(VOVWORLD) - War veteran Nguyen Huu Thoi, also known as Mr. Ba Thoi, has been operating classes for poor children, free of charge, for 20 years. He is no stranger to the people in My Binh Ward, Long Xuyên, An Giang Province. At the ripe age of 70, Mr. Thoi has devoted his time, energy, and passion to teaching and supporting needy children, with the hope that they will grow up to escape their poverty and become good citizens.
“I’ve studied here for four years. I’m so happy to be learning here. I’ve learned Math and Literature. When I grow up, I hope I can earn money to support my parents.”
That’s one of Mr. Ba Thoi’s students - Vo Thanh Tung, a 10 year old child, whose family is going through a difficult financial situation and they could not afford the tuition fees. Ba Thoi’s classes draw students of all ages and from all walks of life, several of them being former street children or even pickpockets. Some of the children did not have a birth certificate, which is a prerequisite for admission to the public school system. It took Ba Thoi’s great patience and efforts to make friends with the kids, design high quality and age-appropriate lessons, and sometimes, to persuade the students’ families to allow them to learn in his classes. Thoi said: "Our hamlet has a public school for the local children. However, several people from other regions come here to make a living, and for some unknown reason, leave their children at home instead of sending them to school. So, after getting permission from the local committee, I decided to open these classes to give the children a chance to learn.”
 War veteran Nguyen Huu Thoi, also known as Mr. Ba Thoi, has been operating classes for poor children, free of charge, for 20 years (Photo: VOV) |
Mr. Thoi opened his first class in 1995, soon after his retirement in 1992. Combining his unstoppable effort along with support from the local authorities and donors, the classes have remained and are developing day by day, supporting up to 50 low income students in the My Binh Ward. It’s love that makes the students stay, and it’s love that has attracted several retired teachers to join Mr. Ba Thoi’s work. Teacher Phan Thu Thuy, who’s been teaching at Mr. Ba Thoi’s classes for 10 years, said: “Mr. Ba Thoi is a kind-hearted person. He has spent his entire pension on those students. It’s due to his love and care that the classes have existed for such a long time. His passion for the job and his love for those children is the inspiration and reason for me to join his work.”
Talking about Mr. Ba Thoi, Nguyen Huu Phuc, President of the Veterans Association of My Binh Ward, shared: “Mr. Thoi’s actions are very meaningful. The opening of those classes were appreciated and supported by both local residents and comrades at the veteran associations. He did his job whole-heartedly with a high sense of responsibility, without the need to be financially rewarded.”
 Ba Thoi’s classes draw students of all ages and from all walks of life (Photo:VOV) |
Currently, the free classes can only offer lessons for students starting from grade 1 to grade 5. Mr. Thoi hopes to open follow-up classes in higher education for students while helping them develop skills and knowledge required for particular jobs. He said: “Besides teaching them school subjects, I want to open a sewing class for my students and other poor women in the hamlet to join in. My wish is that my students can learnthe skill to get a job, which will help them to have better lives in future.”