New life for children orphaned

“I am now 75 years old, but still have to take care of a grandchild who is just over five months old. His parents died due to COVID-19. At that time, my daughter was seven months pregnant. At the time of caesarean, he weighed only 1.5 kilograms. He has now grown to over five kilograms”, said Ms Pham Thi Quoi in Tien Giang Province. 

She continued her story in tears “My son-in-law Nguyen Van Tinh, 46, and my daughter Nguyen Thi Kim Khuyen, 39, went to Ho Chi Minh City to earn a living. Tinh worked as a construction worker, while Khuyen worked for a company. When COVID-19 flared up, they had to stop working and lived in a rented house in the city. They spent their savings to cover the costs of living and bought some stuff for their upcoming son.”

After the baby was raised healthy, he was handed over to Ms Quoi and an aunt named Nguyen Thi Phan, 43. The boy is named Nguyen Gia Phuc. Upon hearing the news, leaders of Tien Giang Province, local officials and many organisations and individuals have donated milk, money and clothes to Phuc.

Huynh Hong Son, born in 2006 in Tien Giang Province, has been orphaned since he was small. He was raised by his grandmother, but recently she also died due to COVID-19. Then Son went to live with his uncle named Nguyen Truong Tan. But his life was too difficult, so he had to stop going to school and worked for a beverage store in My Tho City. Son said he wished to be provided with financial support, so that he can return to school with his peers.

Phuc and Son are two among 111 children orphaned by COVID-19 in Tien Giang Province. Each has their own situation and needs the support of the community to overcome the grief of losing their relatives and have confidence in the future life journey ahead.

In a small rented room, just 20 square metres wide, in a neighbourhood in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City, the two sisters Yen Hoang and Yen Phung are busy with their lessons. Yen Hoang is a fifth grader while Yen Phung is a sixth grader.

The room was previously the living space of six members in a family, but now there are only four sisters because their parents have gone forever, due to COVID-19.

In mid-August 2021, Ms Lam Yen Nga returned home from hospital, after the first treatment for her cancer, only to find that she had tested positive for coronavirus. After two weeks of hospitalisation, she was unable to make it as the two fatal diseases gradually exhausted her. Then her husband Pham Cong Su, also contracted COVID-19 and died two weeks later. The death of their parents unexpectedly fell upon the four children, making them disoriented at the great loss.

It has been more than five months since Su and Nga, parents of four children Pham Yen Nhi, 21; Pham Yen Vy, 17; Pham Lam Yen Hoang, 11; and Pham Lam Yen Phung, 12, passed away. The grief still remains among the family members, and the four children have experienced the emptiness in their hearts. Whenever looking at the photos of their parents on the altar, sisters Yen Hoang and Yen Phung wished that their parents were still alive. They wished that everything stayed the same and their parents were still here with them.

Tears were about to fall from her eyes, and then Hoang said with pride, that in the first semester exams, she got marks of nine out of ten, in all subjects and received compliments from teachers. The head teacher said that Hoang will be rewarded when students go back to school. “I want to go to school to reunite with my friends and teachers”.

Yen Phung was studying maths to take the final exam for the first semester. She said that her class will take the exam right after the Lunar New Year holiday, so that students could have more time to revise for the test. Although online learning has partly affected the amount of time for studying and reviewing lessons, Yen Phung said she will strive to achieve the best results this semester, as she has done over the past two years, while in fourth and fifth grade. She wants to dedicate the best exam results as gifts for her parents.

Since their parents passed away, Yen Nhi, the eldest sister, has become the “second mother” who takes care of everything in the family and has a closer watch over their younger sisters. Since October 2021, Nhi has worked at her aunt’s cafeteria, which helped her earn a little extra money to contribute to her grandmother, who cooks for the four sisters every day.

Earlier, Nhi had to take a break from her job selling clothes at a shop. Meanwhile, Nhi's sister, Yen Vy, is waiting to return to Binh Phuoc, to work as an employee at a wood processing company, after nearly a year break due to COVID-19. “A few days ago, my grandmother and uncle, in Binh Phuoc province, called me to say that they will find a job for me in Binh Phuoc, where I can stay at my uncle’s house. I will leave for Binh Phuoc to earn money to help raise my younger sisters”, Vy said. She also sadly recalled the day in May 2021, when she returned home to visit her parents. It was also the last time she was pampered in the arms of her mother, after many years working far from home.

Holding the new shirt, which she just bought for her granddaughter Yen Hoang, who recently turned 11 years old, 70-year-old Kim Thi Hieu said with teary eyes that her son died due to illness, leaving his two children for her. Then the bad luck came when her daughter, Nga, and her son-in-law died from COVID-19, leaving their four children orphaned. “I just hope that the sisters will take care of each other, so that they can move on with their long lives ahead.”

According to Hieu, since September 2021, many benefactors and officers of the authorities of the district and Ho Chi Minh City, have visited and provided support for her four grandparents by presenting scholarships, tables and necessities. It is a great source of encouragement and consolation for her family.

Like sisters Yen Hoang and Yen Phung, Nguyen Quang Ha, 18, has also had to take care of his younger brother, since he lost his mother due to COVID-19.

On the morning of January 15, during a lunch break at a ceramic business in Thuan An city, Binh Duong province, Ha returned home to take care of his younger brother Nguyen Ky Nam.

Ha and Nam are the children of single mother Nguyen Thi Huyen (born in 1974, from the southern province of Soc Trang). She came to Binh Duong 21 years ago, and worked for a company at Viet Huong 2 Industrial Park. Huyen was unfortunately infected with COVID-19 and passed away in September 2021, leaving two orphans. After the death of their mother, Ha and Nam took care of each other in a 10 square metre rental apartment in Thuan Giao 18 Street, Hoa Lan 2 Residential Area, Thuan Giao Ward, Thuan An City.

In order to care for his brother, Ha is working as an assistant at a pottery company with a monthly salary of 3-4 million VND. The business owner has created conditions for Ha to work and also to allow Nam to accompany his brother to the company to eat and stay when he is not at home.

Ha dropped out of school to work. Since the day his mother died, Nam also stopped going to school. Talking to us, Ha said, since his mother’s death, Nam has become contemplative, quiet and rarely jokes.

Living near the rental apartment of Ha and Nam, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Dep (70 years old, from Hau Giang) shared that the situation of the two brothers was very pitiful, their mother died prematurely, so the two brothers had to take care of each other. The neighbours really feel sorry and usually help them. In recent time, a number of organisations and individuals have also been providing support for the two brothers.

The only relative of brothers Ha and Nam currently in Binh Duong is their cousin Tran Thi Hieu. Hieu and her husband are workers. They have three young children. Mrs Hieu is now also working hard to help her two cousins who were unfortunately orphaned early.

Sharing with us, Ha said that in his hometown, their grandparents also died early, so in the near future, the two brothers will still stay in Binh Duong to live and work. In the immediate future, Ha thinks he will work to support his brother. In the long run, Ha wishes to find a trade to study so that he can take care of his brother.

It can be said that the loss of loved ones due to the COVID-19 pandemic has created great mental shock for innocent children. They really need the attention and support of the community so that they can soon settle down and continue their journey into the future.

According to the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs of Tien Giang Province, the province currently has 111 orphans. Of which, 1 child has lost both parents while 110 children lost one of their parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Director of the Tien Giang Provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Ly Van Cam, the policy to support orphaned children due to COVID-19 has been deployed from the central to local levels in a timely and thorough manner. Tien Giang Province has recently allocated over 29 billion VND to present gifts to F0 children who are being quarantined for COVID-19 prevention and control at medical facilities in the province. As many as 1,000 Mid-Autumn Festival gifts were also sent to F0 children who were receiving treatment at field hospitals and concentrated medical isolation areas.

At the same time, the province also received and presented gifts from Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan to support 40 children who were orphaned due to the COVID-19 epidemic in the province. The National Fund for Vietnamese Children supported each orphan with 5 million VND. Leaders of the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee also visited, encouraged, and provided financial support to families who have lost loved ones due to COVID-19. Many departments, branches, unions, organisations, units and individuals have been implementing many practical activities to support children to overcome their loss, such as supporting them with learning tools, cash, school gifts, scholarships, etc.

Currently, a number of businesses are conducting surveys on the children’s circumstances such that that they can be provided with the necessary support to facilitate their studies.

In addition, the Provincial Department of Education and Training in coordination with departments, branches, benefactors, and school units have continued to take practical actions to care for children affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, especially children who have lost their parents. They have been supported with computers and smart phones for online learning, as well as scholarships, notebooks, textbooks, etc. In the future, the Department will continue to accompany and support the children with practical activities.

Nguyen Ngoc Hang, Deputy Director of Binh Duong Provincial Department of Labour - Invalids and Social Affairs, said that according to statistics, up to now, there are 316 orphans in Binh Duong province, due to COVID-19. All children received five million VND each, from the Vietnam Children's Fund. In Binh Duong, each school-age child received long-term sponsorship from 700,000 VND to 1.2 million VND per month, campaigned by the Provincial Fund for Child Protection. In addition, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Vietnam Women's Union and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, all mobilised for short and long-term support. On the occasion of this year's Lunar New Year, the province supported from the budget, one million VND for each child with special circumstances (including 14 groups according to the Child Law); any COVID-19 orphaned children in this group will be supported, while localities will advocate for support.

The Binh Duong Provincial Labour Confederation also soon joined in to support orphaned children due to COVID-19. According to this unit, up to now, there are about 150 orphaned children under the age of 16, whose father or mother were trade union members, which died from COVID-19. In particular, the provincial trade union will directly support each child who has lost a father or mother, with a savings book worth 10 million VND, and those who have lost both parents, will receive a savings book worth 20 million VND. The Binh Duong Provincial Labour Confederation has issued books for 65 children. In which, 64 children received 10 million VND. In addition, about 40 children have returned to their hometown. The Binh Duong Provincial Labour Confederation is making statistics, to send the list to the Labour Confederation of the provinces and cities where the children will return, to carry out the procedures to receive the savings book in their hometown, the rest are completing the documents to hand over the second batch of savings book.

In addition, many individuals and organisations are also participating in reducing the difficulties in children’s lives.

Meanwhile, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labour - Invalids and Social Affairs has also submitted a proposal to the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, for a policy to care for and support the lonely elderly and orphans, due to the COVID-19 epidemic. According to this agency, Ho Chi Minh City has about 2,208 orphans due to the COVID-19 epidemic. For orphans due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the Department of Labour - Invalids and Social Affairs, proposes to exempt them from school fees, until the end of high school, vocational education and free health insurance cards.

At the same time, each child, in the situation where both parents died; children who have lost their father or mother before, now lost the other parent to COVID-19; child under four years old, who have lost both parents or their parents abandoned them at a young age, and live with grandparents or foster caretakers who died from COVID-19, will receive support of one million VND per month. Each child from four years old and above will be supported with 700,000 VND per month.

In addition, each child orphaned by a mother or father due to the epidemic, the other suffering from cancer or dangerous diseases, will be supported with 650,000 VND per month. Each child who has lost their parents due to the epidemic, the remaining person with an income equal to or lower than that of a near-poor household, will receive support of 480,000 VND per month. Support will be provided until the child turns 18 years old.

Many localities in Ho Chi Minh City have had many practical and meaningful activities and programmes to support children whose father or mother, or both parents died by COVID-19.

Truong Nhut Tham, President of the Women's Union of District 12, said that supporting and caring for orphans whose parents died due to the COVID-19 epidemic, is the responsibility of local authorities and sectors, as well as the union of the city. For school-age orphans in District 12, like Yen Hoang and Yen Phung, they are considered exempt from paying tuition fees by the district, and are entitled to receive policies and regimes according to regulations. People's Committee of District 12, also coordinated with benefactors to support an amount of 700,000 VND to two million VND per month for each child (depending on the circumstances) so that their relatives could pay for living and studying expenses, until the children turn 18 years old.

On the other hand, in order to support on a long-term basis, according to Tham, the Women's Union of District 12, will orient vocational training and job placement for orphans, who no longer attend cultural studies and want to learn at vocational training schools. Thereby, the programme helps the children have a stable life, partially compensating for their loss, because, they no longer have the materials or spiritual support.

Pham Van Bay, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Di An city, Binh Duong province, said that as a locality heavily affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, this year's Tet, Di An city organised a simple and warm Tet, in order to spend as much money as possible to take care of the poor, policy beneficiaries, and those affected by COVID-19; especially taking care of children who unfortunately lost their parents during the recent COVID-19 epidemic. Currently, the People's Committee of Di An city has directed the units to focus on making a list to visit and give gifts to the children, including sharing love with the motto: This year's Tet does not let any people of the city, especially orphaned students, not be able to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

In addition, Di An city has mobilised all resources and state budgets, to organise delegations to visit and present gifts to policy beneficiary families and orphans. The city also arranged enterprises to take care of and provide annual support for orphaned children, including food, clothes, books, tablets and others, to assist their studying.

On this Lunar New Year, Binh Duong Provincial Labour Confederation has provided financial support of 5 million VND each, to families with members who died of COVID-19. These families are staying in motel rooms and do not return to their hometown to welcome Tet. Of which, ten families have been helped with home decoration and Tet shopping, worth an addition 5 million VND each.

Moreover, the orphans have received the support of the Provincial Children Protection Fund and the Provincial Women's Union, through the “Godmother” programme, in addition to the support of many other benefactors, organisations and individuals.

Dr. Vu Thi Kim Hoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Children (Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs), said that the Ministry has directed relevant agencies to fully implement social support policies for orphans due to COVID-19, in accordance with the Government's Decree No. 20/2021/ND-CP, dated March 15, 2021 and effective from July 1, 2021.

Orphans who are raised at social assistance establishments, are provided with items for daily living such as blankets, mosquito nets, mats, summer clothes, winter clothes, underwear, face towels, shoes, slippers, toothbrushes, common medicines, monthly personal hygiene necessities for females of childbearing age, books, notebooks, school supplies for students attending school and other expenses according to the law.

When children, who are eligible for monthly social allowance, are 16 years old but are studying at vocational training establishments, professional secondary schools, colleges or universities, they will continue to be eligible under the subsidy policy until the end of school, but not more than 22 years old.

Households and individuals who care for and nurture children in the community, are provided with guidance and training in child care and are given priority in borrowing capital, job training, household business development, in addition to other incentives, in accordance with relevant laws.

Dr. Vu Thi Kim Hoa emphasised that, from the guidance of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Departments of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs have promptly supported children, in difficult circumstances and orphaned due to COVID-19, so that their learning will not be interrupted. In addition, mental health and legal aid services are promoted, so that children's rights and interests are not infringed because they do not have the guardianship of parents. Authorised agencies also prioritise the option that orphans can be taken care of by their relatives, individuals or families. The highest goal is that children can live in a family environment and their interests are ensured. Currently, the orphaned children due to COVID-19 are cared for and raised by their relatives and sponsored by individuals and organisations.

According to Dr. Hoang Van Tien, Director of the National Fund for Vietnamese Children, so far, 2,968 orphans due to COVID-19 nationwide, have been sponsored and supported by the fund.

The National Fund for Vietnamese Children has mobilised funds for nearly 16,000 children affected by COVID-19, including 2,968 who have lost their fathers or mothers or both parents. The assistance was worth 5 million VND for each child. The orphans who lost both their parents received support worth 25 million VND, of which 20 million VND is for saving, until the children reach the end of their childhood.

On the occasion of Tet (Lunar New Year) Festival in 2022, in addition to the State’s policies, the localities have made plans to visit and encourage the orphans. The National Fund for Vietnamese Children has prepared over 5 billion VND, to help children who are living in difficult circumstances, notably the orphans due to COVID-19.

Dr. Hoang Van Tien expressed his hope that the Fund will continue to mobilise more resources, to support the orphans due to COVID-19, with various forms such as scholarships, long-term sponsors, insurance, bicycles, learning equipment, vocational training and job creation. The activities are aimed to help children integrate and develop.

On December 31, 2021, Prime Minister issued Directive No.36/CT-TTg, on strengthening measures to protect and care for children affected by COVID-19. The directive clearly stated that the ministries and agencies should pay special attention to proposing policies and solutions in protection and care for the orphans due to the pandemic.

Sharing about a long-term orientation to support orphans due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Vu Thi Kim Hoa, emphasised that during the process of carrying out Directive No.36, it is crucial to study and evaluate the impact of the pandemic, to the implementation of children’s rights, including medium and long-term goals of the comprehensive development of children. In addition, it is essential to develop, amend and supplement mechanisms and policies related to the care and protection of children, in emergency situations, especially natural disasters and epidemics.

Dr. Hoa said that it is necessary to propose the development of programmes and projects, to overcome the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children. In particular, multi-sectoral support, intervention and coordination programmes on mental healthcare for children, based on families and community, should be focused towards promptly reducing immediate and long-term impacts on the children’s development. Besides, the relevant agencies should direct the full implementation of social support policies for this group of children, according to the provisions of Decree No.20.

Another matter of concern is the development of the child protection service system in the community, to promptly provide services related to the protection, care and education of children, especially those who are living in difficult circumstances, mountainous areas and ethnic minority groups. Simultaneously, the capacity of the National Child Protection Hotline 111 in receiving, supporting and transferring cases of children in need of urgent support and intervention, needs to be enhanced.

Production manager: VIET ANH
Content: LE NGAN, BONG MAI, NGUYEN SU, TRINH BINH, QUY HIEN
Design: BONG MAI