Officers from the Trung Ly Border Guard Station presented gifts to support disadvantaged students at the beginning of the school year.
One rainy afternoon, we followed a red dirt road, crossing mountain passes to reach Suoi Hoc village, one of the most remote villages in Trung Ly commune. The village has over 50 households with more than 300 inhabitants, mostly poor and near-poor families. Located nearly ten kilometers from the commune center, Suoi Hoc is almost completely isolated during the rainy season.
It was in this harsh environment that we encountered a deeply moving story about border guards silently protecting and supporting orphaned and disadvantaged children, helping them attend school. Giàng A Phành is one such case. Phành lives in a dilapidated house at the foot of a slope, near the Suối Hộc school, part of Trung Lý 1 Primary School. He is the youngest of three siblings. His father died when he was only four years old, and his mother remarried and disappeared. The three siblings rely on their uncle, Giàng A Thìn, a poor family who spends their lives farming cassava and corn.
Due to their impoverished circumstances, Phanh's meals often consisted of nothing more than a handful of white rice with salt. But Phanh's life took a different turn in August 2023 when she was adopted by the Trung Ly Border Guard Post. Since then, Phanh has lived with and been cared for by the officers and soldiers, from meals and sleep to her studies and daily routines like folding blankets, washing dishes, and going to bed on time. Phanh affectionately calls the soldiers at the border guard post "father." The soldiers are close to Phanh, bonding with her every day, from teaching her morning lessons and instilling good habits to listening to and encouraging her to overcome homesickness and childhood sadness.
Besides Phanh's case, the Trung Ly Border Guard Post is currently sponsoring five more children under the "Helping Children Go to School" program, including one Laotian child and four children from ethnic minority groups with particularly difficult circumstances. Each child has a unique story, such as Gia Ngoc Tuan, a Mong ethnic minority from Loc Ha village, Nhi Son commune. His father died early, his mother remarried, and Tuan lives with his elderly grandparents. In 2020, the Trung Ly Border Guard Post took him in to care for him. Tuan had considered dropping out of school because he couldn't afford books and supplies. Thanks to the soldiers' sponsorship, he was able to attend school and live with his foster fathers... As a result, Tuan's studies improve every day, and he cherishes the dream of becoming a teacher to teach children in his village, just as the soldiers taught him and his fellow villagers.
Major Nguyen Van Thien, Political Officer of Trung Ly Border Guard Station, shared: “The children here lack many things. Without the helping hand of the community and the border guards, they could easily be left behind. We do this with the heart and responsibility of a soldier.” In Trung Ly commune alone, 18 children have received support through the “Helping Children Go to School” program. Not with grand material gifts, but with close affection and daily companionship, border guards act like foster fathers, giving the children the strength to attend school and nurturing their dreams of escaping poverty.
Amidst the vast mountains and forests, the sound of Phanh's children reciting their lessons echoed in the small room at the Trung Ly Border Guard Post, making me feel that the most beautiful things in the border mountains and forests are not only the peace of the border villages, but also the bright future of children nurtured by the loving embrace of a compassionate and responsible community.
Text and photos: Dinh Giang
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/nuoi-duong-uoc-mo-o-vung-bien-253662.htm
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