“Care to Rise – Yêu thương Nâng bước” program organizes Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration for children affected by Covid-19

On September 10^th, 2022, Binh Tan District Youth Union and VinaCapital Foundation (VCF) organize the Mid-Autumn festival celebration for 500 disadvantaged children affected by Covid-19 at Binh Tan District Children’s House. This meaningful activity is implemented under the “Care to Rise – Yêu thương Nâng bước” program – a joint initiative of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) Youth Union and VCF to support and provide psychological treatment, free education assistance, and health care for Covid-19 orphans and other disadvantaged children affected by the pandemic in HCMC. Binh Tan district was one of the 2 worst affected districts in Vietnam by the pandemic.

The celebration is honored to welcome distinguished guests: Mr. La Thanh Tuan – Member of the Executive Committee, Deputy Head of the Labor Force Department of HCMC Youth Union; Mr. Huynh Khac Diep – Member of HCMC Party Committee, Secretary of Binh Tan District Party Committee; Mr. Nguyen Le Trung Hieu – Secretary of Binh Tan District Youth Union; and the leadership of VinaCapital Foundation.

In Vietnam, Mid-Autumn Festival is also referred to as the Children’s Festival when children gather in parades under the full moon with lanterns of all shapes and colors to have fun and learn about the traditional deities and folklore. While the festival is celebrated widely across the country, not every child has the opportunity to enjoy this colorful and lively occasion.

In order to bring a vibrant, joyful, and meaningful festival to underprivileged children in this hard-hit district, the Binh Tan district Youth Union in collaboration with VinaCapital Foundation organizes the Mid-Autumn festival celebration for 500 Covid-19 orphans and disadvantaged children affected by the pandemic. Ultimately, the activity will create unforgettable memories for the children, psychologically support them to overcome hardship and anxiety, and encourage them to study in school and become good citizens.

The event provides a safe and fun playground for the children with plenty of traditional, creative, and educational games such as mandarin square capturing, bag jumping, fishing with Chú Cuội, painting, sand art, Ông Địa playing drums, and walking on monkey bridge. The children also have the opportunity to learn about the traditional folk tales like the Moon Goddess and Chú Cuội, as well as experience festival practices and rituals including lion dance, dragon dance, lantern parade, food display, and breaking the feast to enjoy the tastes of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Care to Rise program also prepares 800 gift sets valued at 317,000 VND each, including notebooks, moon cakes, a lantern, milk, and candy for all the children. Family grants worth 219 million VND will be awarded to impoverished Covid-19 orphans to encourage them to stay in school and support their families financially.

Representative of Binh Tan District Youth Union shares: “The Covid-19 pandemic causes devastating losses and sufferings for our children. With the purpose of protecting, caring for, and providing education for the children, the Youth Union and Children’s House of Binh Tan District have recently mobilized resources to support disadvantaged children affected by the pandemic. The assistance includes sponsoring their studies until high school, implementing the “Blue shirt tutor” program, providing online learning aids, and more, thereby helping them overcome difficulties to continue their studies and become a good student and a good citizen”.

“Although the Covid-19 pandemic’s historic outbreak seems to be behind us now, many children are still suffering from the loss of their parent/s and are living in extremely challenging circumstances. VinaCapital Foundation is working harder than ever to assure our children get comprehensive support and care until they become adults.”, states Rad Kivette, CEO of VinaCapital Foundation, “We are grateful to partner with the Youth Union at all levels in HCMC to make Care to Rise possible. All of the health examinations, scholarships, education assistance, psychological support, and Mid-Autumn festival for our Covid-19 orphans cannot come to life without the companionship of our trustful donors and partners in the community. Thank you all for joining hands with VCF to bring a better future to the underprivileged children of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.”

VCF and Binh Tan District Youth Union and Children’s House wish to thank our donors including PEB Steel Building Co., Ltd., VITA Clinic, International Dairy Products JSC., Givral Bakery JSC., and 365 Begin Company Ltd., the volunteers from the Binh Tan District Youth Union and Children’s House, and other partners who contribute to the success of this event.

The Care to Rise program is divided into 3 phases with sufficient support for the children in each period of time. Phase 1 completed 1,924 detailed surveys for individual assessment. Phase 2 with remedial health, education, and nutrition assistance is being implemented in 2022. The long-term care with health and education services, Phase 3, will carry the program through adulthood for our children.