I choose to be a responsible grain of sand

That was the first concrete bridge that we completed funding, in Tan Thanh District, Long An , with a total cost of several hundred million. On the day the bridge was completed, at the handover ceremony, people hugged each other happily, some burst into tears. That scene was hard to forget. Surely the people had great joy when they saw the bridge they had been waiting for for 60 years. That bridge is called Hoa Thuan Bridge, the combined name of 2 hamlets in Phu Thinh Commune.

This is the story of Mr. Ha Vi Tri, a businessman from Phuc Lien Industrial Cleaning Company, about a volunteering event that left many impressions in his long journey of giving.

There were times when he heard from others near and far that no matter how hard he worked for charity, it was like a grain of sand in the desert, worthless, so he should leave it to someone who had more ability and influence. However, Tri had a different thought: whether small or big, each person should still have the responsibility to join hands for the community. Don't wait or be afraid, just knock, the door will open, keep giving, there will be people to receive, boldly call, there will be people to join hands. He sincerely shared that thought in his conversation with us.

Building bridges for people in the river region is like giving away "fishing rods"

My poor childhood makes me empathetic.

Born and raised in Can Giuoc District (Long An), my family was a farmer, my childhood was full of deprivation. When I grew up and went to the city to make a living on a rickety bicycle, I also experienced many ups and downs, overcoming myself.

I was lucky to be born and raised in a warm and loving home. Since childhood, my mother taught us that "living and giving is a human responsibility". Moreover, my family was quite poor in the past, so I understand the suffering of people in difficult circumstances. I am grateful to this city, which has nurtured and given me many experiences, and also given me a family to love and care for. Responsibility for my own small home makes me understand how important a "fishing rod" is.

Give them a "fishing rod"! I see many people willingly give "fish" without thinking much about the "fishing rod". Because sometimes it is easy to cause consequences if people take advantage of pity, are fake, deceitful... There are many things we should not criticize, but when doing charity, we need to be alert and have depth.

For example, because people give out too much charity rice, there are people who are not blind, disabled, sick, poor, or in difficulty, but they pretend to receive it, and they even sell it. Or in the field of education , if we give scholarships in the form of money and notebooks, after a short time, the difficulties will still be there. But if we give bicycles, the children will have a means to go to school with less danger and difficulty.

Mr. Ha Vi Tri and his daughter on a charity trip

For example, schools lack clean water, so we focus on building wells, renovating and building new toilets. This is a basic need to ensure the quality of life as well as the health of students and local people.

After many years of traveling with charity activities, I realized how important a bridge is to the lives of people in the West. Monkey bridges, crude temporary bridges pose many risks, and transporting agricultural products is difficult, so when building a solid concrete bridge, it means helping the whole village.

If we give them gifts, rice, salt, and food, once they finish eating it, it's all gone. But when we create a safe and sturdy bridge for them, they can feel secure traveling and doing business during the rainy season. We don't simply build bridges for the people in the area, but prioritize choosing places with schools, so that children don't have to travel long distances to get to class or wade across rivers...

The bridges that I have participated in building are in Long An and Dong Thap . Recently, BNI brothers (international trade connection organization) also joined hands to build a bridge in Phu Thinh commune, Tam Binh district, Vinh Long. That bridge is the dream of two or three generations of people here. For a long time, people of the two communes wanted to go back and forth to work, and children wanted to go to school, they had to go around the national highway. This location is overgrown with trees, so people always wanted to have a bridge.

Image of a bridge about to be concreted

Charity in the new age

In the past, when I did charity work, I thought that I only needed to fulfill my responsibilities, without needing to communicate or call for help. However, following the development of social trends, I think that promoting charity activities should be seriously considered, as long as it is appropriate. It would be a pity to avoid meaningful and positive activities not being spread to the community.

There are countless good people in society, I am just a responsible grain of sand, quietly doing good deeds with everyone. Currently, I personally, Phuc Lien Company and the entire BNI Stars group where I work all believe that volunteer work needs to be recorded in a clear, transparent, truthful and trustworthy manner.

Volunteers can do it for fun, for the sake of it, for the sake of it… all have their own causes and conditions. In fact, volunteering is very stressful. Typically, during times of economic hardship, or natural disasters and epidemics, many people have to give up this social work. They have to take care of themselves and their families first, and this is not wrong at all. People often think they will do charity if they have enough money and are rich. However, our common mentality is that we never know enough.

If we know how to filter, dare to think, dare to do, and take advantage of the common strength, it will make volunteering easier and more effective. For example, if we build a toilet for about 3 rooms, we need 150 million VND or less, provided we know how to take advantage of resources. If you give 150 million to the contractor, it will definitely not be able to build, so it is very necessary for local authorities to contribute, whether it is money or effort. I also often cooperate with Youth Union organizations, they are willing to give that youth spirit, they spend their working days to build bridges, build roads, work as construction workers... thereby cutting down a lot of labor costs.

Being an entrepreneur is more than just business.

Many people think that when you start a business or become a boss, you are raising your social status, making money for yourself and your family. However, as a business owner, I have been trying to contribute to society. Imagine, if you work for an employee, it means you only care about yourself. But if you are a boss, you need to care about the lives of all the workers in your business. And that is what you are helping this country and society reduce many of the burdens of employment.

I think simply like that, and see that it is my responsibility, what I should do, and must do it sustainably. Don't let the issues of money, pressure from gossip discourage you. You have to be steadfast in your beliefs. Of course, health and finances are prerequisites. But when those two factors have problems, you don't give up and stop doing charity. You can completely share with the community with small but valuable donations.

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