At the ground-breaking ceremony.
Tinh, 49, belongs to a low-income household in the area. Over a year ago, his wife, Pham Thi Tu, was suddenly diagnosed with a serious illness. To pay for her treatment, Tinh was forced to mortgage their only piece of land. Despite his efforts, complications from the illness led to severe tissue damage, and Tu eventually had her left leg amputated above the knee, leaving her permanently disabled.
The couple has three daughters. The two eldest had to drop out of school and move to Binh Duong and Ho Chi Minh City to work, but their jobs are unstable and provide little support to the family. The youngest daughter is currently in the 9th grade.
Tinh is the family's sole breadwinner, working any job he can find. However, his work is irregular, leaving the family in constant financial hardship. Their old house had fallen into disrepair over the years, but they could not afford a new one due to their dire situation.
Tinh and his wife at the event.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, a Dantri reporter shared that readers had contributed over VND 130 million (approx. USD 5,100) in donations following the publication of Tinh's story and his dream of building a proper house. This amount is sufficient to construct a new, safer home for the family.
The new house is expected to be around 60 square metres, with a living room, two bedrooms, and a kitchen, and it is estimated to cost just over VND 100 million.
"Thanks to Dantri readers, we can now build a proper brick house. A long-held dream of mine is finally coming true. I sincerely thank all the readers, donors, and authorities who have supported my family," Tinh said emotionally.
Tu Minh Phuc, Director of Bac Lieu Province's Department of Home Affairs, acknowledged Dantri's ongoing charitable work across the country, including in Bac Lieu.
"Today, Dantri and local authorities begin constructing a new house for Tinh's family. This meaningful gift aligns with the government's campaign to eliminate substandard housing and promote safe, durable homes for all," Phuc stated.
In response to the government's campaign to eliminate temporary and dilapidated housing, Dantri originally set a goal of building 100 homes for poor and near-poor families nationwide between 2024 and 2025.
The newspaper has already achieved this goal ahead of schedule, thanks to overwhelming support from readers, donors, businesses, and local authorities.
Dantri has set a new target of building 100 charity houses this year, helping 100 more disadvantaged families move into safe, permanent homes.
From April 10, 2024, 126 charity houses have been initiated, with 78 already completed.
To meet the overall target of constructing 200 houses by the end of 2025, Dantri hopes for continued support from readers, philanthropists, and organisations to help families in need realise their dream of stable housing.
