Nurturing green seeds for the future in Aur village

*Volunteers plant seedlings in Aur village. Photo: TAN CHAU*

Aur is a remote village located in the middle of the majestic Truong Son mountain range, currently has 23 households with nearly 100 people, most of whom are Co Tu ethnic people. There are no convenient roads, no phone signal, life mainly depends on slash-and-burn farming, animal husbandry and forest protection. Despite the many difficulties, they still persevere in staying on the land, staying on the forest, preserving the traditional culture of their ancestors.

Mr. Ating Del, Head of Aur village, shared that although life is still full of hardships, villagers are still united, helping each other, educating their children to preserve the traditional cultural identity of the village as well as protecting the living environment of the community.

Because of this uniqueness, Aur village is a "meeting place" for volunteers from all over the country who have never met each other but share the same outlook on life: loving nature, protecting the environment and sharing with the community.

To reach Aur village, the truck carrying hundreds of seedlings of jackfruit, mango, guava, star apple, coconut, durian, and some other woody plants, along with bags of dried mackerel and anchovies, had to struggle to cross a deep, rocky stream.

Nurturing "green shoots" for the future in Aur village. Photo: TAN CHAU

When the car stopped at the edge of the forest, the villagers of Aur were already waiting, carrying sacks of seedlings and food through the forest to return to their village. After crossing 9km of forest road and walking for 5 hours, the group finally arrived at the small village located at an altitude of more than 1,000m above sea level.

From the project “A Little VietNam”, enthusiastic young people not only gave gifts, but also went with the people across streams, climbed up hills to the fields, and instructed them on how to plant and care for fruit trees effectively.

Mr. Vo Minh Tan - the founder of the project said: "We will give the people 2-3 batches of seedlings this year. Everyone will also come back and plant trees together, instructing the people on how to take care of them. I believe that fruit trees and woody plants will help people have a more sustainable life in the future. In the next few years, these green shoots will bring sweet fruit, help people improve their income and, more importantly, give them more confidence to stay with the mountains and forests."

This trip not only brings necessities before the rainy season but also sends a profound message about environmental protection, spreading a green lifestyle in the young community. The jackfruit, mango, and star apple trees planted today will not only provide shade and sweet fruit, but in the long term will help stabilize the soil, retain water, improve the ecology and increase income for the people. The seedlings given today not only sprout green on the land of Aur village, but also demonstrate the responsibility of young people in preserving and protecting the environment, practically sharing love with the people of the highlands.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/vun-mam-xanh-cho-tuong-lai-o-lang-aur-3299940.html