Recently, we accompanied personnel from Political Base Construction and Production Team No.1, Defense-Economic Unit 345, to visit and gift disadvantaged students' families. At the home of Lau Ngoc Si, a Hmong student in Cua Suoi hamlet, the sincere affection between soldiers and locals was palpable.
Unlike his Class 3A peers at Nam Chac Primary and Secondary Semi-boarding Ethnic School, Lau Ngoc Si faces extreme hardship. After his mother left shortly after his birth, his father raised two children alone in a modest mountainside house. In this harsh border region, severe weather and limited farmland leave Si’s family struggling for food, particularly during lean seasons.
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Representatives of the Political Base Construction and Production Team No.1 of Defense-Economic Unit 345 present gifts to the family of student Lau Ngoc Si. |
To ensure his children's education, Si’s father works away from home, leaving the two brothers to board at school during the week and stay with their uncle in Cua Suoi hamlet on weekends. Recognizing their hardship, cadres and voluntary young intellectuals from Political Base Construction and Production Team No.1 provide regular financial aid to prevent any educational interruption.
Tan Van Kien, a Dao ethnic student in Class 6B at Nam Chac Primary and Secondary Semi-boarding Ethnic School, faces similar struggles. Motherless since age two and raised by an ailing father without stable work, Kien lives in a near-empty house in Nam Khoang hamlet. Before the Lunar New Year, Team No.1 staff gifted them warm clothes and food from their own farm. Kien’s father, Tan Lao Su, was visibly moved while meeting Captain Doan Thanh Hoa, Political Chief of Political Base Construction and Production Team No.1.
Captain Doan Thanh Hoa noted that the unit coordinates with local authorities and the school to support Kien through the “Paving the Way to School for Children” program. This includes providing clothing, books, and weekend tutoring by staff and voluntary young intellectuals.
Under the 2021–2030 national target program for ethnic minority areas, Defense-Economic Unit 345 identifies and assists students in need. Since 2023, the unit has sponsored 10 disadvantaged students with VND 7.4 million each annually (VND 5.4 million for meals and VND 2 million for supplies). Beyond funds, staff visit families to guide learning and assist with home repairs or local economic development.
Senior Colonel Nguyen Huu Canh, Political Commissar of Defense-Economic Unit 345, emphasized that the unit operates where over 90 percent of the population belongs to ethnic minorities. “The unit provides support to disadvantaged students so they can have better opportunities to pursue their education, grow in life, and eventually become a source of future cadres for the locality,” he stated. Through such dedication, the unit brings hope to the border area of A Mu Sung, helping students grow into responsible citizens.
Translated by Song Anh