New students excitedly arrived early to attend the scholarship award ceremony "Tiep suc den truong" - Photo: DAU DUNG
132 new students come from 19 provinces and cities: Ha Nam, Bac Giang, Bac Kan, Bac Ninh, Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Hanoi, Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Hung Yen, Lang Son, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Phu Tho, Quang Ninh, Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang and Vinh Phuc.
Although the scholarship award ceremony for the “Tiep suc den truong” program did not officially take place until 3 p.m., many new students and their relatives were already present at the awarding point from 11 to 12 noon. By 2 p.m., the hall was full; the students had settled down. Of the 132 new students, some came with their grandparents and parents; some came alone, as many students did when they entered school alone.
The day was indeed a happy one, but there were also many nervous and worried faces. On those somewhat confused faces, there was now even more joy because they were about to receive a gift from benefactors, encouraging the path ahead of the poor students.
Guests attending the Tuoi Tre Newspaper's 2024 Support for School Scholarship Award Ceremony - Photo: NGUYEN KHANH
Four grandmothers and grandchildren from Hai Duong arrived the earliest.
Unable to take time off from work, Mrs. Pham Thi Hue brought her grandchild to receive the scholarship - Photo: DAU DUNG
Mrs. Pham Thi Hue (61 years old, from Vinh Lap commune, Thanh Ha district, Hai Duong province) woke up at 4am, today is a special day for the whole family, when her granddaughter Doan Quynh Dieu returned to Ha Nam to receive the Tuoi Tre newspaper's scholarship to support schools . Dieu is a new student at Hai Phong University.
Grandma also brought two younger siblings with Dieu because she wanted the two younger siblings to attend the program, feel proud and see her as a role model.
The four grandmothers and grandchildren were almost the first to arrive at the handover location.
She said that before, Dieu's family lived in Binh Phuoc but because "her father was complicated, her mother took three small children and lived with her grandparents from then until now".
Dieu's mother earns a few million dong a month as a factory worker. When the news of Dieu's admission to university came out, the whole family was both happy and worried. The tuition fee for a year was 28 million dong, while her mother had only a few million dong in her pocket. Even the old laptop that cost 7 million dong for Dieu's IT studies, her mother asked her uncle to buy it for her and then find a way to pay later. Therefore, her grandmother said that the 15 million dong that Tuoi Tre newspaper gave her was 'very big' for her whole family.
“On behalf of her mother, I would like to thank Tuoi Tre newspaper for implementing a very meaningful and humane program, helping new students with difficult circumstances enter university,” she shared.
Borrowing from several banks to help his orphaned grandchild go to school, his grandfather choked up when his grandchild received the scholarship.
Both of his parents have passed away, so Mr. Tran Van Hieu led his grandchild, a new student named Vu Thu Huong, from the University of Industrial Economics and Technology, to receive the scholarship – Photo: NGUYEN KHANH
Vu Thu Huong is a new student at the University of Economics, Technology and Industry. This afternoon, Huong came to receive her scholarship with her grandfather Tran Van Hieu.
From Tan Hung commune, Hung Yen city, Mr. Hieu took his grandson on an old motorbike to Ha Nam. “Before leaving, his grandmother told him to try to take him, but to go slowly. We didn’t know the way, so we both asked for directions. It took a long time to get there,” he said.
Talking about his granddaughter, Mr. Tran Van Hieu choked up because he loved her so much. Her father passed away when Huong was just over 1 year old, and more than a year later, her mother also passed away. Her grandparents raised her from a very young age until today, when she set foot in the university gate.
He said Huong was a good student, filial to her grandparents, but a bit shy. The day they received her university acceptance letter, they experienced mixed emotions. They are both over 70 years old now, and their income depends entirely on farming.
To cheer themselves up, the couple discussed borrowing money from the policy bank but failed. Luckily, when they went to the Agricultural Bank, they were able to borrow 30 million VND, enough to pay for the first year's tuition, rent and buy initial furniture for Huong.
Mr. Hieu shared that although they do not know what the future holds, his grandparents "still want their grandchild to study well; sooner or later they will pass away, they just hope that their grandchild will graduate and be able to take care of himself and become a useful person to society."
He said that when they heard that their grandchild had received the scholarship, they could not have been happier. He thanked Tuoi Tre newspaper as well as the donors who cared about poor students and helped them overcome difficulties.
“15 million may not be a large sum of money for many people, but it is very valuable to my family. It is a huge asset to help my orphaned grandchild go to school to fulfill his dream,” he confided.
Texted the teacher and family to ask 'is this scholarship real?'
Nguyen Thi Hong Mai shed tears as she got on the bus to receive her scholarship – Photo: VU TUAN
“I still can’t believe it’s true!” – Nguyen Thi Hong Mai, a new student majoring in Banking Management at Thai Nguyen University of Economics and Business Administration, could not hold back her tears as she got on the bus to Ha Nam to receive her scholarship.
Accompanying Mai was her mother, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Lan, who is 65 years old this year. Mrs. Lan woke up early in the morning to catch a bus from Dinh Hoa to Thai Nguyen City. The mother and daughter continued on another bus from Thai Nguyen to Hanoi and boarded the bus of the Relay Scholarship Organizing Committee to Ha Nam. Mrs. Lan had a backache but was determined to travel more than 200 kilometers with her daughter to attend the scholarship ceremony.
Ms. Lan shared that she raised her daughter alone. The mother and daughter lived off a small vegetable stall at the commune’s central market. She had to borrow money from nearly a dozen relatives and friends to have enough money for her daughter to pay for school fees. “I am so happy! The scholarship for my daughter has made our whole family less difficult, and she has the motivation to continue going to school,” Ms. Lan shared.
Freshman Nguyen Thi Hong Mai shed tears as she recounted the moment she received the news that her name had been chosen to receive the scholarship to support her going to school. “I couldn’t believe it was true! – Mai texted her homeroom teacher, she said yes, this is a prestigious scholarship. Then she asked someone to ask the Organizing Committee again to see if it was true. Her relatives also asked people to ask many places, it was true that she had received the scholarship.”
More than 100 new students from 19 northern provinces and cities and their relatives attended the scholarship award ceremony - Photo: NGUYEN KHANH
Son sends message 'all over the world' showing off scholarship, foster mother is touched speechless
On the bus carrying new students from Hanoi University of Science and Technology to Phu Ly City (Ha Nam), more than a dozen students wanted to sit in the front seats because they got carsick. Everyone was eager to receive scholarships. Many people quietly called their friends and relatives to brag about being able to receive scholarships.
Nguyen Le Hang's face was pale from motion sickness but she still texted her friends to tell them the news. Hang said the first person she told the news to was her adoptive mother, who was also her stepmother.
“My mother was so happy that she couldn’t say anything, just smiled and praised her daughter for being so good,” Hang said.
She lost her mother when she was young, and her father remarried. When she was in 9th grade, her father died of cancer, and Hang lived with her adoptive mother, who was also her stepmother.
Since her father passed away, the whole family has struggled to pay for his medical treatment. Hang's adoptive mother works in a garment factory, earning a meager income while raising three children, both stepchildren and stepchildren.
Before going to university, Hang asked her cousin in Hanoi to find her a job. She was hired as a math teaching assistant at an educational center.
Every day after school at noon, Hang runs to work as a teaching assistant more than ten kilometers away from school. After the first period, around 2 p.m., she takes the time to have a snack to continue teaching. The work is hard, but she is determined to both study and work because her family's circumstances do not allow her to rest.
“I was really surprised and happy to receive the scholarship from the program. Before entering school, my grandmother took all her savings of a decade for me, and my foster mother also spent a month’s salary on me to have enough. I will earn my own living expenses, rent… to ease the burden on my mother,” Hang said.
20 years of joining hands to support and advance the future - Performed by: NHA CHAN - MAI HUYEN
A mother raising 3 children alone, hearing that the scholarship was 'not a scam' made her feel relieved
Mother and daughter of freshman Le Thi Ha from Bac Kan returned to Ha Nam to receive scholarship – Photo: DAU DUNG
From Quang Chu commune, Cho Moi district, Bac Kan province, Ms. Hoang Thi Thom (42 years old) brought her daughter Le Thi Ha to Ha Nam to receive a scholarship. Ha is currently a freshman in the Foreign Languages Department, Thai Nguyen University.
Her husband passed away, leaving behind two children. Ms. Thom struggled alone with a few fields, earning around a few million dong.
Recently, Typhoon Yagi (Typhoon No. 3) caused landslides, sand and soil flooded into the house of the mother and her three children, and it has not been repaired yet. The government has encouraged the family to move elsewhere, but due to economic conditions, Ms. Thom took her two children to stay with her uncle nearby.
Ms. Thom said that despite her family’s difficult circumstances, Ha always tried her best to study during her 12 years of school. “She said she loved to study and wanted to learn; as a mother, I have to try,” she said.
Talking about Ha receiving the Tiep suc den truong scholarship, Ms. Thom smiled brightly. “When I heard the news, I asked again and again, from my old homeroom teacher to the Provincial Youth Union, because I thought I had been scammed. Before that, no one in the district had received this scholarship. Only when the Provincial Youth Union told my family to rest assured did I feel relieved,” she said.
Art performance opens the 2024 School Support Scholarship Award Ceremony of Tuoi Tre Newspaper – Photo: NGUYEN KHANH
Sponsoring poor but studious students is a contribution to the future
Mr. Vu Hai Son – Deputy General Director of Vinacam Group – said that Vinacam has been accompanying the School Support Program for 21 years. He assessed that among the volunteer activities, School Support is a meaningful program. The program has supported tens of thousands of students in difficult circumstances to continue going to school, studying and contributing to the country.
According to Mr. Hai, sponsoring students who overcome difficulties to study is contributing to building the future."
We really hope that you will try your best, focus on studying, and achieve the best results. That is our wish and also the best way for you to repay us. We hope that we can see the spirit of the Vietnamese people who always share difficulties, always share and help those who overcome difficulties" - Mr. Son said.
Nestle sponsors new students in the North for the first time: Inspired by the willpower of poor students
Ms. Le Thi Hoai Thuong - Senior External Affairs Manager, Nestle Vietnam Co., Ltd.: Senior External Affairs Manager, Nestle Vietnam Co., Ltd. said that this is the 8th time Nestle Company has accompanied Tuoi Tre newspaper in the program "Supporting Children to School" .
In previous years, Nestle participated in awarding awards in the Southern award clusters. This is the first time the company and Tuoi Tre newspaper have awarded scholarships to new students in the Northern provinces. However, the company's staff always follow the activities of Tiep suc den truong .
Ms. Thuong said that Nestle aims to take care of children's health, create livelihoods for people and work together for the community. Therefore, the program "Tiep suc den truong" and its reputation and humane values that have spread over the past 20 years have made Nestle always want to continue to accompany and support students in difficult circumstances.
“We were able to share the children’s inspiring stories. Those stories moved us and we felt motivated by them,” said Ms. Thuong.
>> TTO is updating
The scholarship award ceremony "Tiep suc den truong" in Ha Nam was organized by Tuoi Tre newspaper in coordination with Ha Nam Provincial Youth Union and Northern Provincial and Municipal Youth Unions.
The total cost of the program is over 2 billion VND sponsored by the Farmers' Companion Fund (Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company), Vinacam Education Promotion Fund (Vinacam Group Joint Stock Company) and readers of Tuoi Tre newspaper.
Each scholarship is worth 15 million VND in cash, including 2 special scholarships worth 50 million VND/ for 4 years of study and 5 laptops for new students with special difficulties and lack of learning equipment.
2024 is the 21st year of the scholarship and the 9th awarding point in the Tuoi Tre Newspaper's 2024 Support to School scholarship program for more than 1,100 new students in difficult circumstances nationwide with a total cost of more than 20 billion VND.
In addition to new students with difficult circumstances from 19 provinces and cities in the Northern region, the program also organizes scholarships for students in the following regions: Central, Central Highlands, Southeast, Mekong Delta and provinces in the Northwest region...
The School Support Program is contributed and supported by the Farmers' Companion Fund (Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company), Vinacam Education Promotion Fund (Vinacam Group Joint Stock Company) and the Quang Tri and Phu Yen Affection Clubs; School Support Clubs of Thua Thien Hue, Quang Nam - Da Nang, Tien Giang - Ben Tre provinces and Tien Giang and Ben Tre Businessmen's Clubs in Ho Chi Minh City, Dai-ichi Life Vietnam Company; Mr. Duong Thai Son and his friends, businesses and a large number of Tuoi Tre newspaper readers...
In addition, Vinacam Group Joint Stock Company also sponsored 50 laptops for new students with special difficulties and lack of learning equipment worth about 600 million VND, Nestlé Vietnam Co., Ltd. sponsored 1,500 backpacks worth about 250 million VND; Vietnam-USA Association English System sponsored 50 free foreign language scholarships worth 625 million VND.
Through the State Bank, North Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank sponsored 1,500 books on financial education, guiding financial management skills for new students.
* Tuoi Tre Online is updating
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