The untold contributions to Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control

Unable to stand down when too many people in need of help are around, the volunteers quietly got involved with the mindset of "helping someone else is to help oneself, so we don't feel insensitive to other people's difficulties." .

Ms. Phan Thi Kim Loi, Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Bac Tan Uyen district visits and encourages pregnant women at the quarantine ward

To comfort and help pregnant women

The Women's Union of Bac Tan Uyen district in the past few days has launched a program to give away in a very meaningful program at this time. Volunteers go to campaign and offer gifts for women preparing to become mothers. The association has mobilized to donate 30 packages including clothes, towels for babies, milk for mothers and babies, and hygiene packages for mothers.

This is a model launched by the Women's Union of Bac Tan Uyen district from the program of "millions of gifts to share love" of the central Association.

Responding to this program, the Women's Union of Bac Tan Uyen district presented 1,165 gifts to women and children inside and outside of the district at the cost of nearly VND 350 million. Ms. Phan Thi Ngoc Loi, Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Bac Tan Uyen district, said that with the help of women inside and outside of the district, the association had previously donated toilet bags with necessary things to women in the district at quarantine areas in Tan Binh town and Tan Thanh town; they also gave many gifts and cakes to elderly patients at the district field hospital and concentrated quarantine area. The source of mobilization and human resources for implementation are volunteers from the district Division of Education and Training, the Board of Directors of Hoa Phong Lan Kindergarten, and officials and members of the association. All of them have shared the same heart with people in the quarantine area and the local hostel," said Ms. Loi.

Volunteers have also gone to each hostel to directly support the needy. Specifically, the Women's Union of Dat Cuoc commune has mobilized its members to support pregnant women and children in difficult circumstances during the Covid-19 epidemic situation with a total amount of nearly VND 7 million. In the communes of Tan My, Tan Dinh, Binh My, Tan Lap, volunteers visited and donated to 8 other sick and maternity cases with gifts worth more than VND 20 million.

Also with the spirit of volunteering, Ms. Tran Thanh Kieu, a freelance worker living in Group 20, Quarter 3, Phu Loi Ward, Thu Dau Mot city, registered to be a volunteer in the local community Covid-19 group.

She herself is a breadwinner having an elderly mother and young children, but she has put aside housework to participate in volunteer work. Her job is to patrol Huynh Van Luy - Pham Thi Tan roads. On the day off, Ms. Kieu continued to participate with volunteer groups to go to the hostel rooms to give gifts to poor people who are facing difficulties due to the Covid-19 epidemic.

After September 10, the checkpoint of Huynh Van Luy - Pham Thi Tan was removed. Instead of resting because she had completed the task, Ms. Kieu continued to ask to be a volunteer. Every day, she goes to the People's Committee of Phu Loi ward with members of the community Covid-19 team to distribute rice, vegetables and fruits to the poor.

To help the blind

In rainy and windy days like this, the hearts of volunteers reaching out to the blind are so warm and precious. In the morning of September 14, the blind people at the provincial Association of the Blind (massage facility of the provincial Association of the Blind in Phu Loi ward in Thu Dau Mot city) received unexpected joy from volunteers of businessman Nguyen Huynh Dat who is running Mr. Bep Binh Duong Joint Stock Company (winner of the Outstanding Entrepreneur Award in 2020). 60 gifts worth VND 30 million including rice, vegetables and full set of spices have been donated for the blind here.

Ms. Huynh Thi Khuyen, Deputy President of the provincial Association of the Blind, said that since the 4th outbreak of the epidemic, the blind have received support from the provincial Red Cross, a number of other organizations and individuals, and today received gift from businessman Nguyen Huynh Dat. In mid-June 2021, the provincial association also gave each employee at the provincial massage parlor a gift of 12kg of rice and instant noodles. The provincial Association has also completed documents for 19 people receiving support from the state at VND 800,000 a person. Ms. Khuyen said members are looking forward to support because this is the most practical thing to help them reduce difficulties in life.

In addition to maintaining well the policy of regular subsidies in the community for the blind, all levels of associations have mobilized benefactors to deduct their own funds and benefits for officials, employees, workers, to offer vegetable, fruit and vegetable, and foods for the association's collective kitchen so that everyone can stay safe at home to prevent and fight Covid-19 epidemic, in pending for the day when the service can be reopened to earn more and stable income.

Each person has a job and a separate life, but the common point of the volunteers I met is that they have a very deep compassion. They always know how to take pleasure in helping people in need. There are many people who themselves find it very difficult due to the unfavorable work as before, but they all know how to overcome, settle down and help those who are more difficult than themselves to overcome obstacles in these memorable days.

Reported by Quynh Nhu  Translated by Vi Bao