Volunteering to give love for a lifetime
Hoàng Hoa Trung has just been awarded the ASEAN Plus Youth Volunteer Award 2022. The 33-year-old started volunteering at 17 and intends to stick with this work for the rest of his life. His aspiration is not only to help children in Việt Nam but around the world. He and his co-workers have supported over 60,000 children, including hundreds of children in Cambodia and Kenya. Thanh Nga chats with him.
Inner Sanctum: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?
My name is Hoàng Hoa Trung but people often call me Trung 'Äồng Nát' (Trung Scrap Metal) because I want to raise money to build a school with all sorts of things, even trash that people left. I like non-waste, and I always want to optimise my work.
I'm the founder of the Nuôi Em (Meals for Children) project to give free lunches to more than 60,000 pupils in mountainous areas. I am also the founder of the Power of 2000 Project, which has built more than 350 schools, bridges, houses and boarding areas for pupils.
In 2020, I received the award of Outstanding Young Face of Việt Nam. I was included on the list of 30 people under 30 with outstanding influence and achievements in 2020 by Forbes Vietnam. I also received a Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister.
Inner Sanctum: Meals for Children has reached 19 provinces nationwide. Is there anything special in your way of expanding the project?
We create a model and then select long-term and enthusiastic volunteer teams operating in the same field in that province to orient, transfer and multiply the project to young people in that locality. The love and responsibility for the children born and raised in the province will help the project develop strongly and sustainably.
Inner Sanctum: In 2022, 'Meals for Children' expanded to Cambodia and Africa. Many people say that the project has not yet helped all Vietnamese people but has instead reached overseas. What do you say responding to this?
We are based on the needs of the benefactors. If they want to implement it in Cambodia, we will do it. The project is replicated in and helps Africa. We have researched and tried to do it in Kenya. We built one school there with three rooms of nearly 300sq.m at a cost of more than VNÄ800 million (about US$40,000). Read More…
