From an orphan boy from SOS village to a teacher who brings children out into the world

Huynh Duc trains SOS Children's Village Da Nang on care program for youth leaving the program

Building "houses" for disadvantaged children

Le Huynh Duc, 26 years old, was recently selected as one of 17 Vietnamese youth delegates to participate in the Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Program (SSEAYP) 2024, a prestigious activity to spread the image of Vietnam to international friends. Previously, he was selected by the Central Youth Union to lead the delegation to Japan to participate in the JENESYS program and was invited by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many to attend the Angkor Songkran festival in this country.

"My starting point was in the mud, there was only one way to go, which was to rise to the surface and keep moving forward. But I was not alone on this path because my foster mother at SOS always supported me. My name was also given by my mother, with 'Le' being my mother's last name and 'Huynh Duc' being the name of a famous former football player," the Nghe An boy who grew up at SOS Children's Village Vinh (Vinh City, Nghe An Province) proudly said.

Taking adversity as motivation to strive, Duc continuously achieved many achievements. He received the Odon Vallet scholarship 10 times from high school to university, was awarded the "Lighting up dreams" scholarship, and the scholarship to encourage learning from the University of Economics (University of Danang). In addition, he was also awarded a certificate of merit by the Vinh City Youth Union and the Principal of the University of Economics for his outstanding achievements in Youth Union activities and study.

Huynh Duc (2nd from right) and the Vietnamese youth delegation took a souvenir photo with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many (middle)

Huynh Duc (front row, 2nd from left) represents the delegates taking a souvenir photo with officials from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the JENESYS program.

Passionate about foreign languages, Duc also participated in many translation activities at international events held in Da Nang when he was a student, such as the international fireworks festival, the visit of the President of India, the Ministerial Conference on labor cooperation in some Southeast Asian countries. In addition, the 9X guy is also an active activist for children's rights and care leavers.

"Care leavers refers to young people who leave social care facilities to reintegrate into the community, no longer receiving the same support as before. Many of them, including me, have to go through many challenges such as financial difficulties and social stigma. Therefore, I am building and coordinating a training and career guidance community to help equip them with more professional knowledge, foreign languages... to increase their opportunities," Duc said.

Another problem, according to Duc, is that most of the children do not return to their foster homes after they grow up. This is a great disadvantage for children who do not have a real family. "Through the community, we hope to create connections, help them become members of a larger 'family', and receive both material and spiritual care in many ways. We cannot let them become orphans a second time," Duc said.

Huynh Duc attends training in Bangladesh for a community project

In addition to the above projects, Duc was also nominated to the Advisory Board on Children and Youth Rights at the United Nations General Debate on Children’s Rights 2020. During that journey, he collaborated with many young people from around the world to develop a direction for protecting children’s rights and presented it to UNICEF. He was also one of two representatives from Vietnam to attend the 2021 International Care Leavers Conference.

Learn to understand, to use, to discover

Along with social activities, Duc is currently running an IELTS test preparation center in Da Nang City and teaching English, officially realizing his childhood dream. "In the past, I was lucky to be given free English classes by some places. And from that moment on, I believed that education was the only way to change my life in the most positive way," the male teacher said.

Although he wanted to work in education, Duc chose to study international business because he loved the dynamism and "collision" of this field. Here, he learned more about business management and operations, creating a stepping stone to start an education business from the beginning of 2023. Three years before that, he also taught at centers to gain experience, and at the same time took additional teacher training courses sponsored by government agencies in Vietnam, the US and New Zealand.

A lesson with a foreign expert of a student studying at Huynh Duc's center

At his center, Duc said he is applying the philosophy of "learning to understand, to use, to discover", which is also the way he learns and uses English in daily life. Implementing this method, he always creates different learning activities, such as opening discussion forums, giving presentations, or organizing workshops and extracurricular activities with foreign experts as guests, not just limited to imparting knowledge and exam skills.

Having worked with Huynh Duc on several projects for nearly a year, Ms. Bui Thi Giang, national coordinator of youth programs at the Coordination Office of SOS Children's Villages Vietnam, commented that the 9X guy is suitable for three words: responsibility, discipline and loveliness. "Although he is busy with his own work, he has worked with me to build training materials, plans and participate in teaching completely on a voluntary basis," Ms. Giang said.

"During his time teaching at the children's villages, Duc was extremely careful, his lectures were well-prepared and he arranged his time flexibly to support students remotely. He was knowledgeable but humble, and did not look 'older' than his age, but exuded a very friendly and positive energy, perhaps due to working with many children and young people. The mothers and aunts of SOS also loved Duc's sharing and teaching," Ms. Giang added.

Huynh Duc and his adoptive mother at SOS Children's Village Vinh on a trip to Da Lat

Currently, Duc is completing the necessary certificate to study for a master's degree in English teaching abroad, as well as looking for more valuable scholarship opportunities because he has only received partial or partial scholarships from the world's leading universities. "After what I have experienced, I believe that we can completely change our lives if we know how to make an effort and constantly strive. Although background is important, it is only a secondary factor," the male teacher shared.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tu-cau-be-mo-coi-den-nguoi-thay-quyet-khong-de-ban-tre-mo-coi-lan-2-185240910163332122.htm