Elderly grandparents in Cam Giang raise two young grandchildren at risk of dropping out of school.

In a level 4 house deep in the alley, a skinny man with dark skin was preparing to feed the chickens and make dinner for the whole family. Pointing to the vegetable garden where he was raising chickens, he said that this was his younger brother's land that he had not used yet, so he lent it to him to grow vegetables and raise chickens to earn extra money to buy rice and fish sauce.

When asked about his family situation, he stood still, wiping the sweat from his dark face. He said that his family's tragedy began after his son died of a serious illness.

Mr. Khanh and his wife have 3 children, 2 daughters are married, the son is married and lives in the same house on the land with his grandparents. Before, although life was not rich, they were frugal enough to make ends meet. In 2020, the couple saved up and borrowed more money to build a house with a corrugated iron roof. Just when they thought life would be peaceful, in 2021, his son was diagnosed with liver cancer, treatment was expensive, and after a short time he passed away. He left behind his elderly parents, wife and 3 children. A year after her husband passed away, the daughter-in-law left, leaving behind 3 children of school age for the grandparents to raise.

The father died and the mother left, affecting the three children's mental health. The oldest child dropped out of school in 10th grade and left home. The two younger children live with their grandparents.

Despite their advanced age, the grandparents still have to struggle to take care of their grandchildren. In addition to more than one sao of their family's rice field, they borrowed more than one sao of another family's rice field to grow rice and vegetables. Farming is unstable, with some crops being profitable and some not so profitable, so life is always lacking. Although their two daughters do not have a good life, they still regularly support their parents in raising their grandchildren.

Last February, his wife suffered a stroke and had to be treated in hospitals for more than a month, with medical treatment costing over 60 million VND. Currently, she still has to go to the doctor and get medicine at home, which costs 5-7 million VND per month.

The continuous storms have weighed heavily on the shoulders of the 70-year-old man. Due to his old age, he is always worried that he will not have enough strength to buy medicine to treat his wife and to continue raising his two children. In response to the family's situation, during the holidays and Tet, associations and organizations of Cam Van commune have given gifts and school supplies to his family and encouraged and supported the children in their studies. In March 2023, the Women's Union of Cam Van commune also sponsored the youngest child with 250,000 VND per month for 5 years.

Mr. Nguyen Khac Vui, Chairman of the Red Cross Society of Cam Van commune, said that Mr. Khanh's family is in a particularly difficult situation in the commune and is in great need of support from philanthropists and the community to help the family ease their difficulties and help the two children continue to go to school.

Please send all support to the address: Mr. Do Van Khanh, Uyen Duc hamlet, Van Thai village, Cam Van commune (Cam Giang) or account number 46010002164969, BIDV Bank of his daughter, Ms. Do Thi Ngu.