35 years of volunteering, spreading love

Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Social Work Center Duong Ngoc Tuan (right) presents funding to support house building for poor households after storm Yagi in Lao Cai province - Photo: CONG TRIEU

By connecting resources, the center contributes to caring for disadvantaged people and sharing social security. Especially, it quickly responds to emergency relief situations when natural disasters occur anywhere in the country.

It can be affirmed that the City Youth Social Work Center has done a very good job in advising, organizing activities and participating in solving social problems of youth and people in recent times.

Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union NGO MINH HAI

Respond quickly when society needs it

Director of the center Duong Ngoc Tuan has just returned from a five-day trip with a team of representatives from Ho Chi Minh City's youth to the people in the flood-hit areas of the North. The trip was accompanied by resources donated by many groups and individuals to share with the people. Although the time was short, many tasks were completed by the volunteers at full capacity.

This has been a familiar task since its inception. Whenever there is severe damage caused by natural disasters, no matter where in the country, the center takes on the mission of connecting resources, organizing a relief team to reach our compatriots as quickly as possible.

Recalling 2020, when many provinces in the Central region suffered heavy damage due to successive storms and floods, the center established a rapid response team to overcome the consequences of storms and floods in many provinces. In addition to giving gifts, it also helped people repair or build houses.

Then when the COVID-19 epidemic broke out and lasted in Ho Chi Minh City, the center also acted as a focal point to donate medical equipment, masks, and protective gear to the front lines.

During the time when masks were scarce, the center's workplace became a meeting place for volunteers to cut and sew cloth masks to give to people. Along with gifts of necessities, vegetables and fruits delivered to locked-down and quarantined areas, the most notable mark during the epidemic season was probably the charity kitchen.

During the days when the city was almost completely isolated, the kitchen was still burning every day with thousands of meals for lunch and dinner to be delivered to guard posts, quarantine areas, and lonely people... Mr. Vo Quoc Binh - an officer at the center - said that about 50 volunteers "camped" right at the center to maintain the kitchen for many months. During peak times, there were days when they had to cook nearly 6,000 meals to distribute to many places.

Not to mention, the center also coordinated a free "ATM of necessities" program for the disadvantaged, those directly affected by the COVID-19 epidemic. Each gift was sent with the message "If you are in difficulty, take a part, if you are okay, please give it to others".

The charity kitchen has been on fire for many months, providing hundreds of thousands of free meals when the COVID-19 epidemic broke out in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: Q.BINH

Connecting love everywhere

In addition to Ho Chi Minh City, the center's activities have spread to many regions across the country. Recently, the center implemented a project to build and repair school toilets and provide training on anti-abuse skills for students at some primary and secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh City and several neighboring provinces worth 2 billion VND.

According to Mr. Tuan, toilets in many schools in remote areas are degraded, students do not dare to use the toilet. "This seems small but affects the health of the students. The center connects some schools with clean toilets" - Mr. Tuan said.

The project also has training sessions on anti-abuse skills for students, with knowledge and skills on anti-abuse being gently integrated. This helps children recognize and apply measures to protect themselves.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhung - Secretary of the Dam Rong District Youth Union (Lam Dong Province) - said that this center has built and donated three toilets to students at schools in the district. Having clean toilets has helped students feel comfortable, ensure their health, and feel secure in studying.

After the pandemic, the center has a program to screen, consult, and provide health care for people in difficult circumstances and union members and young people after COVID-19. In 2022 - 2023, about 5,000 people in Ho Chi Minh City and several neighboring provinces have benefited from this activity with a total cost of more than 4.1 billion VND.

Most recently, two teams of 41 volunteers visited people affected by Typhoon Yagi and floods in Lao Cai and Tuyen Quang provinces. They helped repair and build new houses for severely damaged households, provided medical examinations, gave gifts, and helped people harvest rice. The total value of gifts and goods for the trip was 5 billion VND, raised from many sources, of which 2 billion was contributed by Tuoi Tre newspaper readers.

Both regular and emergency operations

The Ho Chi Minh City Youth Social Work Center was established by the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union in 1988. The decision of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee signed on September 25, 1989 allowed the establishment of the center under the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union.

The city also has another decision allowing the conversion of the type of operation and adding some functions and tasks so that the center can promptly meet social needs as well as support people in the city.

Previously, the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Social Work Team was established with 20 initial members who volunteered to contribute to caring for the unfortunate. This was also the core force for the formation of the City Youth Social Work Center later.

Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union Ngo Minh Hai said that not only has the center implemented social security programs and activities for disadvantaged people, but it has also proactively designed regular volunteer programs to help many different people, providing timely encouragement both materially and spiritually.

"For each specific stage, the center is always very proactive in building and quickly organizing activities and programs suitable to the actual situation depending on the requirements and demands at that time" - Mr. Hai commented.

Give children a chance in life

Accompanying homeless and disadvantaged youth is also an area of ​​activity that the center has paid much attention to recently. Deputy Director of the center Nguyen Cong Hang said that there are many activities to approach and persuade these students to return home and then find ways to connect them to bring them back home.

"In cases where they cannot return home, they will be given career counseling and support to continue their education or vocational training. Some students, after completing their vocational training, have received scholarships to study and work abroad," Mr. Hang informed.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/35-nam-ket-noi-thien-nguyen-lan-toa-yeu-thuong-20240924225200411.htm