Ho Chi Minh City Youth Social Work Team members are on duty in the kitchen to cook and distribute thousands of free meals during the days of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic – Photo: Social Work Team
“Born on September 24, 1988 and belongs to the first 20 members of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union who want to voluntarily contribute to the care of unfortunate lives.
The team was a new way of gathering young people at that time” – recalled Mr Phan de Luc, the second captain of the team.
The first group of members from 35 years ago is still together, traveling together through difficult terrain. The fire of kindness in the hearts of each of you and I is still beating together today, contributing to the community and helping to lead brighter lives.
Mr. Phan the Luke (second captain of the team)
hearts beat together
The team members that day included students, students, artists, doctors, workers and even unemployed people.
They came together because of a common desire to do something about the pain of children living on the sidewalks and the suffering of people facing sudden natural disasters and fires.
Mr Luke said, “The mission of the team is not only to work individually but also to inculcate compassion in the society by joining hands to take care of unfortunate situations.”
Ms Thu Ba – one of the team leaders – still retains many memories of organizing Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations for suburban children, meeting wounded and sick soldiers, heroic Vietnamese mothers… even though the circumstances at the time were very difficult. Were difficult.
A number of activities were undertaken by the team as a quick response team, ready to go and participate in mitigating the consequences of the storm and floods across the country.
Mr. Nguyen Cao Le, team leader from 1995 to 2006, said the team’s model has been replicated in districts and schools across Ho Chi Minh City.
Some neighboring provinces have also learned from the experience and established similar models at the local level. Mr Le said the team not only invited youth but also received support from many people.
“Whenever there is a situation that requires help, the footprints of team members are immediately visible. Because of the team’s methods being spread across multiple locations, the team has more and more in-depth content later on, which “Applies to long-term projects and programs for children and people in disadvantaged areas in Ho Chi Minh City and border provinces,” Mr Le said.
123 days “on the spot” to fight the epidemic.
The days when Ho Chi Minh City was struggling to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 were the days when many of the team members were on duty in the kitchen at 5 Dinh Tien Hoang (District 1). Every day, about 15 – 30 people cook 4,000 – 6,000 meals to send to quarantine areas and field hospitals.
Huynh Thi Huong, who was a student at the time, volunteered to stay at the site all these days. “My friends and I will never forget those days. Some days we were almost exhausted.
Earlier I thought it would take a few weeks, but no one knew that it would take 123 days for the epidemic to be cured. Besides cooking, we also take care of the safety bags sent to the blockade and quarantine area,” Huang said.
As for Do Dang Khoa, at the time of the translation, he was a final year student. He learned about the team through the fanpage and immediately signed up to help in the kitchen and was then officially recruited to the team.
“I see the spirit of dedication and perfect service of each person when united together in everything. The spirit of team responsibility and the ideal of “always being a good friend to everyone, being useful throughout life” in all of you Implied, saw as inspiration to work,” Khoa shared.
Current team leader, Mr. Vo Quoc Binh said that there are currently more than 180 team members of all backgrounds and ages who still continue volunteer activities with many regular programs targeting people and children in flood affected areas . There are still many difficulties.
Cooperating with the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Social Work Center, the team jointly created the “Love Porridge” program to donate food to poor patients and relatives in several hospitals. On average, about 10,000 meals are donated every year, with a total cost of 600 million VND.
The most common event to welcome the Mid-Autumn Festival “Border Moonlight Night – Light the Border Forever” brings joy to children in remote areas every year. Team leader Vo Quoc Binh said that caring for difficult people is the central and core activity of the team.
You give gifts to poor families, lonely elderly people and children in difficult situations; Build and repair houses of friendship, comradeship, gratitude and love; Combine medical check-ups, medicine distribution and free health advice for the people, promote disease prevention; providing scholarships and school materials to poor students; A meaningful meal for lonely elderly people and the homeless…
leading nucleus
Don Truong Quang, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh City, said that the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Social Work Team has continuously innovated, contributed to expanding the solidarity front and mobilizing the youth of the organization. Youth Union – City Association. This is demonstrated by connecting thousands of youth together in volunteer activities. You are not afraid of difficulties, ready to go immediately to places in need and ready to give your best.
“As the first unit among the clubs, teams and groups of the Vietnam Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh City, we hope that the team will clearly demonstrate its leading role by becoming a pioneer and exemplary center in the movements and volunteerism of the city’s youth. The service continues to do a good job in motivating people to provide feedback and join the team,” Mr Kwong said.
resources support projects
Over the past five years, with the resources raised, the team has made 30 “Flower of Kindness” trips to social establishments and suburban districts to care for people, children and people in difficult situations. Ho Chi Minh City and several neighboring provinces. Each program has a budget of over 400 million VND and has diverse content.
Ho Chi Minh City Youth Social Work Team built a playground from recycled materials for children in hard-to-reach areas – Photo: Social Work Team
Every quarter, the team hosts a Children’s Festival with game booths, food streets, haircuts and free movie screenings in remote communities and island border areas. The team also supported the new painting of more than 500 classrooms and function rooms in preschools, primary schools and secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces. Additionally, we donated more than 60 playgrounds made with recycled materials to children in remote areas.
