Tet is about reunion and sharing love.

Through concrete activities such as making banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes), giving Tet gifts, and providing livelihood support to disadvantaged members, the Intergenerational Self-Help Club model is becoming increasingly effective, contributing to practical care for vulnerable people every Tet holiday.

Students experience wrapping banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) with members of the Intergenerational Self-Help Club in Khuong Dinh ward ( Hanoi city).

In the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), Khuong Ha communal house (Khuong Dinh, Hanoi) is more bustling than usual. In the middle of the spacious courtyard, a small stage is set up. There, not only are red banners bearing the heartwarming words "Tet of Compassion," but also fresh green banana leaves, sticky rice, and mung beans, all carefully prepared. From early morning, dozens of members of the Khuong Dinh Ward Intergenerational Self-Help Club gather to prepare for the charitable activity of wrapping banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) to donate to those in need. This activity has become an annual tradition of the club during Tet.

Sharing about this meaningful program, Ms. Dao Thi Hoa, the club's chairperson, said: "Every year, club members contribute and mobilize funding from benefactors to cover the cost of purchasing ingredients. Each year, the club manages to make hundreds of cakes to donate to members, elderly people living alone, people with disabilities, and those in difficult circumstances in the ward."

During the rice cake wrapping session, students from the British Vietnamese International School Hanoi directly participated in the experience, from folding the leaves, measuring the rice, wrapping the cakes, to cooking them over a fire with the elderly women. Many students were wrapping banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) for the first time, listening to stories about Tet (Vietnamese New Year) in the past and the meaning of this traditional cake, which is associated with the spirit of sharing in the community.

Ms. Nguyen Hoai Phuong, a teacher at the British Vietnamese International School in Hanoi, said: "For the past five years, the school has regularly maintained exchange activities with the Intergenerational Self-Help Club in Khuong Dinh ward. Students come here not only to directly experience making banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) and learn about the traditional Tet holiday, but also to chat and share stories about Tet with the elderly. The courtyard has become a connecting point between generations, where the traditional Tet holiday is preserved and spread in a close and lively way."

From the Khương Hạ communal house, freshly cooked sticky rice cakes (bánh chưng) were delivered by club members to the homes of needy members. On the occasion of Tet (Lunar New Year), the club mobilized benefactors and organizations to distribute 11 gift packages, each containing sticky rice cakes and cash, to support families in celebrating the holiday.

Among the families receiving Tet gifts this year is Ms. Pham Thi Hien (52 years old, from Phu Tho province), currently residing in Khuong Dinh ward. More than 10 years ago, when she first arrived in Hanoi, Ms. Hien and her children faced many difficulties. Without stable jobs, they did odd jobs, struggling to make ends meet in their cramped, dilapidated rented room. In 2021, she received a 20 million VND loan from the club. Initially, she used the money for business, and after accumulating more capital, she boldly switched to selling clothes online. Now, her family's life has gradually stabilized; her eldest child has graduated from university and has a stable job; her second child, now 10 years old, is attending primary school in the ward.

Ms. Pham Thi Hien (in the blue shirt) receives Tet gifts from the club.

Receiving the steaming hot banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) and Tet gifts from the club, Ms. Hien emotionally said: “The initial support and constant encouragement from the association have given me confidence and a livelihood to do business in the long term. Now, the lives of my three children and I are more stable. I am very grateful to the ladies and gentlemen in the club who have always accompanied and supported us.”

Established in 2018, the Khương Đình Ward Intergenerational Self-Help Club has so far raised hundreds of millions of VND, supporting 12 members with loans for business development ranging from 10-20 million VND per case, providing timely assistance to members with particularly difficult circumstances, especially those who are sick and require treatment.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tu, Deputy Head of the Committee for Promoting the Role of the Elderly, Central Committee of the Vietnam Association of the Elderly, assessed: Throughout the years, the Intergenerational Self-Help Club of Khuong Dinh Ward has maintained very active and effective activities in making banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes), contributing to supporting members in difficult circumstances so that everyone can have a fulfilling and warm Tet holiday.

Over the years, the Khương Đình Ward Intergenerational Self-Help Club has maintained a very active and effective banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cake) making activity, contributing to supporting members in difficult circumstances so that everyone can have a fulfilling and warm Tet holiday.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tu,

Deputy Head of the Committee for Promoting the Role of the Elderly,

Central Committee of the Vietnam Association of Elderly People

Currently, there are over 9,000 intergenerational self-help clubs nationwide, becoming an important channel in grassroots social welfare work. Clubs from Lang Son to Ca Mau actively support members and families in difficult circumstances during the Lunar New Year. Besides organizing traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) cake-making events, they also hold Tet markets to raise funds for gifts and solicit donations from benefactors.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Tu, the Intergenerational Self-Help Clubs are the extended arm of the Vietnam Association of the Elderly at the grassroots level. On the part of the Central Association, during the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Horse, they raised nearly 20 billion VND to give gifts to the elderly nationwide, including disadvantaged members of the Intergenerational Self-Help Clubs across the country.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/xa-hoi/tet-la-sum-vay-se-chia-yeu-thuong-vrAbMxvvR.html