A member of the An Phụ Ward Women’s Union in Kinh Môn Town, Hải Dương northern province, takes care of her two godchildren. — VNA/VNS Photo Mạnh Tú

​Supporting orphans

Lý Thị Yên of An Thành Village, Thống Nhất Commune, Lào Cai City of the northern mountainous province of Lào Cai, is raising two children alone because her husband died many years ago.

Without a stable job, Yên’s income depends on a small rice field.

Taking care of the children's education is a constant concern for her.

When the Godmother Programme was deployed, Yên received care through the Lào Cai City Women's Union.

The union connects her with sponsoring individuals and organisations.

Yên's two children will be funded until they are 18 years old.

Chairwoman of the Lào Cai City Women's Union Đồng Tố Nga said that the programme was launched two years ago.

This humanitarian effort clearly demonstrated the kindness and tolerance of women.

In order for the programme to truly spread and be sustainable, women's associations at all levels in the city strengthened connections and encouraged more units to join and bring love to the orphans, helping them have a brighter future, said Nga.

Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and also Chairman of the Văn Giang District People's Council in Hưng Yên northern province, Nguyễn Văn Tuấn said that the programme had profound humanistic meaning.

It helped orphans have more pathways to overcome difficulties, he said.

Since the programme was implemented, Văn Giang District leaders had directed the local Women's Union to survey and identified 153 orphans.

They were between two and 18 years old, in 129 poor households.

The district leaders also directly worked with businesses in the area to call for financial and spiritual help for orphans.

The list of orphans was set up clearly in a book. The work results were reviewed monthly, said Tuấn.

Information about the programme was broadcast widely on mass media.

In particular, he said, to make the programme operate effectively and sustainably, the district women's union regularly checked the real local situation and supplemented cases arising to ensure all orphans received financial support.

Members of the Văn Giang District Women's Union also directly helped orphans by providing them mental encouragement, instructing them on how to take care of themselves, and giving the warmth of love.

Each orphan in the district received VNĐ500,000 (US$50) per month and other presents and meaningful necessities.

General Director of the Lead Việt Company Nguyễn Văn Huy is an adoptive father of 13 orphans.

He himself has three children and when he learned about the programme, he realised that this was a wonderful activity.

He wants to spend part of his income to support the orphans for their better future.

He believes that material gifts can be given, but the more important thing is that godparents should be closer and accompany the orphans.

Huy feels secure in mind when witnessing many people enthusiastically join the programme.

Pervasiveness

Orphans receive presents as part of the Godmother Programme in Hưng Yên Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Đinh Văn Nhiều

Major General Ngô Hoài Thu, Deputy Director of the Party and Political Work Department under the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), said that the MPS highly appreciated the programme’s significance.

The MPS recognises that this was an important programme, contributing to protecting national security and social order.

During the past two years, women’s unions at different levels in the public security sector have contributed and called for nearly VNĐ23 billion ($946,600), sponsoring 1,886 orphans due to various causes, according to the officer.

As many as 307 of them lost both parents, 315 are ethnic people, 45 are martyrs’ children, nine have both parents in prison.

Many of them are suffering from serious diseases.

The "police mothers" have become a bridge full of love and responsibility for orphans to move forward on their future paths, becoming useful citizens for society.

Thu said that in the coming time, the department would propose that the leaders of the MPS spread the programme widely.

The programme results would be periodically summarised and evaluated.

The Khánh Hòa Province Women's Union is also a very creative unit.

Nguyễn Quỳnh Nga, Chairwoman of the provincial women's union, said this was an easy programme to do, but the key to making it truly effective was in the details of implementation.

It required meticulous care for the orphans, from eating, studying to playing and learning other skills, so that they can have a good, happy and peaceful life.

Concerns

Deputy Chairwoman of Việt Nam Women's Union Tôn Ngọc Hạnh said that in the coming time there would be many challenges for the programme.

Supervising and supporting orphans might be interrupted, failing to ensure full, comprehensive long-term support for them.

She proposed some additional policies such as tuition exemption or reduction, and health insurance for orphans.

She hopes to receive more recommendations from different units to improve this humane programme.

“In Asian culture, ‘mother’ is a sacred thing. It is not easy to call a stranger ‘mother’, but the programme has created confidence that orphans can call mother again and they have mothers to take care of them and support their spirit,” she said.

Director of the Department of Child Affairs under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Đặng Hoa Nam is very enthusiastic about the initiative.

He wonders how to have policies making the programme suitable for each child, ensuring equity between them.

He believes that specific criteria are needed to ensure safety for the children, preventing them from being abused or further hurt, and to encourage everyone to work together for the good targets.

Nam affirmed that the Department of Child Affairs was ready to coordinate with the Việt Nam Women's Union to open training classes for godparents, especially those who take orphans to their own houses to bring them up.

To date, the Godmother Programme has called for nearly VNĐ150 billion ($6.2 million), supporting 27,670 poor orphans nationwide, including more than 3,000 orphans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With love and kind hearts from the community, the lives of many unlucky children have been changed for the better. — VNS