Lieutenant Dương Hải Anh prepares lunch for students in Sơn La Province. — Photo vov.vn

SƠN LA — To combat poverty and promote education in remote mountainous areas, Lieutenant Dương Hải Anh and various sponsors have come together to provide meals and schooling for more than 3,500 children.

One of their projects, “Nuôi em Mộc Châu” (Bringing up children in Mộc Châu), began in January 2021.

More than 3,500 students in 75 kindergartens in Mộc Châu, Vân Hồ, and Bắc Yên districts are receiving financial support for lunches through the project.

So far, the financial support is estimated at VNĐ9 billion (US$384,000).

Another project is “Hạnh phúc cho em” (Happiness for children), which started in December 2021.

The project built 16 schools and four houses and gave scholarships to poor students in Mộc Châu, Vân Hồ, Yên Châu, Mường La and Quỳnh Nhai districts, worth more than VNĐ3.4 billion ($145,200).

Anh and his 38 partners run the two projects. Most of them are police in Sơn La Province and students.

Anh achieved his dream in 2015 when he passed the entrance exam to the People's Police Academy. Since then, he has enthusiastically joined the youth union’s campaigns.

But Anh does not forget his main task of studying. With excellent learning results, Anh has received many certificates of merit from the Ministry of Public Security.

After graduating from school in 2019, Anh was assigned to the traffic and public order police team in Mộc Châu District Police, in charge of managing the Lóng Sập border gate, which is a drug hotspot.

“At that time, my station is right next to a kindergarten. Every day I see children going to school carrying only rice and water bottles to mix with rice. Therefore, every child has a very big belly but a small body, stunted and malnourished. I feel so sorry,” said Anh.

He came up with the idea to support the children with lunch. Initially, only 54 children in Lóng Sập received support. Then, the word spread and the number of beneficiaries increased.

To help the children, Anh and his comrades called for sponsors in social networks, including the youth union, women’s association, the police and the community.

Nguyễn Thị Quyên, deputy principal of the Phong Lan Kindergarten in Mộc Châu District, said that when the projects had not been implemented, the students were very miserable.

They had to quit school to help their parents in the fields.

"The projects have helped us a lot, encouraged parents to let their children go to school, reduce the rate of malnourished children and raise children's awareness," she said.

Ngọc Anh, deputy head of the Bringing up children in Mộc Châu project, said that Hải Anh’s work was meaningful.

"I'm a lot older than Hải Anh. He’s a young man but has a great heart. He can do things my generation has not thought of and dare not do. Hải Anh is an example which we can learn from. I admire Hải Anh for his activities. He is also the inspirer to all members of the projects," said Ngọc Anh.

Hải Anh said, "Happiness is sharing. For me, the happiness I give to others is forever”.

Besides volunteer work, Anh also does his profession very well.

He is compiling a handbook about fighting online crimes, the first kind of handbook in the country.

“When doing charity work, we insert knowledge about the law to the people, especially at the schools we built. We spread information about Children's Law and drug-related crime prevention. The work is not only highly appreciated in Sơn La Province but also nationwide,” said Anh.

Being active in volunteering activities but did not forget to complete the police’s duty, particularly in 2021 successfully, Anh was awarded two certificates of merit from the Sơn La Province Police and one certificate of merit from the Ministry of Public Security.

He also received the National Volunteer Award in 2021. — VNS