A sturdy home was a long-held dream for Lò Duy Hưng, a 6th-grade student at Thanh Hưng Secondary School in Điện Biên. However, this dream seemed distant as his family had been living in extreme poverty.

According to Lò Thị Hiên, Hưng's mother, for over 10 years, after moving out to live separately, her family of four has lived in a dilapidated and temporary wooden house. Despite several attempts to renovate it, without stable work, they could only manage their daily meals, so building a new house seemed impossible.

In November 2024, through the connection of the Điện Biên Youth Union, Hưng’s family received VND 50 million in support from the Central Youth Union to build a new “Khăn Quàng Đỏ” house. Motivated by this support, Lò Thị Hiên and her husband took out a loan from the bank to construct a sturdier house, with the support of local youth volunteers who contributed their labor to help complete the house.

During the Ất Tỵ Lunar New Year, Hưng and his family had one of the happiest Tết holidays ever as they moved into their new, spacious home. Hưng shared: “I’m very happy to now live in a sturdy house, no longer worrying when it rains or storms. This support has encouraged me to continue working hard in my studies and gain knowledge to eventually find a job to help my family and honor the kindness of those who helped us.”

The “Khăn Quàng Đỏ” house, valued at VND 65 million, was a meaningful gift for Vàng A Sơn’s family in Tào Pao hamlet, Sính Phình commune, Tủa Chùa district, given in December 2024. Sơn grew up in an exceptionally difficult situation, orphaned at a young age and living with his grandparents. Many times, Sơn thought he would have to drop out of school due to their severe poverty. Thanks to funding from the provincial Youth Union and social mobilization, Tủa Chùa district Youth Union organized youth volunteers to help build the “Khăn Quàng Đỏ” house, which became a motivating gift for Sơn to continue his studies and succeed.

It’s difficult to describe the joy and excitement of the families of the young people who have received “Khăn Quàng Đỏ” houses. These students are not only excelling academically but also come from difficult circumstances, many of them orphaned, with parents unable to work. These houses represent more than just a warm shelter; they are a source of motivation for the children to overcome challenges and strive for academic excellence.

Since 2020, the Điện Biên Youth Union has supported the construction of 27 “Khăn Quàng Đỏ” houses through donations and social contributions. The financial support for these houses has increased, with each house now valued at a minimum of VND 50 million, with contributions from the families and local communities.

Đặng Thành Huy, Secretary of the provincial Youth Union, said: “The provincial Youth Union leadership is directly responsible for surveying the families, assessing their circumstances, and gathering information to facilitate the construction of these homes. With a relatively modest budget, we’ve also worked with district youth unions to encourage families to contribute and participate in building the houses. Along with this, we’ve mobilized material suppliers to help build sturdy homes for the children, much better than the temporary ones they lived in. Through this process, we hope to build more houses for students with excellent academic achievements, replacing their makeshift homes.”

The “Khăn Quàng Đỏ” house project is a meaningful initiative that the Youth Union and Children’s Council have maintained for many years. However, there are still many poor students and families with special circumstances in the province, and many still lack proper housing. Therefore, it’s important to receive more support from organizations and philanthropists to build more “Khăn Quàng Đỏ” houses, helping to realize the dreams of underprivileged students to attend school.