Energetic, enthusiastic and passionate about charity work are the first impressions that everyone gets when they talk about Pham Quoc Huy, Chairman of the Huong Lam Club of Charities and Children's Rights Protection.

Nguyen Quoc Huy gives gifts to disadvantaged children during a charity event in Laos.

After graduating from the Faculty of Business Administration of the Ho Chi Minh City-based Hoa Sen University in 2009, Huy returned to Da Nang and wanted to do something to help unfortunate ones he has met along the way through his youth. His thoughts received active support from his family members and his friends as well.

On March 29, 2004, at the March 29 Park, the Huong Lam Club of Charities and Children's Rights Protection was established under the Da Nang Association of Charities and Children's Rights Protection.

The mission of the Huong Lam Club is to attach the spirit of social charity and protect children's rights, contributing to well implementing the city’s social security policies.

Till date, the club has more than 50 members and 100 volunteers.

In order to raise funds for the club’s activities, Quoc Huy and his friends had to do a lot of jobs, including selling portions of breakfast on weekends at the park.

The raised money has gone to give free portions of meals and milk to poor patients being treated at the Da Nang Hospital. The Huong Lam Club provides a monthly average of between 1,000 and 1,500 meals for poor patients at public hospitals and medical centers citywide.

Huy considers himself lucky because he was born and raised in a good and happy family, and he is loved by parents and fully educated.

During the years of his youth, he was able to travel to many places and meet with many disadvantaged people. Since then, he has thought that he needs to do something to help needy people overcome difficulties and stabilise their lives, and children continue going to school to fulfill their dreams.

Notably, Huy has raised funds from many sponsors, entrepreneurs, and domestic and foreign experts, as well as connect them to survey and directly help people with disabilities, provide free surgical treatment for severe burned patient, build charity houses for the needy, give means of livelihoods to the poor, and install solar power systems for schools.

Huy's footprints are present everywhere not only in Da Nang but also in Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Lam Dong, even in Laos.

Along with that, Huy’s club has cooperated with the Da Nang Hospital No.199 under the Ministry of Public Security to organise training on assembling specialised wheelchairs for children with cerebral palsy and polio.

Additionally, his club has worked with the city-based Tam Tri Hospital to support burn plastic surgery for 30 poor patients nationwide with a total cost of more than VND200 million.

By implementing the Compassionate Smile project, the club has given 42 specialised wheelchairs for children with polio and cerebral palsy in the provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, and Gia Lai with a total budget of VND420 million.

Each year, the club has presented 40-45 scholarships, worth VND1 million each, to school-aged children living in extremely difficult circumstances with the aim to assist and give strengths to them to continue with their academic dreams. Besides, the club has coordinated with the Vietstar Gifted Center to award 30 scholarships, valued at VND3.5 million each, to gifted students.

On average, every year, Quoc Huy and other club members send gifts, totalling more than VND3 billion, to the disadvantaged. Huy connects with the Tam Vinh Thai Co., Ltd., and Hoang Long Light Company to create jobs for 10 - 15 new graduates every year.

The club is actively involved in organising training courses quarterly and annually in order to raise public awareness of children's rights.

Mrs. Le Thi Tam, Chairwoman of the municipal Association of Charities and Children's Rights Protection, said that over the past time, Quoc Huy and members of the Huong Lan Club have been considered "effective arms" of the Association in volunteer activities. With fresh enthusiasm and aggressive spirit of the youth, Quoc Huy and the Huong Lam Club have cooperated with the Association to successfully organise many charity programmes, bringing a lot of joy and happiness to thousands of difficult circumstances and contributing to ensuring the city’s social security.

Reporting by QUYNH LINH - Translating by M.DUNG