In the Central Highlands’ Bahnar communities, a practice known as “dọ tơm amí” once allowed newborns to be buried with their mothers if the women died during or after childbirth.
The custom persisted until 2012, when Đinh Nay Huỳnh, a resident of Tung Ke village in Al Bá commune, intervened to save the life of a seven-month-old fetus after its mother, Đinh Hem, suffered fatal pesticide poisoning.
On 21 April 2012, villagers found Hem unconscious in a field. Defying local beliefs about Yàng, the deity, Huỳnh rushed her to the hospital. Although Hem died, doctors saved the baby girl, later named Đinh Nay Thương.
Facing strong opposition from villagers who sought to carry out the burial custom, Huỳnh protected the child and sought help from authorities to end the practice. Over time, the custom was abolished in Tung Ke.
Now 13, Thương studies at Phan Đăng Lưu Semi-Boarding Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities. She credits Huỳnh, whom she calls “Mother Huỳnh,” for raising her, taking her to school, caring for her when sick, and teaching her reading, writing and moral values.
After leaving school in ninth grade due to family hardship, Huỳnh attended a local teacher-training course before returning to work in Ayun commune.
Between 2000 and 2015, she assisted vulnerable women and children as Chairwoman of the former Ayun Commune Women’s Union. After retirement, she turned her dream of “sowing the seeds of knowledge” into a grassroots initiative.
Since 2019, from her small home in Tung Ke, she has run a free class for primary-school children. The program offers lessons for grades 1 to 5 twice daily during summer and in the evenings during the school year. Beyond literacy, Huỳnh teaches life skills, moral education, and self-care, while also cooking meals to create a nurturing environment.
Local parents, many of whom work long hours in the fields, say the classes give their children educational opportunities they cannot otherwise afford. “Thanks to this class, my child not only learns to read and write but also how to live well,” said Đinh Vôl, whose son Bao is a regular attendee.
Al Bá Commune Vice Chairman Trịnh Xuân Thuận praised Huỳnh’s role in ending harmful customs and supporting children. He said her initiative has become a model for community-based care and hoped it would be replicated across more villages.
