Follow parents to the factory

Every time she takes a break, Gia Han runs to talk to her mother's colleague at the sewing factory - Photo: CONG TRIEU

But children who grow up in poverty seem to be very understanding, just quietly studying and playing in a corner.

Have friends to play with

At a garment factory in Binh Chanh district (HCMC), three children giggle and laugh together at the end of the factory. After playing, they gather together to hum along with the sound of the sewing machine running nearby. "I come here all the time, I like it much better than at home" - little Ut Linh (4 years old) smiled when asked.

Ms. Kim Tuyen - Ut Linh's mother - can't remember how many times she took her child to the sewing factory, she only remembers the first time when her child was very young.

She also intended to send her child to the factory, but because the child was too young, no one would take him. And after thinking it over, she realized that the salary of a worker was not much, so if she asked to take leave to stay home and look after the child, how would she make ends meet? Sending the child to the factory might cost more than her salary, so she knew it was difficult, but she had to bring her child to the factory, and she got used to it.

"I have to ask the owner in advance, but they are very easy-going and supportive. The baby has to be well-behaved, if he comes in and makes a fuss and cries, it will affect everyone. I can't stand it either" - Ms. Tuyen laughed.

There, Út Linh was the youngest so he was called youngest. The other two children, Nguyên (6 years old) and Ngọc (5 years old), were also children of workers there. As the eldest of the group, Nguyên was assigned the task of taking care of the two younger siblings. So he liked to act like the leader of the group and paid a lot of attention to his two younger siblings.

Then the little boy said, "Every day I have to think about what I will do to make my siblings happy today." After playing together for a long time, Nguyen ran to get water and gave it to his two younger siblings: "Drink this, we haven't had anything to drink since this morning." So each of them gulped down a glass of water, happily looking at each other and smiling.

Better at home

"Mom, I drew you this. It's so beautiful!" - Gia Han (6 years old) said while smiling. Looking at the picture her daughter had drawn of herself on a piece of cardboard, My Giang (24 years old, from Quang Nam ) felt strangely happy. The laughter of the mother and daughter echoed in a corner of the garment factory in Vinh Loc A commune (Binh Chanh district) where Giang was working as a worker.

After playing for a while, it was time for Han to practice writing because she was about to start first grade. Because it was already dark when she got home after dinner, mother and daughter agreed that when she went to her mother's workplace, she would practice writing for about an hour and then get a 30-minute break. Mother would let her borrow her phone to play when she finished writing two pages of paper.

Her desk, which was originally one of the places where finished clothes were ironed, had been refurbished by her mother’s colleagues. They spread out a new cloth for her and placed it next to the window to catch the breeze, the most airy corner of the workshop.

Sitting there looking out the window, little Han saw a large green field with trees and grass. There was a herd of buffaloes grazing there, which became the subject for Han to draw. "I like to come here" - Han smiled.

Half a month before, Han was sent by her mother to Long An to live with her grandmother. But her grandmother was old and there were no friends around the house to play with, so Giang's mother had to pick her up and take her to work.

What Han likes best is that every afternoon she gets to sleep in an air-conditioned room that is "much cooler than at home". "I like coming here because I get to be close to my mom, and she teaches me how to study. I also get to eat delicious food here, I like chicken rice" - Gia Han smiled.

Then the 6-year-old girl told about her dream of becoming a fashion designer. During every break, Han ran to each sewing table to show off to the teachers that she had completed the homework her mother assigned, sometimes showing off the picture she had just finished. Almost everyone in the sewing workshop knew and loved her.

Ms. Hong Lien - a sewing technician, Gia Han's mother's colleague - said that the sewing factory is not a suitable environment for children to develop, but Han's presence makes everyone happy.

Sometimes when she was too busy, Ms. Lien even "hired" Han to get her a glass of water and paid her with a candy. "She is very gentle and cute. As workers, we understand each other's situation, so everyone supports and creates conditions for the mother and daughter" - Ms. Lien shared.

Willing to share and support

Ms. Dao My Linh - Sales Director of Dony Garment Company - said that in addition to Gia Han who is often present at the factory, after 5pm every day there are many other children of workers who appear here. Usually after 5pm, when the children finish school, their parents will pick them up and take them straight to the factory to continue working overtime.

Being used to having children in the garment factory, the company's leaders also shared that because they understand the workers' income and understand each person's situation, they also create conditions for parents to bring their children to work at the same place during this time. The company also proactively uses the reception room as a play area for the children.

"Most of the guests are international so this room is rarely used. It is isolated and has air conditioning so it is more comfortable for the children to play in. This also does not bother everyone because children will make noise when playing" - Ms. Linh confided.

First time at school

In the last days of summer, some friends have returned to school, some have not, so they still follow their mothers to the workshop. Ms. My Giang brags that she took advantage of her lunch break to run to the nearby bookstore. This is the first time her child has gone to school, so the young mother is quite clumsy. Partly because she is short on supplies, while having to prepare a lot of books and tools.

"I had to go back and forth three times to buy enough. It was my first time going to school so both mother and daughter were excited. Hopefully at school with the teacher and friends will be more fun than at the factory with mom" - My Giang laughed.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/theo-ba-me-vao-cong-xuong-20240825093958108.htm