"Warm clothes for children" comes to the highlands of Che Cu Nha

Knowing the difficulties of the people in Che Cu Nha commune, where 99% of the Mong people live, especially the students who do not have enough warm clothes to wear in the cold winter in the highlands, the Youth Union of the Faculty of Psychology organized a campaign for teachers, students and benefactors to donate necessities, warm clothes, blankets... to children and families in difficult circumstances in the locality. "Warm clothes for children" is a practical gift for the people of Che Cu Nha highland commune to welcome the upcoming Lunar New Year in warmth and joy. The preparation and fundraising work took place very urgently at the end of the first semester and achieved results beyond expectations. The volunteer group received 30 boxes of winter clothes, more than 600 kg of rice along with necessities, candy, daily necessities, and school supplies. In addition to the donation work, before the trip, the students of the Faculty of Psychology were trained in skills and informed about the location, work, and activities that the team would do during the three days of volunteering.

Soft skills training for secondary school students in Che Cu Nha commune

The journey started on the afternoon of January 23rd, passing through a long distance with winding roads of the Northwest mountains and hills, the whole group arrived at Che Cu Nha Ethnic Boarding School, Che Cu Nha Commune at 10pm. The weather was very cold, with temperatures around 6-7^oC. With the help of the school and the Youth Union officials, the group quickly settled down. Like every previous volunteer trip, after dinner, the whole group had a meeting to agree on the work that would take place the next day.

On the morning of January 24, the volunteer group coordinated with teachers of Che Cu Nha Ethnic Boarding School to organize a soft skills training program, including communication skills and teamwork skills for students in grades 6, 7, and 8 and to disseminate reproductive health and gender knowledge to students in grade 9. The training session combined with games, gifts and the enthusiasm of the students of the Faculty of Psychology received enthusiastic participation from the students.

On the same day, after the skills training session, the whole group went to give gifts to families with preferential policies and families in difficult circumstances. Passing through steep mountain roads and steep slopes, the group reached each Mong family and handed them gifts. The tears of happiness from the people made us, the volunteers, feel that our trip was very meaningful. Mrs. Ho Thi Sai, over 80 years old, living alone in the high mountains, shared with us in tears: “I am over 80 years old, and every night I often have pain in my abdomen and chest, but I don't know what's wrong, and I don't have the conditions to go to the doctor. But with the care of the Government and the school, I feel very happy; my pain, suffering, and hunger are all gone. Thank you, Government, thank you, school.!”.

Disseminating reproductive health knowledge to 9th grade students

On the evening of January 24, the cultural exchange program between the Faculty of Psychology and the Mu Cang Chai Department of Education and Training, Che Cu Nha Boarding Ethnic High School took place very excitingly. During the program, the volunteer group presented gifts to students in difficult circumstances, students with good academic achievements; presented commemorative medals and learning equipment to the school. The cultural performances by the staff and students of the Faculty of Psychology, staff and students of Che Cu Nha Boarding Ethnic High School with the theme of celebrating the Party and celebrating spring were performed with the enthusiastic cheers of the local people. The family of Mr. Lo Sin Venh, upon hearing the news of the cultural exchange, came down from the high mountains to participate and said: “It has been a long time since we have had such a good and fun cultural program. Many families like mine in the highlands, when they heard that volunteer students from the capital were back, dropped all their work and came down here in the evening to watch the cultural performance. We were so happy!”. The relationship between the staff and students of the Faculty of Psychology and the people of Che Cu Nha commune is even closer.

Giving gifts to disadvantaged students in Che Cu Nha commune

On the morning of January 25, the group split into two directions, one direction continued to give gifts to families with preferential policies and families in difficult circumstances in the commune; the other direction went to give gifts to children at a kindergarten on the mountain. This kindergarten is located on a flat land, although the road is very difficult, according to the teachers here, most of the families on the mountain bring their children here, very few cases of dropping out of school. Boxes of candy, warm clothes, paper, pens and toys were transported here. After finishing all the work, the whole group gathered at Che Cu Nha Ethnic Boarding School, met and summarized all the work that had been done and had a last meal with the school staff and students here. Although it was only three days, the students considered us as brothers and sisters in the family; they did not want us to leave, they wanted us to stay for many more days.

Chat and share with Che Cu Nha people

A trip “Warm clothes for you"The trip has come to an end. Leaving the land of Che Cu Nha, the beautiful land of Lao Cai with terraced fields winding between the clouds and mountains and the winding mountain passes of the Northwest region, the volunteer group said goodbye to the children, teachers and ethnic people at the schools to return to Hanoi filled with joy and emotion. This short but meaningful meeting gave us the opportunity to share and understand more, love more the land with the simple but sincere people here. Although we are far away, in us, the image of the beautiful land of Che Cu Nha with the innocent eyes of the children and the affectionate feelings of the people here will remain intact forever.