Reporter Hoang Tuyet of VNA’s Tin Tuc (News) newspaper in HCM City prepares food aid packages for people in need (Photo: VNA) My Phuong, a VNA economic correspondent in Ho Chi Minh City, has called forfood donations from local enterprises to support quarantine sites andresidential areas in lockdown.
So far, she has helped collect four tonnes of food and donated it to localfield hospitals.
Because Phuong is in charge of covering news on the economic sector, she hasclose relations with local organisations and businesses. A lot of businessesthat want to offer assistance to residents and frontline forces have contactedjournalists to offer their services.
While working on the sites or through relatives, Phuong happened to know thosein need of help and shared the information with businesses.
During the fourth wave of COVID-19, farmers in localities close to HCM City arestruggling to share their produce, while HCM City residents are lacking food.
Phuong has contacted farmers in those localities to transport food to HCM Cityand deliver to residents living in her neighbourhood.
She said VNA correspondents in HCM City often share information about those inneed on a report group and ask businesses for help.
One day she knew through the group that a new field hospital in District 2 waslacking food. Immediately, she contacted High Quality Vietnamese GoodsAssociation for help.
Essential goods were transported to the hospital.
"In the most urgent times, acting as a bridge to help the community,helping people in need, contributing a small part to the fight against thepandemic, I feel very happy," she said.
Reporter Hoang Tuyet of the VNA’s Tin Tuc (News) newspaper in HCM City, hasjoined a lot of charity activities but she is the most impressed with thememories she has from Field Hospital No 6.
Tuyet’s friend, a doctor at the hospital, sent her a photo of a lunch box. Themeal was delivered on time to doctors but they had no time to eat.
When doctors finished their shift, the food could no longer be eaten.
“I cried seeing the lunch box," Tuyet said.
"I thought I thought that if I didn't do anything, I would feel guilty. Iasked a female chef I know who is working at a five-star hotel if there is anyway to preserve the food longer. After thinking about the solution, the cookmade 200 pieces of bread and sent them to the doctors.
“I have connected many units and businesses to present gifts to field hospitalsand disadvantaged households in lockdown areas. Today, I just connected with acompany to send 150 gifts to residents who have been in lockdown for two monthsand can't go out to buy food.”
In Hanoi, during the COVID outbreak earlier this year, VNA reporters of theDomestic News Department, VNA Television, youth unions of VNA news outletsdonated essential goods to local hospitals, COVID-19 patients and frontlineforces.
Not only in big cities, VNA correspondents in small localities have been activein voluntary work during the pandemic.
Reporter Dau Tat Thanh in southern Binh Phuoc province called for help toinstall a water purifying station which provides free water for quarantinesites and medical centres which have a lot of residents coming for testing in DongXoai city.
Thanh also called for donations to set up a food freezer for frontline forceson duty around the clock at a COVID checkpoint.
Reporter Dang Cong Mao in southern An Giang Province and his friends presentedfive tonnes of rice and 500 food packages to local residents in need.
He also helped to raise more than 100 million VND to build two houses for thepoor in Long Xuyen city.
Nguyen Van Hieu, head of the VNA office in southern Soc Trang province, usedhis own money to buy a tonne of rice to support people in need.
Most of the reporters who have done charity work said that’s what they shoulddo in the time of the pandemic. All of them feel happy to help disadvantagedpeople./.
VNA
