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| Dinh Van Bay (standing) prepares meal for 100 students of the Nguyen Van Khai High School, near his house |
At around 11.30 am, the small lane leading to Bay’s house is crowded with students.
They arrive, laughing and talking and quickly park their bikes and find their seats among the 7 tables where rice bowls, boiled vegetables plates or stew have already been placed, nice and yummy.
Nguyen Thi Anh Tuyet, a 12th grade student, said, “Thanks to these free lunches, we don’t have to cycle all the way. Most of us live 5km from school, so we would be exhausted and couldn’t study well in the afternoon.”
Bay said at first, he simply wanted to prepare meals for students who lived faraway. But then he thought poor students also needed to have free lunches as cheap meals from street stalls weren’t clean enough.
As more students come, he has expanded the 20-square-meter-room to a house with tin roof, of over 50 square meters, which can house 7 tables.
“My kids once had to travel far for school so I know if these students have to cycle a long way back and forth for lunch, they won’t be mentally and physically strong enough to study,” Bay said.
Around 10 people take turn everyday to prepare the meals. Some live far away but still come to help Bay.
Many small merchants in neighboring markets also contribute their rice, vegetables and fruits.
Do Nguyen Xuan Thao, an English teacher at Nguyen Van Khai High School, said his school was deeply moved by Bay’s efforts.
The school has also decided to raise funds to aid Bay. “We want to raise students’ awareness and encourage them, especially better-off students, to help their less fortunate friends,” Thao said.
Besides offering free lunches to poor students, Bay and his wife have also been doing other charitable deeds such as paying hospital bills for the poor mother of a 4th grader as well as his tuition feeds and driving poor people to hospital free of charge.
Bay wants to help even though he isn’t wealthy. Since 1999 when he retired from the army, he has run a carpenter’s shop and earned just enough to raise three children of his own.
