Having the chance to work with three high schools in Binh Tan District, Vinh Long Province, our volunteer trip on March 16-17, 2024, left us with many reflections.
These concerns did not stem solely from witnessing the hardships the children face, but rather from our admiration for the resilience, determination, and survival instincts of the children we met.
“Hardship” or “lack” cannot fully capture what these children endure. More importantly, the family circumstances and the harshness of life leave them with deep emotional scars. Some have tragically become orphans at a young age, while others, despite having both parents, have never truly felt the meaning of the word “family.”
During a meeting with one student in an interview, she shared many experiences of struggles in her life. Her father died young, and her mother remarried years ago. Family upheaval forced her to abandon her educational path and work illegally in Bình Dương to make a living. After two years of hardship at such a young age, being exploited and suffering, a glimmer of hope to escape poverty reignited in her life. This became her biggest motivation to return to her studies. The challenges she faced shaped her into a resilient student, supporting herself through work at the market, living and eating there. Moreover, she maintained outstanding academic performance for many years and harbors many dreams and aspirations.
Her story of perseverance does not end there; she is just an 18-year-old student. After the family’s bankruptcy, her father became a harsh and violent man. Her mother has lost the ability to care for the family due to schizophrenia, and her mental state is maintained at 60% clarity through medication. Sharing with the Fund, she said, “I do not blame anyone for anything. I understand that everything is a result of cause and effect. A small seed can grow into a large tree; you cannot reap if you do not sow, and once you sow, you must reap. My father and I once had everything, then lost it all, becoming someone who suffers and harms others, driving my mother to madness. If he had not been hurt, he would not have hurt others. The current circumstances provide no reason to create a cycle of unhappiness; who will stop for whom if that person is not their child? I do not want this suffering to shatter all the paths toward my light. I want to heal my parents and be a support for my younger brother.”
At the end of each interview with the students, we always remind them: “We hope you will remember that if the Fund decides to grant you this scholarship, it is not just because you are in hardship, but because you deserve it.”
In this encounter, we met over 30 different circumstances, each with its own unique struggles. Our empathy for these children does not merely lie in the hardships they have faced but also in our admiration for the survival instincts of these children carrying ambitions.
Like seeds buried under thousands of layers of soil, they await the day a storm comes to wash away the earth, allowing them to rise.
