The journey to Ta Gia Khau commune (Muong Khuong district, Lao Cai province ) seemed shorter when we learned the story of Giang A Tru, a teacher in a military uniform, who adopted two young children to be cared for by the Ta Gia Khau Border Guard Post. Every day, he leads them to school with joy and hope: a different future awaits them!
"Teacher in military uniform" Giàng A Trú "helps" children get to school.
First Lieutenant Giàng A Trú was born in 1987 in Simacai (Lao Cai). Apparently, this was an advantage for this soldier while working at the Ta Gia Khau Border Guard Post (Lao Cai Provincial Border Guard), because as a Hmong, he understands the language of the local people where he works.
Lieutenant Giàng A Trú is the Head of the Community Mobilization Team, so since working at the station, he has always strived to do his best to fulfill his assigned duties. Besides his political duties, he has become like a "paternal uncle" to two children with particularly difficult circumstances in the area.
Implementing the "Helping Children Go to School" program launched by the Border Guard Command and the Border Guard Command of Lao Cai province, Senior Lieutenant Giàng A Trú advised the Party Committee and the unit's command to closely coordinate with local Party committees, authorities, and schools to conduct surveys and select children who are truly in extremely difficult circumstances and need assistance; providing timely encouragement weekly and monthly, maintaining contact with schools and families, and monitoring the children's academic progress;
Specifically in the case of Ma Seo Khoa and Ma Seo Xuyen, he advised the unit to adopt, care for, and transport the children to and from school.
He recounted: "It's a pity for the two children to be orphaned at such a young age, especially Xuyen, whose father passed away shortly after she was born. The family is in difficult circumstances; the mother's work isn't enough to support three children's education, so she had the children drop out of school to work early."
Quickly grasping the situation, the Border Guard Post directed and dispatched Senior Lieutenant Giàng A Trú to the home to discuss the adoption of the two children.
Initially, the children absolutely refused to be separated from their mother and didn't want to stay with the soldiers, making it very difficult to bring them to the outpost for care. Then, Lieutenant Tru came up with an idea: "Your uncle is Giang, your mother is also Giang, so I'm your uncle. You can stay with me every week, and I'll take you to visit your mother. You'll get to go to school, and it'll be a lot of fun."
Perhaps Lieutenant Tru couldn't remember all the times he had to persuade the mother and children, but when the children finally agreed to go with him to the Border Guard Post, that was when the soldier felt the happiest, smiling and quickly hugging the two children as if afraid they might change their minds.
The outpost is our home, and the soldiers are our family!
From then on, for Khoa and Xuyen, the outpost was their home, the soldiers were like fathers, and the two brothers lived in a military environment, receiving care, education , and especially love.
Lieutenant Tru advised the Party Committee and the Station Commander on building the necessary documents and organizing the signing of agreements between the families, the People's Committee, the Red Cross Society of Din Chin commune, and the schools. He also coordinated with the schools to arrange for the children to attend schools near the unit's location, ensuring convenient transportation without affecting their studies.
At the same time, Mr. Tru also tried to arrange for the children to study in classes with many other children from the same ethnic group so that they could easily integrate both in their studies and in their playtime.
"These children are disadvantaged from a young age. Having to leave home and their friends in the village to live at the Border Guard Post in a different environment, surrounded by adults, inevitably leads to feelings of inferiority and shyness. Without careful care and encouragement, their development could easily fall short of expectations."
"After bringing them back to the unit, I regularly taught the two children everything from eating, dressing, hygiene, and daily routines according to the schedule in the military environment, especially supervising their studies," said soldier Giàng A Trú.
"Teacher" Tru added: "Initially, the unit faced many difficulties because the children grew up orphaned from birth, lacked the opportunity to attend school, did not speak standard Vietnamese, and we had to take them to and from school every day, which was about 5 km away from the unit."
However, thanks to the love and care of the soldiers, especially the soldier who was like an uncle, a teacher, and a father figure like Tru, the children became beloved children of the outpost.
Currently, the two children have shown positive progress, learning to read and write, knowing how to greet others, and gradually adapting to the military environment, living close to the soldiers like family. In the 2016-2017 school year, their academic and training results showed significant improvement, with good grades and excellent conduct.
When asked if they missed home and wanted to go back, Khoa and Xuyen both smiled and said, "We get to visit Mom every week, but we want to stay with the uncles. They teach us, they take us to school, and they love us very much."
The innocent smile of the Hmong child seemed to blend with the sunlight, her bright eyes sparkling whenever she mentioned the soldiers. Khoa also said, "When I grow up, I'd like to be a soldier too." Her eyes lit up as she looked at the green uniform, her determination burning brightly within her.
First Lieutenant Giàng A Trú is one of the soldiers in green uniforms who were commended in the "Sharing with Teachers" program in 2017. The program was jointly organized by the Ministry of Education and Training, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union, and Thien Long Group.
During a visit to the honored teachers in Lao Cai, Mr. Trinh Van Hao – Marketing Director of Thien Long Group – shared: "Besides teaching literacy, these military teachers also thoughtfully care for the students' meals and sleep as if they were family members. Thanks to the dedication and efforts of these military 'teachers,' the journey to school for students in remote areas has become less arduous."
Visits to the military "teachers" will continue in October 2017 at border guard posts in the Central Highlands and Southern regions. We believe that the heartwarming stories of these military teachers will continue to spread and resonate strongly."
Accordingly, the teachers will be honored on the occasion of November 20th, and each individual will receive a savings account worth 10 million VND.
Source: http://laocai.edu.vn/hoc-tap-lam-theo-tam-guong-dao-duc-ho-chi-minh/thay-giao-mang-quan-ham-xanh-275948
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