Vietnam has made impressive progress towards universal access to education for children. However, there are still vast improvements to be made for ethnic minority children living in remote areas.
Many schools in these areas aren’t equipped with the teachers and supplies needed to deliver a quality education to their students. Others operate in unsafe buildings or on unsecure premises which are threatened by dangerous wildlife.
This is the story of a single school in Ong, Vietnam, which was transformed from a simple shed into a thriving learning experience for children.
Children go to school in a shed
In Hoa Binh province, children in Ong village only had access to a one-room school that was very run-down and considered unsafe. Ong satellite school consisted of a one-room building shared by children of different ages and education levels. When it rained, children who attended the school would get wet and the dirt floor would turn to mud. When it stormed the wind would shake the whole building, making it very difficult for children to concentrate on learning.
How did ChildFund improve the learning experience for children in Ong?
To improve the education opportunities for children in Ong village, ChildFund supported the construction of a new school. The school was funded by insurance company Hanwha Life Vietnam in partnership with ChildFund Korea and ChildFund Vietnam.
Ong satellite school now consists of five classrooms, toilet blocks and playgrounds. The total area is 2,300 square metres, in which the classrooms and functional rooms account for 315 square metres, and the rest of the area is saved for a big playground and shaded trees for the kids to enjoy.
“Ong village is about four kilometres away from the commune centre where the primary school is located but due to difficult terrain and transportation, it is very difficult for children to walk to school every day,” says Mrs Dinh Thi Hanh Quyen, Headmaster of Nam Phong primary school. “For years, we have only had one degraded classroom and often we could hold only one combined class for children under eight years old. Thanks to this newly built school, we can now arrange a full option of classes for about 100 children in the village to attend in this new school year.”
An education requires more than a building
Apart from building the new school, ChildFund also has provided the necessary teaching and learning equipment to get it well prepared to receive students in the coming school year. More entertaining facilities have also been installed in the playground so that the young children can fully enjoy their time when going to school.
“We hope that the newly built Ong satellite school will not only provide the children with a good learning environment but also pave the way for them to achieve their dreams towards a better future,” says Mr Back Jong Kook, General Director of Hanwha Life Vietnam. “Providing financial support to this project has helped reflect on our mission, which is about life insurance products and the way we can help the Vietnamese people plan their future and make their dreams come true.”
What is the impact of these projects upon teaching and learning in Vietnam?
Ong satellite school is one of seven schools that have been newly built in Vietnam over the past year, thanks to support from ChildFund sponsors and donors. ChildFund has also provided teacher training and learning materials to many other community primary and kindergarten schools.
More than 17,000 children in three provinces of Vietnam have benefitted from this support.
If you would like to support our efforts to improve access to quality education in Vietnam, there’s a few ways you can contribute:
- Sponsor a child: Our child sponsorship program supports a child in need by providing them with school supplies and other day to day essentials, such as food and healthcare.
- Sponsor a community: Our child-focused community development projects provide assets to improve the livelihoods of all who live the communities where we work.
- Donate Gifts for Good: The range of charity gifts in our Gifts for Good catalogue includes library books, study desks, school bags and other items that will enhance a child’s learning experience.
Why is it important to give? Because every child has a right to an education, and every child needs a childhood.
When I first made the trip to visit Thanh in Vietnam it was January 2001 and I was just 22 years old. I had spent the last two months travelling around Europe and South-east Asia but I knew my trip wouldn`t be complete without visiting the little guy that I`d been sponsoring for a few years.
Three of my travelling buddies and I drove the two hour drive from Hanoi to Hoa Binh province in northern Vietnam; which was an adventure in itself! When we arrived in the main town we had to leave our car there and walk to where Thanh lived in the rural part of the province as the roads were not viable for our car.
We spent our time speaking with Thanh`s parents and playing with a 6-year old Thanh and his younger sister. Back then their home was a basic four-walled mud dwelling with storage in one corner and a sink in another; I am still not sure where all four of them slept. We gave the kids balloons to play with, which they very much enjoyed and some koala bears, an animal they had never seen before. We all had such a great time.
I am now 35 years old and that visit to meet Thanh and his family was more than 12 years ago. Since then I have travelled the world, I have run multiple businesses and my value system has altered but my sponsorship of Thanh has remained a constant in my life. It really has been such an amazing thing to watch Thanh grow from a little boy into a confident young man.
So when I found out that Thanh would be graduating school this year, which meant he would be coming off the sponsorship program I knew I had to get back to Vietnam to see him one last time.
After months of planning the day of my visit finally arrived. As we pulled in to town I noticed a few changes to the community straight away; besides the many new buildings which lined the town`s main thoroughfare, there had been huge improvements to the roads. Instead of walking to meet Thanh and his family like last trip, we only had a short drive out of town.
I met Thanh and his mother at the local government office, which at first struck me as odd, but I realised that this is actually indicative of a wider progression within ChildFund that I am very happy about €“ ChildFund as an organisation has grown and has become well integrated with the local government in Hoa Binh province. It was wonderful to see how involved ChildFund Vietnam is with the community and how well respected the organisation is for its contributions.
My time with Thanh and his mother was quite overwhelming; it was such an emotional day for all of us. I had not seen them in such a long time and it was Thanh`s 18th birthday. We just chatted, and chatted and chatted. I will never forget that day.
It was great to see him healthy and so happy that he had graduated from school. Thanh told me he was looking for a job with the Vietnamese security force (equivalent to our police force) which is a well-respected profession in Vietnam. You could see just how proud his mother was of him.
They also told me about all the wonderful improvements sponsorship has brought to their lives. The ChildFund program helped Thanh and his family build a new, more secure home for themselves, both Thanh and his younger sister have had the chance to continue their education and Thanh`s mother was also helped by ChildFund Vietnam to expand her buffalo business. It would seem she was quite the entrepreneur and with ChildFund`s support grew her business so she could breed and sell buffaloes at the local markets to supplement the family`s farming income.
Tragically just a few weeks ago ChildFund Vietnam`s local project staff contacted me to inform me that Thanh`s mother was struck by lightning and passed away. She was such a strong lady who had a vibrant and lively personality, I knew her passing would be felt by all who knew her. We spoke a lot over the years, especially when Thanh was younger it was her that wrote all the letters so I found it very hard to hear about her death but I am very thankful I got to see her before it happened.
When I first met Thanh he was just a little boy, I could pick him up and now he is 18 and taller than me! Thanh and his family have been in my life for such a long time it is hard to think of his mother gone and that I don`t sponsor him anymore but I am very happy that he has graduated school and is on such a positive life path.
As I reflect on my time sponsoring Thanh and his family, I`ve come to believe that what sponsorship does for children and their families is give them the opportunity to grow, an opportunity they probably would not have had otherwise. I`ve also realised that my sponsorship has not only benefitted them but my life too; it has taught me a lot over the years, it has been a wonderful long-term commitment for myself and I know that I will never forget the connection I have shared with Thanh and his family.
