good, come to the library to read it!"

Those simple images - a little girl hugging a fairy tale and forgetting about playtime, a little boy bursting into tears because he only had one shirt to wear to school - are the motivation for the teachers to continue their journey.

As long as there is breath, there is love, we will still go

The journey then and now is different. If on the first trip, the teachers had to carry each box of books to the airport, bus station, then brave the rain to cross the Dong Loc intersection, along the rugged Truong Son road, and at some points, landslides had just occurred behind them, now everything has gradually become more regular. The books are transported directly to the schools by the publisher, and the preparations are also more neat and professional. But for the teachers, even though the journey is less arduous, the excitement and the heart to send books to the highlands are still intact like the first days.

On each trip, Ms. Thu Hien always emphasized that each donation must be used for the right purpose, reaching the children in remote areas. Therefore, the teachers in the group all paid for all travel, living expenses, and book transportation so that all the donated resources could be used to buy books and support disadvantaged students. "No one can complain, just smile" - Ms. Bich Nga humorously said.

The joy of students when receiving books from teachers from Ho Chi Minh City (Photo provided by the character)

The trips cross mountains and hills, sometimes landslides have to walk in mud, sometimes the boat rocks in the middle of Ban Ve Lake. But when arriving, seeing the smiles of children receiving books, all fatigue disappears. For the teachers, "Good books for primary school students" is not only a volunteer project, but also a continuation of their teaching life - where they still "stand in class" in a different way, through actions, kindness and shining examples for the next generation.

When asked what the most valuable thing that books bring to children in remote areas is, Ms. Ngoc Diep smiled: "If out of 10 children read it and only 5 of them like it, that's enough." As literature teachers, we understand that students who read a lot will write with correct spelling and grammar, express themselves more fluently, and more importantly, they learn how to think and feel.

Teachers believe that the habit of reading cannot be formed overnight. But like an oil spill, from a few students, the love of books will gradually spread, helping them to leave the electronic screen and return to knowledge and stories that nourish their souls.

Now, age has weakened many of them, but the fire has never gone out. "As long as there is breath and love, we will continue to go," said Ms. Bich Nga. Their simple wish is to find the next generation, young people who share the same love and compassion to continue bringing knowledge to the mountains.

For them, the reward is not a certificate of merit or honor, but the image of a child reading a book until he forgets about playtime. In the middle of the cold windy mountains and forests, a small project has a lasting vitality, sustained by hearts that never cool down. Ten years on, those teachers still choose to bring love to every road - wherever there are still children's waiting eyes, there are still the footsteps of those who bring books to sow knowledge.

Journey of sowing knowledge through books

More than 155 trips through most provinces and cities; nearly 784,000 books were delivered to children. For nearly 10 years, Ms. Hien, Ms. Nga, Ms. Diep and other teachers in Ho Chi Minh City participating in the project "Good books for primary school students" such as Ms. Khanh, Ms. Dao, Mr. Thang... have organized more than 155 seminars and exchanges "I love books" for teachers and students.

To date, 3,410 primary schools across the country have received donated books, bringing knowledge to more than 1.24 million students in disadvantaged areas such as Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Dong Thap, Lam Dong, Quang Tri, Dak Lak, Dien Bien... - where the light of knowledge is still being lit every day.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/nhung-co-giao-tp-hcm-ben-bi-cho-sach-len-non-196251025201710997.htm