Female party members "keep the fire" in the wilderness Part 4: Who will continue to keep the fire burning after them?

On the administrative map, Ka Day, Chau Son, Phu Thieng are just small spots in the middle of the jungle. But on the “political map”, they are bright spots from the flame of faith that ordinary female party members have persistently “lit” for decades. A flame that never goes out is the belief in the Party. On the journey ahead, a big question arises: who will continue to light the fire after them?

One shoulder carries the whole village

In remote areas, village leaders are not only the ones who unite the community, but also the "extended arm" of the Party. The stories from Rao Tre, Chau Son, Phu Thieng show that they are the "bridge" for policies to permeate every thought, the support to maintain security and order, develop livelihoods, and preserve culture. The "bridge of trust" can only be built by the perseverance of people who talk less and do more. But behind the silent contributions is another simmering worry: the activities of many remote Party cells mainly rely on one person to keep the rhythm, and there is no successor yet.

Ms. Ho Thi Thanh ( Quang Tri ) discussed with prestigious people in the region. Photo: Kan Suong

Electricity has come to the village, children can go to school, women attend village meetings, but the poverty rate is still high, livelihoods are precarious, the Party cell is “aging”, and there are no young female party members. “We really want to admit female party members. But those who are qualified, have the will, and have family support… can be counted on the fingers of one hand. When they are selected, there is a lack of mentors, so they hesitate,” said a Party Committee official of a border commune in Thanh Hoa .

Right in Chau Son, that gap is evident in Khe Nong - the farthest cluster, more than 20km from the village center, with 53 households but no party members. Commune officials call this a "party-free" area. On September 2, 2025, the support money was not distributed until September 4 because of the flood, and the money arrived soaked. "I was still shaking through the streams, and I don't know how to swim," Secretary La Thi Van said, laughing and worried. Or like on the morning of September 5, Khe Nong parents had to carry their carts and carry their children through four raging streams to get to the opening ceremony in time.

Not only Chau Son, many mountainous villages in the North Central region are also "empty of party members". Party cells are like old trees, struggling to find new roots to take hold of the ground. That worry is clearly shown in a handwritten letter sent by a young female Secretary after a business trip: "I know I lack knowledge and skills. I really need training and education. Only with specific policies can the job last long..." - The handwriting is shaky, but it touches on the "knot": not only is there a lack of young people, but there is also a lack of a mechanism to guide and support.

These concerns were evident in every meeting of the remote village Party cell. The communal house had a tin roof, the light bulbs flickered, and people sat crowded together on wooden benches. In the corner of the room, a few young people came for a while and then quietly left. They said they were busy with farming. A young engineer returning to Western Nghe An confided: “I intended to strive to join the Party, but then hesitated. Once I joined, would I be able to do anything?”

Party Secretary of Trung Ly Commune (Thanh Hoa) Ha Van Ca shared: after the merger, the commune's area is large, the population is scattered, many villages are far from the center, transportation is difficult, life is still lacking - these are factors that directly affect the work of creating sources and recruiting party members. In remote areas, young people go to work far away, those who stay are mainly farmers, with few conditions for studying and training; discovering and nurturing outstanding masses, especially young women, is therefore very difficult... Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen education on ideals, innovate party cell activities associated with mass organizations, and at the same time have policies to encourage young party members and female party members in difficult areas so that they can confidently contribute for a long time.

When every step has someone to accompany, every idea has someone to support

In a border commune of Nghe An, the Party Secretary asked the Party cell to make a list of women who wanted to join the Party - even though they did not meet the requirements. The list was periodically reviewed and assigned to prestigious Party members to mentor them; every month, a short "work-sharing and experience-sharing" session was organized. Some people took 3 years to write the application, but once they were in the Party, they kept the Party cell as if they were keeping their own home. This way of doing things sends a simple message: the right way will call out the right people.

The road to Muong Lat (Thanh Hoa) today. Photo: HH

From that small story, we can draw a big lesson: we cannot sit and wait for the "qualified" person to knock on the door, but must proactively find - choose - support - foster sincere people. Like Mrs. Nam carrying letters, Mrs. Thanh picking leaves, or Van wading through mud to build a house: real work creates real trust, and that trust attracts good people to stand near the organization. However, if we only rely on a few core members, the once-bright flame can also be extinguished. The policy of merging villages and communes in recent times is necessary to streamline the apparatus, and at the same time, it also sets more tasks for the grassroots: larger areas, more different cultures, grassroots Secretaries travel and handle more work.

From a mountainous commune in Quang Tri, Secretary of the Ba Long Commune Party Committee Tran Van Chay frankly said: Implementing the 2-level local government model, the pressure is not only at the commune level but also down to the villages. Village cadres have to receive, research, and implement a whole new set of documents, while managing under conditions of limited qualifications and very low allowances. If they want to stand firm, superiors need to soon have clear policies and standards; at the same time, equip them with at least computers, printers, etc. so that they have the tools to work and the essential conditions to perform their tasks well.

Reality requires proactively creating resources: making an “open list” of people who want to join the Party, especially women and young people, to accompany and nurture. Next, work-related supervision: each month a task related to life - building a road, mobilizing children to return to class, leading households to build models... so that new people can “work and grow at the same time”. In each meeting, there should be a space for young people’s initiatives, listening and responding immediately; feasible ideas need to be included in the village plan, with someone responsible for monitoring.

For female party members in the highlands, it is equally important to “take care of the housework”: support childcare during meetings, arrange flexible working hours during the season, and encourage husbands and children to share. At the same time, it is necessary to closely coordinate between the Party cell - Women's Union - Youth Union - Commune Police to persistently eliminate child marriage, keep children from dropping out of school, and prevent “job brokers” from luring students away.

The “good soil” is already there, what needs to be “watered” are practical training courses: skills in running short meetings, skills in speaking in front of the community, skills in planning for village work, skills in coordinating with border guards, health care, and education. After the class, there must be a recognition mechanism: praising the right things, rewarding them at the right time, assigning higher tasks when small tasks are completed… so that young people can clearly see the path to maturity.

Stories from remote villages show that people's hearts are connected by real steps and real actions. In those places, the Party organization is no longer a distant concept, but a tangible support in every home, every hearth. That lifeblood can only be continued by the strategy of training the next generation of Party members "clearly understanding the person - clearly understanding the work - clearly understanding the responsibility". When each village has people to sow, a mentoring group, and real work to practice, the "void" behind the hearths will be filled automatically.

We left the villages - where the ashes were still warm, where mothers' hands patiently untied each "knot" with calloused hands. Before parting, they left a short message that was as heavy as a rock: "Keeping the village means keeping the Party, as long as the village exists, the roots remain." That message needs to be listened to, so that it does not just smolder in the bottom of the stove but turns into a guiding flame... Because if the roots are not deeply rooted, the mountain wind can knock down any tree; and if trust is not nurtured, the steps will be tired halfway up the slope.

On the journey to preserve the Party, when every step has someone to accompany, every idea has someone to support, every difficulty has a shoulder to lean on, the space behind the fires will gradually close... giving way to a new vein of life: warm, durable and long-lasting.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/nhung-nu-dang-vien-giu-lua-giua-dai-ngan-bai-4-ai-se-tiep-lua-sau-ho-10390689.html