A spring full of love for orphans

With the desire to bring a spring full of love and a warm Tet holiday to the orphans being cared for at the Center for Social Work (CSW) and the Children's Protection Fund of Dong Nai province, on February 13 (26th day of the 12th lunar month in the Year of the Snake), the center’s staff organized an event to wrap chung cakes (Vietnamese square sticky rice cakes) and tet cakes (Vietnamese cylindrical sticky rice cakes).

Staff and children at the Center for Social Work and the Children's Protection Fund of the province wrap chung cakes and tet cakes. Photo: Nga Son

Hoang Vinh Quang, Director of the Center for Social Work and the Children's Protection Fund of the province, said: The center currently cares for 365 people; of which over 140 are children, and the rest are elderly, disabled, and mentally ill individuals. To bring a Tet atmosphere to those living at the center, especially to help orphans feel the warmth of Tet, the center annually maintains the tradition of wrapping chung cakes and tet cakes. This year, the staff and children at the center wrapped about 400 cakes.

To complete 400 cakes, from early morning, the center's staff were present to prepare rice, beans, meat, dong leaves, and bamboo strings. After the preparation stage, the staff divided the tasks from wrapping, cutting leaves, tying strings to cooking the cakes...

Children at the Center for Social Work and the Children's Protection Fund of the province are guided to wrap chung cakes. Photo: Nga Son

Having been with the center for 20 years, Pham Thi Mai, currently residing in Trang Dai ward, has participated in wrapping chung cakes at the center for many years. Mai said: This activity not only helps individuals at the center have chung cakes to eat during Tet but, more importantly, it is the care, affection, and love of the center's staff for the individuals living at the center, helping them have a warm Tet holiday.

Having been brought to the center at a very young age, Nguyen Kim Nhi (13 years old) knows all the Tet activities at the center by heart. According to Kim Nhi, after break for the Tet holiday, the children will join the staff in cleaning the center's premises and making artificial apricot and peach blossoms to enhance the Tet atmosphere. The activity she looks forward to the most is wrapping chung cake and tet cake.

That's when everyone gathers together, wrapping cakes and chatting happily. Children living at the center like Nhi get to watch, help the staff wrap cakes, and gather around the fire watching the pot of chung cakes...

Children at the Center for Social Work and the Children's Protection Fund of the province are guided how to wrap tet cakes. Photo: Nga Son

According to Hoang Vinh Quang, Director of the Center for Social Work and the Children's Protection Fund of the province, in addition to wrapping chung cakes and tet cakes, the center has developed a specific plan and program for individuals living at the center to enjoy spring and celebrate Tet. Before Tet, the center purchased clothes and shoes for all individuals; went to the supermarket; planned the Tet menu; and organized trips for the children to visit the martyrs' cemetery.

The center will organize New Year's Eve celebrations and give lucky money to the children. During Tet, the children will participate in recreational activities and visit Tran Bien Temple of Literature...

By Nga Son – Translated by Mai Nga, Thu Ha