(VOVWORLD) - For years the Nghia Thuan Border Guard Station in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang has well implemented programs launched by the provincial Border Guard Command. School children support and child adoption programs have strengthened solidarity between the army and people.
 Nghia Thuan border guards help the children review what they learned in the class. (Photo: Vinh Phong/VOV5)
|
For the past 3 months, whenever the alarm bell at the Nghia Thuan Border Guard Station has rung, Sung Sao Thuy and Giang Ngoc Phuc, the station's adopted children, have woken up and performed morning exercises with the soldiers. The children are living with their foster fathers and being trained in a military environment where they have love and a promising future.
“At the beginning of the school year, I came to live with the soldiers. In the morning, after breakfast, they take me to school. At noon I come back for lunch, return to school, and then come back for dinner. In the evening, at 7pm, I review what I learned at school. If there are any difficult lessons, I can ask the soldiers for help,” 13-year-old Mong ethnic Sung Sao Thuy in grade 8 at the Nghia Thuan commune Secondary School told VOV.
Every morning the soldiers take turns driving the children to school. The foster fathers often take the time to discuss their children's progress with the teachers before leaving.
“When they stay with us, the children are treated like soldiers. We take them to school in the morning and tutor them in the evening,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Luong Manh Hung, a member of the mass mobilization team of the Nghia Thuan Border Guard Station.
“The children are well-behaved. At first, they felt uncomfortable in new surroundings, but we’ve taught them life skills and helped them quickly integrate. Since they’re far from their family, we take the place of their parents in encouraging them to study. We want them to have a brighter future,” Hung noted.
 The “border guard fathers” stand outside the class to see their adopted children study. (Photo: hagiangtv.vn) |
All the adopted children come from special circumstances. Some have lost their father or mother, or their family has economic difficulties.
Major Sung Minh Phuc, the station’s chief, said the station is paying the school fees for 14 children and has adopted 2 others.
The station works with the Nghia Thuan commune People's Committee and the school to select children for adoption and help them attend school, said Mr. Phuc, adding they come from disadvantaged families and don’t have anyone they can depend on. The adopted children eat and sleep at the station. According to Phuc, “The officers and soldiers spend their own money to buy them clothes, books, and other things.”
The love of the Nghia Thuan border guards has given the children more confidence and the determination to get an education.
Since these programs were launched 5 years ago, the children who have participated have achieved good academic results, and several have passed the university entrance exam.
In addition to these programs, the Nghia Thuan Border Guard Station has worked with 9 local ethnic groups to eliminate backward customs and practices, build a civilized lifestyle, and develop the local economy.