Determined to find their own way
At the age of 12, a terrible polio fever took away Ho Em's health, gradually atrophying his legs and arms. Ms. Vo Thi Anh (born in 1952, Ho Em's mother) said that she is still haunted by those fateful days: "That year, the high fever that was not treated in time caused my son's legs to atrophy and weaken. Not only his legs, his arms also atrophied, and since then my son's neck has not been able to move comfortably like a normal person. Almost every day my son has a sore neck, walks slowly, and has to rely on the help of his arms. From that day on, my son also put down his books, even though he was a good student before. Seeing my son, who was once a healthy and active person, suddenly fall seriously ill, leaving behind so many unfinished dreams!" The physical pain along with having to put aside his dream of studying was a big shock to Ho Em. However, the young man did not allow himself to fall down. With his mother's constant encouragement, he gradually regained his spirit and determined to find his own path in life, not letting his disability hinder him.
Trieu Hong Ho I am proud that I can work to support myself and my old mother.
In 2010, in his journey to find a reason for living, Ho Em began to explore the craft of making bamboo handicrafts. He said: “The more I did it, the more passionate I became and discovered that I could find joy from it, so I devoted myself to learning and researching how to make it every day. Seeing how beautiful my bamboo handicrafts were, my friends immediately offered to buy them and introduced them to customers to help me sell them to earn more income. I myself did not expect that my handicrafts would be so loved by many people. Since then, I have been attached to this profession until now.”
Bamboo Crafting - A Source of Life and Passion
Ho Em's products are extremely diverse, from rudimentary carts, elaborate flower pots, large model buildings, or funny animals. He can create any product according to customer requirements, as long as he has enough time to research and manufacture. The product value is also very flexible, from 30,000 VND for small items to more than 4 million VND for large products such as a villa for foreign customers. To improve productivity and meet market demand, Ho Em also manufactures his own bamboo cutting machines and has recently invested in a larger cutting machine costing more than 5 million VND, demonstrating his seriousness and unceasing dedication to the profession.
Behind each of Ho Em's exquisite products is the hard-working figure of his mother. The small house of the mother and son is always filled with processed bamboo sticks. Ho Em expressed: "My mother is the one who searched for and selected the best bamboo trees to cut down and bring back so that I could pursue my chosen profession. Bamboo used to make handicrafts must be old bamboo, to ensure the quality of the products. Not only that, my mother also helped me peel, trim, split each bamboo stick and dry it in the sun. Seeing my mother working hard for me for more than half her life, I only know to remind myself not to give up, to try harder than yesterday to repay my mother!". The love and great sacrifice of Mrs. Anh is a great source of motivation, giving Ho Em the strength to overcome all difficulties in life and work.
In the current economic context, Ho Em's number of customers has also decreased somewhat, but the occasional orders are still enough to ensure daily life for the mother and child. Sharing about her income, Ho Em said: "Before, I sold products and earned more than 5 million VND per month, now it is only about 2 - 3 million VND/month".
Despite receiving many job offers from companies specializing in providing handicraft products for tourist destinations, Ho Em refused them all. The reason was not only because his health did not allow him to travel far, but also because he did not want to leave his elderly mother alone at home. This decision further demonstrated his filial piety and deep responsibility towards his parents. More preciously, when many acquaintances in the neighborhood came to Ho Em to ask to learn the trade, he was willing to accept and teach for free. However, many people gave up halfway because they thought it was too difficult. Ho Em shared: "To make handicrafts from bamboo, the most important thing is to have passion and creativity."
Trieu Hong Ho Em was awarded a certificate of merit by the Vietnam Association for the Support of People with Disabilities and Orphans for her outstanding achievements in overcoming difficulties in studying and working in the period 2016 - 2020; a certificate of merit by the People's Committee of An Giang province for her achievements in "Studying and following the ideology, morality and style of Ho Chi Minh " in the period 2016 - 2021. |
PHUONG LAN
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/chang-trai-khuyet-tat-vuot-len-so-phan-a423603.html
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