Rice and meaningful gifts were presented by the Vinh Hien Border Guard Station to people in difficult circumstances.

"A small gift, but given with much thought."

Arriving at the Vinh Hien Border Guard Post (Vinh Loc commune) just as the officers and soldiers had finished their briefing, we witnessed a group of people stopping in front of the meeting hall, lining up, and one by one dropping small change into a box hanging on the wall. The yellow lettering on a green background clearly read: "Model for saving small change, sharing difficulties," which partly explained the actions of the officers and soldiers.

Lieutenant Nguyen Van Khuyen, who has contributed to the initiative many times, shared: "This initiative doesn't require contributions or set a time limit. Whenever we have small amounts of money, from a few thousand to a few tens of thousands of dong, we can all contribute. We can contribute multiple times a day. Small amounts, when accumulated, will add up to a lot to send to those in difficult circumstances."

The "Saving Small Change, Sharing Difficulties" model was implemented by the Vinh Hien Border Guard Station in October 2023, after recognizing the many elderly, sick, and disadvantaged people in the area. Lieutenant Colonel Ho Van Hoi, Political Officer of the Vinh Hien Border Guard Station, said that the model is based on the spirit of "accumulating small amounts to make a large sum," mobilizing small change from officers and soldiers to create additional resources to help the people. Along with other activities, the model contributes to expanding the scope of support and spreading the spirit of sharing among officers and soldiers in the unit.

Among the contributors were many young soldiers who shared from their meager allowances. Soldier Pham Cong Sia confided: "Soldiers' allowances aren't much, but contributing a little to this model is meaningful to me. My family isn't well-off either, so I understand and am more willing to share with those in more difficult circumstances."

Beyond simply saving loose change, the Vinh Hien Border Guard Post maintains many practical activities such as contributing a day's salary, supporting the "For the Poor" Fund, the "Helping Children Go to School" program, and the "Charity Rice Jar" program. Each model aims at the common goal of helping disadvantaged families, poor students, and vulnerable groups in the area. Contributions from each activity are combined into a common resource, bringing practical gifts to people in coastal communes.

For example, the "Helping Children Go to School" program, implemented since 2011, is funded by contributions from the daily wages of officers and soldiers. Each month, the unit supports 5 students, giving each student 500,000 VND. The amount isn't large, but it's consistent, providing motivation for the children and their families to confidently continue their education. Another example is the "Rice Jar of Compassion" model, maintained since 2005, where officers and soldiers donate three handfuls of rice from their rations after each meal. Through this sharing, the unit has approximately 25kg of rice each month to donate to needy and disadvantaged families.

Strengthening the bond between the military and the people.

Meeting with people who had received support from the Vinh Hien Border Guard Station, we further appreciated the meaning of these gifts, which were "small in size but given with great sincerity." Ms. Tran Thi Hanh (born in 1981), residing in Hoa An village, said emotionally: "My family is very grateful to the Vinh Hien Border Guard Station. Previously, my family was classified as a poor household, so my eldest child only finished 9th grade. Seeing our difficult circumstances, the Station 'supported our second child, Phan Thi Nga, to continue her education from 4th grade. Now she is in 12th grade and we are happy that she is doing well in school. This help is not only financial but also a great encouragement that gives us confidence to support our children's education."

Comrade Nguyen Trung Duong, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of Vinh Loc commune, said that in addition to effectively managing and protecting the sovereignty and security of the maritime border, Vinh Hien Border Guard Station also actively participates in social welfare work, supporting the people in economic development, sustainable poverty reduction, participating in the "Green Sunday" movement, and assisting people in overcoming the damage caused by natural disasters. Many houses have been built or repaired for policy beneficiary families and poor households with the contributions of the unit's officers and soldiers. Many activities in the locality bear the mark of the soldiers in green uniforms. These silent drops of sweat further strengthen the bond between the military and the people in this coastal region.

In particular, during each Lunar New Year, many gifts are prepared in advance as a testament to the tradition of solidarity between the military and the people, demonstrating the care and sharing of the border guard force with people in difficult circumstances. Through this, the spirit of mutual support continues to spread, and the close relationship between the border guard force and the local Party committee, government, and people becomes even stronger.

When asked what made these actions even more meaningful, many officers and soldiers shared the same answer: the gentle smiles and heartfelt hugs of the people, as if they were family. It is in these simple moments that the bond between the military and the people is nurtured and strengthened over the years.

Text and photos: HUU PHUC

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/chinh-polit-xa-hoi/vun-day-tinh-nghia-quan-dan-163635.html