The Green Summer Volunteer Campaign is on half way. Volunteering students are busy with practical activities for community sake...
The Green Summer Volunteer Campaign is on half way. Volunteering students are busy with practical activities for community sake.
The youth are always there to provide help for those in need
Khanh Son District these days is in the bustle of volunteering work committed to helping the disadvantaged community and local residents. In Son Trung Commune, volunteers of Khanh Hoa Medical College are busy repainting the old house of Tro Thi Dep, a relative of a war martyr.
“It usually rains in the afternoon these days, so we try to finish our work soon before the rain,” says Vo Van Ninh, Chairman of Khanh Hoa Medical College. Khanh Hoa Medical College has sent 50 volunteers to Son Trung Commune in the summer volunteer campaign to repair and paint houses of 5 social welfare beneficiaries, join clean-up on commune roads and at primary schools; and help with the preparation for the start of the new school-year.
 Students of Nha Trang Tourism College join the green summer volunteer campaign in Ta Luong Village, To Hap Town, Khanh Son District.
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In Son Hiep Commune, 45 volunteers of Nha Trang National College of Pedagogy are busy painting the walls and repairing fences of a school location of Son Hiep Primary School; and tidying areas in front of the school. Besides, female volunteers provide skill training for children and dancing for the musical group of Ta Gu Waterfall Tourist Site.
In this summer green campaign, most of volunteer work focuses in Khanh Son. Volunteers are sent to all communes in need in Khanh Son. The volunteer trip is rewarding to all volunteers, whether this is their first-time, second-time or third-time experience. For them, giving is receiving, helping them become more mature.
This is the 2nd time Pham Huynh Danh, a 2nd-year student of Khanh Hoa Medical College has joined the volunteer summer trip, so she becomes quite familiar with such work as painting houses and cooking for a large group of people. She has leaned how to communicate with ethnic minority people and many more things. “Last year, I also took part in the volunteer trip to Khanh Hoa. During the first days, I had fever and was not able to do anything. Thanks to the trip, I know more about my abilities and thus practice more,” she says.
For many young people, getting real-world experience in living and working with locals is a valuable opportunity for students to gain appropriate competences for their future. Therefore, though in new and strange surroundings, they are all enthusiastic and excited with the volunteer work. Bui Thanh Tung, Chairman of Nha Trang Tourism College says 90% of the volunteers have join the volunteer campaign for the first time. Therefore, many are not experienced with the work but after a period, everything has gone smoothly when the students get used to the work.
More concern needed
Themed “Youth volunteering", the green summer campaign has organized 6 teams from universities and colleges. 5 teams have volunteer work in Khanh Son District. The youth work is really practical and helpful. However, the funding is quite limited, mostly dependent on the donation of universities, colleges, students and support of Khanh Hoa Youth Union. Therefore, there are some disadvantages, according to Vo Van Ninh. The total expense for the green summer campaign is some VND30 million which is used to fund many activities, including painting houses of social welfare beneficiaries.
The public participation mobilization is quite challenging. Therefore, volunteers have to rely on their own resources available such as teaching, environmental protection propaganda and free fairs to offer used clothes, footwear, books and notebooks to local residents and students. Hopefully, the campaign will receive much more support and assistance from benefactors. Students’ associations will also make more effort to call for donations from other resources and mobilize community participation to increase effectiveness of the activities, says Pham Ngoc Hai, Chief of the Khanh Hoa Youth Union’s Committee for Youth Young Pioneers & Schools.
V.Thanh
Translated by N.T
