Illuminate the Smiles of the Highlands 2022 - Chieng Khuong Commune, Song Ma, Son La

On November 26–27, 2022, GMO-Z.com RUNSYSTEM's charity journey "Bringing Smiles to the Highlands 2022" officially made its way to Puong Hamlet and La Hamlet, satellite campuses of Hoa Hong Kindergarten, located in Chieng Khuong Commune, Song Ma District, Son La Province.

The charity team from GMO-Z.com RUNSYSTEM consisted of over 20 members, led by Mr. Tran Duc Tam – Director of the Internet Infrastructure Center. The team departed on the night of November 26, bringing with them a variety of gifts for the children such as warm blankets, coats, wooden rocking horses, swings, and many other presents.

Chieng Khuong has 23 hamlets with 2,779 households of Kinh, Thai, Sinh Mun, and Kho Mu ethnic groups. It is a border commune of Song Ma District with more than 20 kilometers of border adjoining Laos. Thanks to the New Rural Development Program, paved roads have now reached deep into the villages. However, the children’s schools remain underdeveloped and lack basic facilities due to insufficient funding for construction and renovation.

Despite the winding and treacherous 400km journey, which took more than 8 hours by car, the GMO-Z.com RUNSYSTEM charity team remained undeterred. Their desire to bring a playground to children who had never seen a seesaw or a swing—items so familiar to city kids—only fueled their determination to deliver these heartfelt gifts in person.

After more than a month of fundraising, a record amount of nearly 74 million VND was collected and used to implement the following activities:

- Paving 315 m² of concrete yard for the Puong Hamlet school, with a total cost of nearly 40 million VND;

- Donating a children's playground including 2 tire rocking horses, 2 seesaws, and 1 swing set to the Puong Hamlet school;

- Donating 131 warm life jackets to students of Hoa Hong Kindergarten (at Puong and La Hamlets);

- Visiting and presenting 20 warm blankets to 20 impoverished households in Chieng Khuong Commune;

- Donating 18 boxes of clothing, 20 boxes of Ichi rice crackers, and 500 notebooks to underprivileged individuals in Muong Loi Commune, Dien Bien District, Dien Bien Province.

The joyful faces, sparkling eyes, and innocent smiles of the children as they played on the colorful swings and seesaws donated by the team were perhaps the greatest gifts the organizers received during this trip.

GMO-Z.com RUNSYSTEM would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to the generous donors from all across the country. The picture of "Bringing Smiles to the Highlands" continues to be painted with vibrant colors under the blazing sun of a remote borderland. See you again in the next "Bringing Smiles to the Highlands" season!

Some more photos from the "Bringing Smiles to the Highlands 2022" charity trip: