For more than 2 decades, teacher Nguyen Tran Vy, 43, hailing from Quang Nam Province has not been afraid of hardships to build more than 40 schools across the province’s Nam Tra My underprivileged mountainous district, aiming to create favourable learning conditions for pupils there.

Teacher Nguyen Tran Vy (second from right) and benefactors inaugurated an amusement house and park at the Mang Ay School in Village No.1, Tra Don Commune, Nam Tra My District. (The picture provided by character)

Struggling with difficulties

Teacher Nguyen Tran Vy, Deputy Headmaster of the Vu A Dinh Ethnic Minority Semi-Boarding Primary School located in Tra Don Commune, Nam Tra My District, said that he was born in a poor family in Bac Tra My Town, but fell in love and worked in Nam Tra My District for more than 17 years.

In 2000, after graduating from university with a major in Primary Education, he took a job at the Tac Lu School in the Village No.3 in Bac Tra My District. This is the most remote and dangerous school in the mountainous area.

It takes the teacher 5 hours to get to the school. The only things he carries with him are a few kilos of dried fish and some necessities for himself.

When he arrived at the school, Mr. Vy was very sad at seeing other teachers living in a temporary, cramped public office with unsecured living conditions. Meanwhile, pupils come to class in clothes that are never warm enough, and rice is not enough to eat. Pupils studied in thatched roofed classrooms.

“I myself come from a poor family, maybe that's why my worries are so great. And I have to do something to help the children, teachers and residents here", Mr. Vy confided.

After 5 years of teaching in Bac Tra My District, Mr. Vy was assigned to the Department of Education and Training of Nam Tra My District. Having taught at a primary school in a remote and mountainous area for many years, he wishes to establish a volunteer club to help teachers, pupils and residents there.

Over 40 schools built

In 2013, Mr. Vy and 23 teachers and officials working in the district founded the Love Connection Club, aiming to help students with difficult circumstances and poor families.

More importantly, this teacher wants to repair degraded schools and build new ones that are in danger of collapse.

Till date, the charity club has asked for financial support to build more than 40 new schools across Nam Tra My District with 100 classrooms, rooms for teachers, toilets and kitchens.

In addition, 5 boarding houses have been constructed with a total capacity of more than 1,000 students. The club has raised donations to provide meals with meat for pupils, and buy teaching equipment, cooking utensils, books, notebooks, warm clothes, and solar power systems.

Most of pupils in the highlands in general and Nam Tra My District in particular are lacking of material and spiritual support. Therefore, the club wants to develop more tours for pupils to experience outside nature to form many dreams and ambitions.

"In the coming time, the club will connect sources of support to build roads so as to shorten the distance to school for children and teachers", Mr. Vy emphasised.

Reporting by HUYNH TUONG VY - Translating by M.DUNG