Da Nang has yielded positive results in a campaign to build a charity piggy bank which has been launched by associations and unions citywide, thereby helping many poor students to pursue their academic dream, as well as lifting many families out of poverty by providing livelihoods support, contributing to ensure the effective implementation of the city’s social welfare program.

Teachers and pupils of the Pham Hong Thai Primary School located in Hoa Quy Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District broke their piggy banks to support disadvantaged students in their studies in early 2023. Photo: P.V.

The Huong Lam Club of Charities and Children's Rights Protection under the Da Nang Association of Charities and Children's Rights Protection is among shining examples of charity and voluntary work in the city.

Initiated in 2018 by the Huong Lam Club, the campaign called ‘One piece of piggy bank helps one child go to school’ has helped many disadvantaged students in studies. Mr Pham Quoc Huy, the Chairman of the Huong Lam Club, said that his club launches annually its Piggy Bank campaign after the Lunar New Year to encourage its members to put money aside for savings and charity in a bid to contribute at least VND 1 million per person to the campaign.

In the month of July every year, the club’s members will break their piggy banks to help disadvantaged students at the beginning of the new school year in efforts to make sure that each student will get a scholarship worth VND 1 million. The Huong Lam Club annually awards about 50 scholarships to disadvantaged students with good academic performance, and they will continue to get the scholarship until the end of grade 12.

In addition to members of the club, the piggy bank campaign has attracted a lot of benefactors, of whom, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Mai, a resident of Cam Le District, is one of the most active contributors. Mai has built three piggy banks over the past 5 years.

Meanwhile, Ms. Ho Thi Thuy Nga, 27,  who comes from Quang Tri Province has  built one piggy bank, and contributed more than VND 2 million to the campaign to help the poor each time she breaks her piggy bank.

In a similar move, the piggy bank campaign has been implemented effectively in Hoa Quy and Khue My wards, Ngu Hanh Son District since 2022.

Till date, a combined total of VND more than 13 million raised from the campaign has used to give 61 gifts to poor households in Hoa Quy Ward. Meanwhile, a total of VND 7.3 million was raised in Khue My Ward in its first year implementation of the campaign to help 24 disadvantaged people.

Since 2018, the Cam Le District Chapter of the Da Nang Farmers' Association has raised 279 million VND in total from its campaign called ‘Charity savings help poor farmer members over a course of 100 days’. The raised money has been used to support home repairs, provide livelihoods assistance, and give savings books to poor members and social policy beneficiaries.

Furthermore, more than 570 million VND has been raised from Cam Le District Chapter’s member organisations to help 275 poor members and social policy beneficiaries.

Chairwoman of the Da Nang Association of Charities and Children's Rights Protection Le Thi Tam highlighted the positive impact of the charity piggy bank campaign on local communities over recent years. She remarked that the campaign has helped many disadvantaged students to pursue their academic dream, as well as helped many families lift themselves out of poverty.

In the coming time, the Da Nang Association of Charities and Children's Rights Protection will continue its efforts to optimize the piggy bank campaigns for maximum effectiveness. In addition, importance will be attached to continuing to call on domestic and foreign individuals and organizations to join hands with the Association to help people in special circumstances, including children.

Reporting by XUAN DONG – Translating by H.L