Thanks to the dedicated guidance and support of the soldiers, along with their continuous efforts in studying and training, many children have passed college and university entrance exams, opening the door to a bright future for themselves and their families.

Taking care of every meal and every night's sleep.

More than five years have passed since the brothers Song Lao Cuong and Song Lao Viet began living with the soldiers at Chieng On Border Guard Post, Son La Provincial Border Guard Command. Cuong is currently in 10th grade at Phieng Khoai High School (Yen Chau).Son LaMeanwhile, Viet entered the 8th grade. At the unit, Cuong and Viet were provided with comfortable sleeping and living quarters by the soldiers, including a separate study area and all necessary supplies. Every day, the commander of the outpost assigned officers to directly supervise and guide them.educationand taking care of the children, and transporting them to and from school.

The Son La Provincial Border Guard Command commended the students who passed the entrance exams to colleges and universities in 2024.
Photo: Vi Hien

Cuong and Viet are Hmong ethnic minority children from Suoi Cut village, Chieng On commune, Yen Chau district. Their family circumstances are extremely difficult; their father passed away early, their mother remarried and moved far away, and they live with their uncle. Previously, the two brothers had to drop out of school several times to help their uncle with farm work. Fortunately, they were taken in and cared for by the officers and staff at the Chieng On Border Guard Post, allowing them to continue enjoying their education.

Accompanied by Lieutenant Colonel Tran Duy Thuong, Political Officer of the Chieng On Border Guard Post, we descended the long slope to Suoi Cut village to visit the family of Cuong and Viet. This is one of the particularly difficult border villages in Chieng On commune, mostly inhabited by the Mong ethnic group. Welcoming us into his dilapidated wooden house with crumbling walls and no valuable possessions, Mr. Song A Cho, the uncle of Cuong and Viet, expressed his concern: “There are no tables or chairs to sit on, please understand, soldiers. Thanks to your help, my two children can go to school, thank you very much.”

Lieutenant Colonel Tran Duy Thuong shared that when adopting the children, the officers and soldiers in the unit directly supervised them, taking care of their meals, sleep, and living arrangements. Initially, the children were a little hesitant, but after a while, their academic performance and lifestyle improved significantly. In addition to their studies, the officers and soldiers also taught the children about agricultural production; encouraged them to participate in cultural, artistic, and sports activities; and taught them about ethics and lifestyle, creating a foundation for their growth and maturity.

Teacher Le Van Loi, Principal of Phieng Khoai High School, assessed: "Most of the students participating in the 'Helping Children Go to School' program, spearheaded by the Son La Provincial Border Guard, have shown positive changes in their studies and training. They possess good moral character, life skills, are well-behaved, polite, studious, and achieve good academic results."

Spreading humanitarian values

Before starting school, Lia Xuan Ngoc, a Mong ethnic student at the Son La Provincial Ethnic Boarding School in Pa Kha 2 village, Chieng Tuong commune, Yen Chau district, did not forget to visit and express her gratitude to Colonel Nguyen Van Hung, Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Son La Provincial Border Guard, who had sponsored and supported Ngoc during her secondary school years. Intelligent and eager to learn, but facing the hardships of her family, Ngoc was at risk of dropping out of school when she started junior high. Aware of the plight of this studious Mong ethnic student, the Party Committee and the Command of the Son La Provincial Border Guard assigned the Chieng Tuong Border Guard Post to support and assist Ngoc in her studies. Colonel Nguyen Van Hung personally sponsored and provided monthly support for Lia Xuan Ngoc's education until she finished 12th grade. Living up to the expectations of her foster fathers, Lia Xuan Ngoc studied diligently, consistently achieving good grades at the Son La Provincial Ethnic Boarding School, and became one of the Border Guard's "foster children" to be admitted to the Border Guard Academy in 2024 with 28.89 points.

In a conversation with Colonel Vu Duc Tu, Deputy Political Commissar of the Son La Provincial Border Guard, we learned that, implementing the "Helping Children Go to School - Children Adopted by Border Guard Posts" program, which has been running since 2016, the provincial Border Guard has nurtured and cared for more than 80 students, supporting them to achieve high academic results and pass entrance exams to colleges and universities.

According to Colonel Vu Duc Tu, over the past eight years, the Son La Provincial Border Guard's Education Promotion Association has launched the "Helping Children Go to School - Adopted Children of Border Guard Posts" program to support and adopt disadvantaged students in border areas. Funding comes from contributions and savings of officers and soldiers, as well as from the unit's production and labor fund, and from sponsorships by agencies, organizations, businesses, and philanthropists. From 2022 to the present, the unit has provided a food allowance of 500,000 VND per child per month; in addition, it provides essential supplies and transportation to school at a rate of 1,300,000 VND per child per year. Currently, the Son La Provincial Border Guard is supporting 155 children.

In particular, the "Helping Children Go to School - Children Adopted by Border Guard Posts" program has received attention and support from the commanders of the Border Guard Command, the functional agencies of the Command; the leaders of the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Council, and the Provincial People's Committee; and the leaders of departments, agencies, and organizations in Son La province, with each person sponsoring 1-2 children. In 2024, the Son La Provincial Border Guard continued to sponsor 51 children, including 7 students from Houaphanh and Luang Prabang provinces (Laos); and 9 children being cared for by border guard posts within their units.

The "Helping Children Go to School - Adopted Children of Border Guard Posts" program, implemented by the Son La Provincial Border Guard, not only shares the difficulties faced by students in border areas and supports them in having the opportunity to study and train, but also strengthens the solidarity and close ties between the Border Guard and the ethnic minorities in the border region and neighboring Laos, contributing to building a strong national border defense system.

Source: People's Army Newspaper