From abandoned boy at the foot of the bridge to student ambassador

TP - As a newborn baby with a cleft lip and palate, Le Van Loc has become a university student thanks to the love and care of the nuns at the orphanage.

TP - As a newborn baby with a cleft lip and palate, Le Van Loc has become a university student thanks to the love and care of the nuns at the orphanage.

Feeling inferior because of circumstances.

“I stood in a corner of the schoolyard watching my classmates being dropped off at school by their parents, and I felt so lonely and sad. Gradually, I didn't dare to interact with anyone. I was afraid of people's stares and their judgments,” Le Van Loc (a freshman at Hong Bang International University) recounted his period of self-consciousness during high school.

The feeling of being lost and lonely stems from this boy's unique circumstances. Eighteen years ago, Loc was abandoned by his parents at the foot of Ba Ta Bridge (Son Tinh District, Quang Ngai Province). A couple of construction workers happened to pass by and discovered him when they heard a baby crying. The boy was taken to Phu Hoa Orphanage (Tinh An Tay Commune, Quang Ngai City, Quang Ngai Province). There, he lived in the loving care of the nuns and was given the name Le Van Loc.

On the day of their high school yearbook photoshoot, Le Van Loc invited Sister Nguyen Thi Kim Ha to the school to take a group photo.

Recounting his childhood, Loc said he was shy due to low self-esteem because of his appearance and circumstances. A crucial turning point came in his 11th grade year when he met Ms. Phan Thi Kim Chi (a teacher at Huynh Thuc Khang High School). “She advised me not to care about what others thought, and to overcome my fear to develop myself. From then on, I felt more confident and had more motivation to study and improve. That was the most important turning point in my life,” Loc said.

Intelligent, diligent, and hardworking, Loc achieved many academic successes, such as winning second prize in History at the provincial level. Loc also passed the entrance exam for the Public Relations major at Hong Bang International University. Having never traveled far from home, Loc said that she felt very lonely and homesick at first, having to leave the care of the nuns to study in Ho Chi Minh City. The university environment, with its different learning methods and friends from all over the country, also overwhelmed her.

“After spending some time in Ho Chi Minh City, I’ve gradually adapted and gotten used to the vibrant life here. Currently, I hold the positions of class secretary and vice-class president, and I’m also a student ambassador for the university. Extracurricular activities have helped me improve my communication and public speaking skills. I’ve become much more open and outgoing than before,” Loc said with a smile.

Not alone

Recalling the first time she saw Loc, Sister Nguyen Thi Kim Ha (Phu Hoa Orphanage) said that everyone at the orphanage was worried when they had another newborn baby. Because of her cleft palate, feeding Loc milk was a heart-stopping moment. The milk wouldn't go down her throat but would come up through her nose, so the sisters had to be very patient and skillful to finish each feeding. Before she was even a year old, Loc underwent surgery to close the cleft lip. After that, she had to undergo two more corrective surgeries. The defect gradually disappeared, but the large scars remain.

According to Sister Ha, Loc was a very well-behaved and academically gifted child. In his free time, he often went down to the kitchen to help the sisters cook meals and prepare food for the younger children, assisting them in caring for those in similar circumstances. During his time in high school, Loc went through a period of internal struggle because he was teased and called a monster by his classmates. Whenever Loc was sad, the sisters had to be there to comfort and encourage him.

"Hearing the news that you got into university, all the nuns here are overjoyed. We hope you will be steadfast on your path to your dreams, and we will always be watching over you and supporting you, not letting you be alone. The tuition fees will be covered by donations from benefactors, so you can rest assured," Sister Ha said.

A home for hundreds of abandoned children.

Nestled in a peaceful countryside, for nearly 50 years, Phu Hoa Orphanage has been known as a warm home for hundreds of orphaned, disabled, and abandoned children. These homeless children were brought here, cared for, and raised in the loving embrace of the nuns. Currently, Phu Hoa Orphanage is raising 34 abandoned children. The youngest is less than a year old, while the oldest is attending university. All are well-behaved, polite, and extremely affectionate when strangers visit.

For all these years, through many generations of nuns in charge, the nuns here have always been devoted mothers, taking full care of the children in every aspect of their lives, from meals to sleep. They readily set aside their own desires for happiness to nurture smiles for these unfortunate children... Nearly half a century has passed, and one by one, the children at the orphanage have grown up and found their own happiness. Then, other orphaned children come to the orphanage, to the nuns, as if by a twist of fate.

Nguyen Ngoc - Anh Nhan

Source: https://tienphong.vn/tu-cau-be-bi-bo-roi-o-chan-cau-den-dai-su-sinh-vien-post1702447.tpo