In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year (Tet) 2023, authorities at local level, agencies and units across Da Nang are paying special attention to support the poor and disadvantaged people to have a warm and happy Tet through giving meaningful and practical gifts to them.

Chairman of Hai Chau District People’s Committee Le Tu Gia Thanh (right) presenting Tet cash gifts to disadvantaged people as part of the city’s program entitled "Tet Reunion - Spring of Love". Photo: X.D

Bringing a warm Tet to poor children

Associations and centers that are nurturing and caring for orphans, disadvantaged children, and disabled children across the city have already made plans to ensure good care of them during Tet Festival.

According to Mr. Nguyen Hoang Long, the Chairman of the Da Nang Association for Supporting Orphans and the Disabled, there are two orphans care centres in the city under the management of the Association, and they are Hoa Mai Orphanage Centre located in Hoa Quy Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District which is a home for 39 orphaned children, and the Da Nang Orphanage Centre located in An Hai Dong Ward, Son Tra District which is a home for 5 abandoned infants under 12 months of age.

Some of the orphans at the Hoa Mai Orphanage Centre will reunion with their relatives to celebrate Tet while the remaining children will stay at the Centre during Tet. In addition, the Association is calling on benefactors to join hands to help the orphans have a happy Tet, contributing to helping these unfortunate kids overcome their feeling of abandonment.

Mr. To Nam, the Chairman of the Da Nang Association for Victims Of Agent Orange/ Dioxin,, said that there are more than 5,000 Agent Orange victims in difficult circumstances in the city, including 110 children who are being cared at the city's Half-Boarding Center for Agent Orange Victims and Unfortunate Children. Apart from funding from the city’s budget, the association is also calling on domestic and foreign individuals and organizations to visit and give gifts to these children, as well as  join them for singing, dancing and playing activities to give spiritual encouragement to them.

The Charity Center located on Thanh Huy 2 Street, Thanh Khe District under the the Da Nang Association of Charities and Children's Rights Protection is currently taking care of many school pupils and college students in special difficult circumstances, the majority of whom come from Da Nang and Quang Nam Province with the funding from the USA’s Giving Back Foundation. All of them are being provided with good care in nutrition, health, education, life skills and more. A wide range of fun activities are held annually for them to celebrate public holidays, especially Tet. They will return home to reunite with their families to celebrate Tet.

Deputy Director of the Municipal Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Thu Huong (first, right) presenting Tet cash gifts to the poor in Hai Chau District. Photo: LAM PHUONG

Great care for single people

Mrs Nguyen Thi To Uyen, the Director of the Da Nang Centre for Social Protection said that the Centre is now providing care for 178 single and disabled people, including 84 women, and 15 children, of whom 9 are severely disabled, 4 are under six years of age and 2 are of school age while the rate of seniors and persons with disabilities who are unable to care for themselves stands at 70%. Besides, the Centre always makes plans for developing special menu of food and beverage, organizing Lunar New Year's Eve celebrations, arts programmes, folk games, movie screenings and more on public holidays, especially Tet Festival to help these people to have fun and enjoy a warm atmosphere in the holidays in a bid to provide good material and spiritual care for them.

In their efforts to ensure ‘No one will be left behind’ on public holidays, especially Tet, the Da Nang government, authorities at local level, and mass organizations are joining forces to visit and give gifts to people in difficult circumstances to help them have a warm and happy Tet. In particular, women's unions at all levels in the city have organised a festival named ‘Green Banh Chung’ (square glutinous rice cake’ and Zero-dong Market to give Tet gifts and Banh Chung to the poor, especially single women, for many years.

On the occasion of the Tet Festival, the Da Nang Red Cross Society has worked with the Municipal Women's Union to hold a Charity Tet Fair which featured 50 booths in order to provide free food and necessities, along with sell subsidized Tet goods for more than 1,000 people in difficult circumstances, persons with disabilities, and vulnerable people.

Reporting by NGOC HA – THIEN DUYEN – Translating by H.L