Mua A Phung, a kid in Buoc Pat campus of Long Sap Kindergarten in Buoc Pat hamlet, Long Sap commune, Moc Chau district, Son La province, is among the kids that have received support from the unit. Phung said that he likes to go to school the most. There, Phung not only meets and plays with friends, but also has the opportunity to have nutritious and delicious meals.
Buoc Pat campus is located on Buoc Pat peak at the altitude of 1,600m above sea level. The path leading to the school is steep and rugged, with a cliff on one side and a mountain on the other. As a border area, over a decade ago, Buoc Pat was a hotspot for security issues, especially drug-related crime. Out of the 18 households in the village, 17 are classified as poor.
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Children of Buoc Pat campus having lunch |
Due to hardships, many kids were unable to attend classes. Noticing their difficulties, the officers and soldiers of the Long Sap Border Post agreed to use part of their own weekend breakfast to provide meals for the children. This initiative, known as "Breakfast for the Kids," is carried out from Monday to Friday every week.
After 12-year implementation, the program has undergone several changes in organization and execution. Initially, the officers and soldiers woke up early to prepare breakfast for the unit, and they set aside several meals for the kindergarten kids in Buoc Pat and delivered them to the kids before class. However, for the past three years, the unit has also been cooking lunch and delivering food to the kids.
According to Non-commissioned Major Ban Van Vinh, in the past, when they prepared breakfast, many children went to school to have breakfast and then went home. Since switching to providing lunch, they have seen the children attend class more diligently. Due to difficult travel conditions, it is hard to go to the market to buy food every day, especially during the rainy season, the unit has actively grown their own to provide more food for the children.
Deputy Political Commissar of Long Sap Border Post Major Cam Ba Thang said that through meals, the organizers would like to ease the children’s difficulties. He added that the success of the model has come from the support and contributions from various agencies, units, and kind-hearted individuals.
Principal Huynh Thị Minh of Long Sap Kindergarten highlighted the contributions of the border troops. She said that meals prepared by border guards have assisted the school’s efforts in mobilizing children to go to school. Now families are more willing to send their children to school regularly, maintaining a 100% attendance rate.
Minh said that the border guard officers and soldiers’ deeds have been seen as motivation for teachers like her to stick to schools in mountainous areas. The simple lunches prepared by the border guards serve as the light that nurtures the dreams of ethnic minority children and brightening the hope for a better future for these children.
Translated by Tran Hoai