Children whose parents have died of COVID-19 in HCM City will receive support thanks to a charity programme launched by Kim Cương, a renowned leader in cải lương (reformed opera). The programme Trái Tim Yêu Thương (Beloved Heart) has raised VNĐ1.5 billion (US$64,600). Photo courtesy of the programme’s organising board

HCM CITY — Children whose parents have died of  COVID-19 in HCM City will receive support thanks to a charity programme launched by People’s Artist Kim Cương, a renowned leader in cải lương (reformed opera).

Cương has worked with the HCM City Association in Support of Disabled People and Orphaned Children to run the programme Trái Tim Yêu Thương (Beloved Heart) to raise funds for kids orphaned by COVID-19.

The programme has raised VNĐ1.5 billion (US$64,600) which will be used to support 150 children to live and study from now until they are 18 years old.

Cương and the programme’s members are also working with theatre artists of the HCM City Theatre Artists’ Association to join the programme.  

“We encourage our artists to provide care and consulting assistance to these children in their localities,” said the 84-year-old.

“One artist will offer emotional support and care for two kids. Artists will make a call and take the kids out for entertainment every weekend.” 

Nearly 1,400 children under the age of 16 and around 600 between 16 and 18 years old in the city have lost their parents due to the pandemic. Many orphans who were being raised by their grandparents have now also lost their grandparents.

The programme Trái Tim Yêu Thương encourages organisations and individuals to contribute to charities targeting children orphaned by COVID-19.

“We believe love can take away the pain of the children,” said Cương. 

Cương began her love for cải lương through her parents, the late talented performers Nguyễn Phước Cương and Bảy Nam, who were the owners of Đại Phước Cương Troupe.  

She started her career when she was 17 after training with her mother, Nam, and actresses Phùng Há and Năm Phỉ, who are some of the most talented cải lương performers in the country.

In the 1960s, Cương became involved in drama, a modern imported genre of theatre, and worked to combine cải lương and drama. 

She later opened the Kim Cương Drama Troupe, the first and leading drama troupe in the south, managing a staff of more than 70 actors. 

Cương worked as a scriptwriter and became a phenomenon in the industry in the 1960s and 1970s. 

During her career, she wrote 50 plays, most of which highlighted southern women and their characters. Her works have been staged many times by leading drama troupes across the country.  

She also performed in more than 30 films. — VNS