Ninh Thi Hong, member of the executive board of the Vietnam Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights, says “as long as she stays healthy, she will continue to travel to every part of the country to help protect children’s rights and their future.” (Photo: Ngoc Phuong/ kenh14.vn)

(VOVworld) – Ninh Thi Hong is a member of the executive board of the Vietnam Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights. She has a great love for children, which is reflected in her enthusiastic engagement in social activities. 

Hong’s office has many pictures of the children she has met and helped. Hong says their innocent faces and smiles encourage her a lot and give her strength to carry on. In her 20s Hong was in charge of pioneers, and later was youth secretary of the Trai Cau iron mine of the Thai Nguyen Iron and Steel Company. She then worked at the Committee for Child Care and Protection in Bac Thai province, which was later divided into Thai Nguyen and Bac Can province. Hong is currently working at the Vietnam Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights in Hanoi. Hong told us: “My work is to deal with especially disadvantaged children, young law breakers and victims of child abuse, arranging legal intervention and/ or compensation. Protecting children’s rights has been my job for many years now.”

Hong says fate has bound her with children and that only by working in this field can she make the most of her ability. For her, children are blank pages and she does whatever it takes to protect them, which gives her joy and happiness. Hong gets emotional when she recalls a trip to a poor district during which she fell ill and was visited by many little children. Hong said: “The children were very lovely. They told each other to bring what they had at home as gifts for me. Some brought bananas, others brought eggs and candies. I was moved and felt even more motivated to do my job.”

3 years ago, Hong and a working group of the Vietnam Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights protected an orphan named Hao Anh in Ca Mau province, who was a victim of domestic violence. No one could bear to look at the scars and bruises on his body. Hong was determined to protect Hao Anh and bring those who beat him to justice. Thanks to Hong and the help of her colleagues, Hao Anh was brought to a center for the protection and care of disadvantaged children where he learned a trade to support himself.

In her 39 years of work, Hong has given the love of a mother or grandmother to the children. She understands the feelings and the losses of these unfortunate children. Even though she has retired, Hong wants to continue to make some contribution to protecting children’s rights. Hong and others who love children established the Vietnam Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights. Dao Thu Hien is Hong’s colleague in the Association: “I’m lucky to work with Hong. I’ve learned a lot from her during field trips. Hong has a great love for her job and she really sympathizes with the circumstances of disadvantaged children.”

Hong says as long as she stays healthy, she will continue to travel to every part of the country to help protect children’s rights and their future.