The Son La Provincial Border Guard Command held a meeting to commend the students participating in the "Helping Children Go to School - Children Adopted by Border Guard Posts" program who were admitted to universities and colleges in 2024.

Lia Xuan Ngoc was born into a disadvantaged family in Pa Kha 2 village, Chieng Tuong commune, Yen Chau district. Ngoc is the youngest of two sisters, and the family's main income comes from farming. Understanding her parents' hardships, throughout her school years, Lia Xuan Ngoc always reminded herself to study hard to live up to their expectations. Her efforts and hard work paid off; in the recent high school graduation exam, she scored 28.89 points and was admitted to the Border Guard Academy.

Lìa Xuân Ngọc shared: “Seeing my parents working tirelessly in the fields every day just to make ends meet, I always told myself that I must study hard so that I can become an officer in the future and not have to work in the fields. I am very happy that after so much effort, I have been admitted to the Border Guard Academy. I achieved this result thanks to the help and support of the Sơn La Border Guard in the “Helping Children Go to School - Children Adopted by Border Guard Posts” program. I promise to study and train hard so that after graduation I can contribute to the Sơn La Border Guard in firmly protecting the territorial sovereignty and border security of the Fatherland.”

Unlike Lia Xuan Ngoc, Thao Thi Dau (from Nam Lan village, more than 25km from the center of Muong Lan commune, Sop Cop district) has a very special situation. Dau's father is serving a prison sentence for being lured by bad people into illegally trading drugs, and her mother is frequently ill and still single-handedly raises four young children. Sharing in Dau and her family's difficulties, the Muong Lan Border Guard Post took her in in 2016 along with three other children in similar circumstances. Here, she lives, eats, and studies with her peers within the unit, and is always mentored and guided by the unit's officers in everything from speech and manners to academics.

Thào Thị Dâu emotionally shared: “For me, the Mường Lạn Border Guard Post is my second home. Since being taken in and cared for at the Border Guard Post, I feel I have matured more and have better opportunities for learning. I will try my best to study hard so that I can return to become a teacher and bring literacy to my village and hometown, contributing to building a more prosperous and beautiful homeland.”

Lieutenant Colonel Lo Van Tuan, Deputy Political Officer of the Muong Lan Border Guard Station, said: “In the early days when the children came to be ‘adopted’ by the unit, they were very shy and unfamiliar with the living conditions at the border guard station. But after a while of getting used to the new environment, and receiving care and support from the officers and soldiers, they are now truly like soldiers of the unit. We have also assigned a female officer to live and eat with them to make it easier to take care of them.”

Lìa Xuân Ngọc (first row, fourth from the left) participated in the "Nurturing Border Protection Talents" military training program organized by the Border Guard Command of Sơn La province and the Sơn La Provincial Youth Union.

Lìa Xuân Ngọc and Thào Thị Dâu are two of the five high school graduates from programs and projects being implemented by the Sơn La Border Guard Command in the 2023-2024 school year who achieved high scores and were admitted to universities and colleges both within and outside the military.

Specifically, under the "Helping Children Go to School - Children Adopted by Border Guard Posts" program launched by the Border Guard Command, the Son La Border Guard currently provides support and assistance to 51 children, including 7 Lao students from Hua Phan and Luang Prabang provinces; and 9 children under the "Children Adopted by Border Guard Posts" program being cared for and educated at 5 border guard posts. In addition, the Ministry of National Defense is implementing the "Army Officers and Soldiers Helping Children Go to School" project for the period 2021-2030 throughout the army, which stipulates a food allowance of 600,000 VND/child/month; and support for essential goods and transportation to school of 1,300,000 VND/child/year. Currently, 155 students of various ages in the border areas of Son La province are benefiting from this project.

In particular, in implementing the "Helping Children Go to School - Children Sponsored by Border Guard Posts" program, several leaders from agencies, units, and localities have shown interest and support, each sponsoring one to two students. In addition, the Provincial Border Guard Command has called for and mobilized social resources and sponsorships from agencies, organizations, businesses, and benevolent individuals to carry out the program.

Colonel Vu Duc Tu, Deputy Political Commissar of the Son La Border Guard Command, said: “Every year, the Party Committee and the Provincial Border Guard Command direct the grassroots units to review and compile a list of students in the “Helping Children Go to School - Children Adopted by Border Guard Posts” program who have achieved good academic results, in order to promptly give gifts and encourage them. At the same time, the units regularly coordinate with families and schools to understand the children's learning situation, thoughts, and aspirations, in order to support them in their studies in the best way possible.”

The above results are the clearest evidence of the effectiveness of the "Helping Children Go to School - Children Adopted by Border Guard Posts" Program and the "Army Officers and Soldiers Helping Children Go to School" Project that the Son La Border Guard has been implementing. These children will be the educators and medical professionals in their own homeland, and will also be comrades and fellow soldiers working alongside the Son La Border Guard to firmly protect national sovereignty, border security, and the peace of the people in the border region.

Because of the Present