Vietnam's Engineering Unit No. 4: The volunteer footprints of Vietnamese engineers in the sun-drenched Abyei
WVR - Vietnam's Engineering Unit No. 4 is not only paving vital roads but also quietly contributing to the schools for local children. “Volunteer Sunday” at Abyei Secondary School unfolds simply, much like the heartfelt affection peacekeepers have for this land.
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Abyei enters the dry season, with red dust storms seemingly engulfing everything. At Abyei Secondary School, a modest institution with bare classrooms and rickety doors, teachers and students are accustomed to dust covering their notebooks whenever strong winds blow.
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| From a rugged empty lot to a smooth playground after just one “Volunteer Sunday”. (Photo: Hai Yen) |
The schoolyard, once a pit-ridden empty lot, becomes muddy in the rainy season and rocky in the dry season, posing a constant risk of falls during recess.
Understanding these challenges, the Vietnamese “blue beret” soldiers brought machinery and tools on their day off to assist the school in improving its landscape and classrooms.
Observing the process, Captain Pham Phu Hai, a representative of the Civil-Military Coordination (CIMIC) Office of the UNISFA Mission, noted: “We highly appreciate the urgency of Engineering Unit No. 4. They utilize their day off to support the community with responsibility and meticulousness. From renovating the schoolyard to reinforcing each door, everything is done thoroughly to ensure student safety.”
This urgency stems from understanding: Every day the schoolyard remains uneven, and every day the doors remain damaged, the children's education is further disrupted by dust storms and scorching sun.
Without formal ceremonies, “Volunteer Sunday” begins with images of soldiers and local teachers discussing plans, drawing diagrams directly on the dusty red ground with branches.
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| A stark difference before and after Engineering Unit No. 4 began renovating the schoolyard. (Photo: Hai Yen) |
Principal Santino Jok was moved by the dedication of the Vietnamese soldiers: “You not only brought machinery to upgrade the schoolyard but also spent time repairing each door and lock that had long been broken. Watching you work, I felt the sincerity. The firm handshake from the school’s teachers and students today is the deepest expression of gratitude.”
While the roar of bulldozers and graders echoed, leveling the uneven surfaces, the “blue beret” soldiers from Construction Engineering Platoon 2 were busy with their versatile technical tasks.
The once rickety main doors and windows were meticulously adjusted, with each screw tightened and reinforced with iron bolts. Rusty locks were replaced, ensuring classrooms could now be securely closed against dust storms.
With a screwdriver in one hand and a wrench in the other, Captain Trinh Xuan Loc shared: “Seeing the children have a flat playground, no longer worrying about tripping, makes us very happy.
Back home, I have children of school age, so when I carefully repair each door frame, I just hope the children have clean classrooms, shielded from the sun and dust, so they can focus on their studies.”
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| From the wide schoolyard to small locks, everything is completed with the responsibility and heart of the blue beret soldiers. (Photo: Hai Yen) |
In a land where sun, wind, and red dust can quickly erode iron and stone, the blue beret soldiers understand that the value they leave behind goes beyond physical improvements; it is about instilling hope for a brighter future.
As the sound of construction machinery fades, returning tranquility to the school, the “green shoots” of hope begin to emerge from the barren land. The most enduring aspect of this project lies not in the iron bars or screws but in the boundless love of the “Uncle Ho's Soldiers”.
