DTO - At the age of over 60, when many people choose to enjoy their old age with their children and grandchildren, the "old farmers" in the Wood Sawing and Building Charity Houses Group in Nam Hamlet (Thanh Binh Commune, Dong Thap Province) quietly devote themselves to the community. The "old farmers" still enthusiastically build homes for the poor every day. Each house, though simple, contains deep affection, not only helping people in difficulty realize their dream of "settling down" but also strongly spreading the spirit of sharing and kindness in society.
Members of the Wood Sawing Team for Building Charity Houses in Nam Hamlet (Thanh Binh Commune) prepare wood to build charity houses for poor households.
Sharing a charitable heart
Under the hot midday sun of the sixth lunar month of 2025, Mr. Nguyen Van Hong (78 years old) - Deputy Head of the Wood Sawing Team to build charity houses in Nam hamlet, regardless of the hardship and fatigue, drove a motorbike carrying Mr. Nguyen Van Quang (80 years old) - Head of the Wood Sawing Team to build charity houses in Nam hamlet to survey and meet with households that are still having difficulty with housing or needing house repairs to support them.
Stopping at a roadside cafe, Mr. Nguyen Van Quang said that in 2000, realizing that there were still many households in the hamlet facing housing difficulties, he and a few brothers in the hamlet who shared the same charitable heart joined in forming a group to repair and build houses for the poor and those in difficult circumstances. At that time, the houses built by Mr. Quang's group were very rudimentary, mainly made of mixed trees, with thatched roofs and wooden walls. There were few workers, so each time they built a house, they had to find trees to make the frame, and the carpentry space was also cramped, mainly staying at people's houses, so they encountered many difficulties.
By 2009, seeing the effectiveness of the group's activities, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Tan Thanh Commune, Thanh Binh District, previously established a group of wood sawing and building charity houses in Nam Hamlet, Tan Thanh Commune, Thanh Binh District (now Thanh Binh Commune). Since its establishment, the group has begun to operate more effectively, with more members participating. Not only older "old farmers" but also young people have participated. Up to now, the group has 18 members, each member voluntarily contributes 1 million VND/year as a fund to buy trees and materials to build houses. At the same time, the members of the group mobilized donors to support additional funding to build houses for the people.
To build a charity house, members of the group must carry out many steps such as: buying trees, cutting trees, transporting trees, sawing, planing, chiseling, designing columns, rafters to make the house frame, and building the house. The steps are quite hard, heavy, and even dangerous, such as the risk of collision, scratches, or crushed hands and feet... However, with the heart of sharing with the poor, the members of the group do not mind the sun, rain, or fatigue, each person takes on a step and coordinates together very smoothly.
Present at the tree sawing site of the Group located at the house of Mr. Nguyen Van Tiep (70 years old, a member of the Group sawing wood to build charity houses in Nam hamlet) on a weekend morning in the 6th lunar month of 2025, we saw more than 10 members of the Group busily preparing materials to build houses for the poor. Some started the saw, others carried logs into the saw to make pillars and rafters for the house. With the spirit of "Mutual love", everyone worked very enthusiastically.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nhan (63 years old), residing in Nam Hamlet, Thanh Binh Commune, shared: “I have participated in the Group for nearly 10 years. My job is to go with my brothers to cut trees, saw trees, and then on the day of building the house, I help bring the roofing sheets and instruct the children to shoot the roofing sheets. The work of building charity houses is also hard, especially when cutting or sawing trees, I face the risk of scratches and bruises on my hands and feet. However, every time I finish building a roof, seeing the homeowner so happy that he cries makes my eyes sting, I am happy with the people, all my fatigue disappears. That is the motivation for me to participate in charity house building activities until today.”
Not only contributing, many members also support the Group to build the house frame, provide food and water for the members every time they come back from cutting trees. Mr. Nguyen Van Tiep - a member of the Group sawing wood to build charity houses in Nam hamlet, confided: “In the past, my family's life was also very difficult, living in a rickety house. Every time there was a storm, I was afraid that the house would collapse, so I really understood and sympathized with households having difficulties with housing. Later, when my family's economy was stable, I joined the Group to help the poor. In addition to contributing labor, I lent the Group a place to put the sawmill and a place to do carpentry. Sometimes, I also cooked rice and water for the brothers to eat when they came back from building houses. Participating in building charity houses, besides helping the poor, my brothers and I also have more spiritual joy in our old age. I hope that I will have good health to continue doing charity work, helping the poor have a solid home and live in peace.”
Thanks to the support of the Wood Sawing Team to build charity houses in Nam hamlet, Mrs. Phan Thi Thanh's family (living in Nam hamlet, Thanh Binh commune) can live in peace in their new house.
Building shelters for the poor
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Quang - Head of the Wood Sawing Team to Build Charity Houses in Nam Hamlet, since its establishment, the Team has always received attention and support from the local government; some members of the Team not only contributed labor but also contributed money. Many benefactors in and outside the commune and in Ho Chi Minh City also provided roofing sheets, making the Team's house building more convenient. Currently, when receiving information about poor households or households in difficult circumstances needing support, representatives of the Team members coordinate with the local government to verify the people's circumstances, the location of the house construction, and then provide support for house building. The Team provides houses with eucalyptus wood frames, corrugated iron walls, corrugated iron roofs, 8m long and 4m wide, worth about 25 - 40 million VND/house. From 2016 to now, the Team has built over 457 new charity houses, contributing more than 1,000 working days, with a total value of over 6.8 billion VND.
This year's rainy season, Mrs. Phan Thi Thanh (64 years old, living in Nam hamlet, Thanh Binh commune) and her husband no longer have to live in a makeshift, leaky house. Sitting in the newly built house, Mrs. Thanh said that before, she and her husband lived by working as hired laborers, just enough to make ends meet. For the past 3 years, Mrs. Thanh's husband has been suffering from mental illness, and she has sciatica, so she is no longer able to work. The couple's life depends on the support of benefactors. The house made of mixed wood that the family has lived in for many years has been severely damaged, but they cannot afford to rebuild.
Ms. Phan Thi Thanh confided: “Thanks to the support of the uncles in the Wood Sawing and Building Charity Houses Group in Nam Hamlet, I have a new house. The house has an area of 32 square meters, made of eucalyptus wood, corrugated iron roof, and corrugated iron walls. My husband and I are very happy to have a new house because now we have a place to live in our old age”. The joy of settling down has also come to the family of Ms. Tran Thi Cam Giang (35 years old, living in Nam Hamlet, Thanh Binh Commune) when the Wood Sawing and Building Charity Houses Group in Nam Hamlet supported her to build a charity house. Unable to hide her emotions, Ms. Giang said: “I work as a worker in Ho Chi Minh City, my income is only enough to cover expenses and send back to my mother to raise 2 young children, so I have not dared to dream of building a house. Thanks to the help of the uncles in the Wood Sawing and Building Charity Houses Group in Nam Hamlet, my children have a stable place to live, I am very happy. The new house is also a motivation for me to continue working hard, taking care of my children's future”.
These are 2 of hundreds of people with difficult housing situations who have been supported by the Wood Sawing and Building Charity Houses Group in Nam Hamlet. The members of the Group have been quietly building homes for the poor. These houses of love not only help the poor people settle down but also serve as a support, giving them more confidence and determination to rise up in life. Mr. Nguyen Van Quang - Head of the Wood Sawing and Building Charity Houses Group in Nam Hamlet, added: "Currently, the Group mainly builds charity houses with eucalyptus wood, corrugated iron roofs, and the house floor is prepared by the homeowner. For households with additional funding, the house will be more neat and spacious. In the coming time, the Group will continue to support the construction of houses for people with difficult housing conditions, helping people have a stable place to live and work with peace of mind."
With the noble deeds of the Wood Sawing Team to build charity houses in Nam Hamlet in the past time, the Team has received many Certificates of Merit from the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for its outstanding achievements in contributing to social security in Thanh Binh district, especially recently the Team received a Certificate of Merit from the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for its outstanding achievements in "Studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style" in 2025.
MY XUYEN
Source: https://baodongthap.vn/xa-hoi/tam-long-cua-nhung-lao-nong-di-xay-to-am-cho-nguoi-ngheo-132752.aspx
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