"The more I travel, the more difficult lives I see. There is always something that urges me to get closer to them," said teacher Tran Van Menh.
Teacher Tran Van Menh always cares for disadvantaged students - Photo: MINH CHIEN
Having been attached to the podium for more than 25 years, after each teaching session, teacher Tran Van Menh (Hoa My Tay Primary School, Tay Hoa District, Phu Yen Province) often takes time to visit and support families in difficult circumstances.
Teacher of smiles
According to Mr. Menh, on one occasion when he joined a volunteer group and directly saw difficult and heartbreaking situations, the desire to help others gradually formed in him.
In early 2014, he started doing personal volunteer work. After each class, he would ride his motorbike around the districts and towns to help those in difficult circumstances with his limited funds. Rain or shine or a broken motorbike on the road did not deter him.
And then, a volunteer group called "Happy Smile" was born, led by Mr. Menh. Initially, there were only a few members, but now there are about 60 members.
In addition to calling for support for those in difficult circumstances, the group also organizes activities such as building bridges, building charity houses, and every month on full moon days, they cook hundreds of free vegetarian meals for patients at Tay Hoa District Medical Center, Phu Yen Provincial General Hospital or Phu Yen Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital...
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thuy (grandmother of Huynh Duc, a student in class 1C at Hoa My Tay Primary School) was grateful: "Duc does not have a mother by his side, I am raising him, our family is in a difficult situation, at the beginning of the school year we buy books, clothes and other expenses but we always lack money.
I was going to not pay health insurance for my grandchild because I had no money to pay nearly 900,000 VND. So Mr. Menh immediately paid for my grandchild."
Or Ms. Le Thi Kim Loan (54 years old, Hoa Tan Tay commune, Tay Hoa district) has a leg disability, every day she sells lottery tickets to support her husband because he is sick and can't work much. She wishes to have a wheelchair to earn money to make a living, but the money for medicine and food is not enough, so this is just a luxury dream.
"When the members of the "Happy Smile" volunteer group brought me the electric wheelchair, I was so happy that I don't know why tears kept flowing. Now I can move around and sell lottery tickets more easily. I don't know how to thank the group and Mr. Menh enough," said Ms. Loan.
According to Mr. Menh, calling for charity was initially quite difficult because Tay Hoa district does not have large enterprises, and people sometimes do not have enough to provide for their families. So he thought he should call for donations from difficult circumstances in the district first so that more people would know about that case. He also created a YouTube channel and every time he gave money to support, he would livestream or record a video and post it on Facebook.
"I'm not a YouTuber, so if they have any difficulties, I'll let them tell me and go to their house to film what's going on. Surprisingly, many people realized that their neighbor or the lottery ticket seller next door was having a hard time, so they sent money and gifts to support them. As soon as I received the first money, I was very happy, then gradually called for cases in the province," said Mr. Menh.
The volunteer group "Happy Smile" plans to continue completing two charity houses and plans to give gifts on holidays to the poor and disabled...
Teacher Menh visits people in difficult circumstances after each class - Photo: Character provided
We do not need to receive anything in return when we give good deeds. I feel lucky to have friends, members of the association as well as the trust and support of benefactors. Charity must come from the heart and must be accompanied by transparency. All appeals must be publicly posted, with the full amount of support.
Teacher Tran Van Menh
Passionate about the team
In addition to helping those in need in society, Mr. Menh always pays special attention to his students. "You have a long future ahead of you, I don't want you to have to put your studies or passions on hold for any reason," he shared.
For that reason, Mr. Menh devoted much of his heart to the school's football team for many years, when in a rural commune, having a football field or spending hours practicing was not an easy thing... Above all, to form a team, he not only gathered and selected students with enough physical strength but also had to have passion. But due to circumstances, many students with great potential had to put their passion aside, so he went to each house to encourage them, even taking the time to pick them up and drop them off every day, closely following each practice session.
Most recently in 2023, Hoa My Tay Primary School won first prize in the U10 children's football competition in Tay Hoa district. Nguyen Thanh Gia Lam (4C grade student at Hoa My Tay Primary School) shared: "The teacher loves us very much, during the eating competition, the teacher took care of us, when the team did not score, the teacher encouraged us... The teacher is very funny both in class and on the football field. I did not have money to buy good football shoes, so the teacher took me to the sports shoe store to let me choose and then bought me a pair."
And the love for children has kept Mr. Menh's passion burning for many years: "Seeing the children happy with their passion, I am also happy. I think their childhood is very short, so I have to be there to encourage and create conditions for them to develop."
Mr. Ha Luong Duc - Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Tay Hoa district - said that "the group "Happy Smile" with the group leader, teacher Tran Van Menh, has had practical volunteer activities such as building bridges and effectively supporting the poor not only in the locality but also in neighboring districts and towns".
Besides volunteer activities, teacher Menh also has a long history of achievements in teaching with many certificates of merit awarded by the People's Committee of Tay Hoa district for his excellent completion of the school year's work, and a certificate of merit for the cause of education awarded by the Provincial People's Committee...
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nguoi-thay-mang-den-nhung-nu-cuoi-hanh-phuc-20250303101316088.htm
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