In the summer, workers find a place to send their children

For Ms. Nguyen Thi Vy - a worker working in Thang Long Industrial Park (Hanoi), the concern is not only choosing an extra class for her children, but also how to find someone to look after them safely, while parents still have to work overtime to make a living.

Ms. Vy, from Nghe An, with her husband and two young children, lives in a rented room of less than 20 square meters in Bau village, Kim Chung commune, Dong Anh district.

Her eldest daughter is 8 years old this year, just finished grade 2; her youngest child is only 4 years old, studying in kindergarten. These days, she is worried because there are only a few days left until the children enter the summer vacation. But there is still no plan to send children.

"Last year was very difficult. My wife and I have to take turns taking a day off work, cooking rice, and taking care of our children. My husband drives a technology car, sometimes he works at night, and has to come home at 6pm in time for me to prepare for the night shift. On days when I couldn't turn around and had to leave the two sisters to look after each other, I stood at a machete and my liver was burning like fire" - Ms. Vy recalled.

Last year's temporary solution was to take the grandmother from her hometown to look after her grandchild. But this year she is already weak, having difficulty moving, and she does not have to worry about it any more.

Her grandparents in her hometown are all over 70 years old and are in poor health, so she cannot rest assured to send her children home for a long time. Familiar options are gradually coming to an end.

She once thought about sending her young child to a private nursery group to open in the summer near the boarding house. But when researched, the tuition fee was up to more than 2 million VND/month - equal to nearly half of her monthly salary (excluding allowances and overtime). More importantly, the information published by the press about child abuse at spontaneous childcare facilities makes her worried.

"We cannot bet on your safety just because you are working. Every time I read a report about child abuse in the newspaper, I was shocked, she said.

During that time, Mr. Hung - her husband - still regularly drives a technology car from early morning to late night. Recently, gasoline prices have increased, and his income has decreased.

Her family spends frugally, the room they are renting costs 1.8 million VND per month. Food expenses, tuition for the two children, combined with electricity, water, and medicine expenses make the couple spend almost all of their income each month.

Many of Ms. Vy's colleagues have chosen to send their children back to their hometowns all summer, some have boldly asked for a few weeks of unpaid leave to take care of their children. However, financial problems did not allow Ms. Vy to resign.

"A day without work costs hundreds of thousands of VND, not to mention the impact on productivity, and you will be deducted from your tuition" - Ms. Vy said.

The female worker shared that the couple had considered working for a few more years before returning to their hometown. "In the countryside, there are houses left by parents, you can open small stores or raise livestock and grow crops to survive. In the city, living like this forever cannot be settled down and make a living" - she sighed.

The worry of sending children in the summer is not just Ms. Vy's personal matter. Thousands of workers are facing a difficult problem: How to ensure the safety of children while maintaining their livelihoods.

In the context of not having many kindergartens or summer activities for workers' children, each summer is a time of stressful labor for workers far from home.

"I just hope there is a safe place with reasonable costs so that our children can play and study in the summer; so that we can work with peace of mind, without having to worry about half a day at home to check if our children are safe" - Ms. Vy confided.

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