It's wonderful that this CEF student has a sponsor to help her study law

She comes from a poor community up near the Vietnam-Laos border where few students graduate from high school with good grades, where very few go onto university and where there are not many work opportunities.  This young lady has thought about her future for some years, about what would give her a good income and allow her to live and work near her parents so she can help look after them as they age.

Today I learned the exciting news that she has a sponsor to support her to study law and now she can fulfil her dream of becoming a lawyer.

At her university those studying Law will choose the specific type of law in the final year (year four) based on which department / field they will work. She said she wants to choose Administrative Law because she can then can work in her hometown. Firstly, she will apply to the people committee office as a officer, then if she has the skills they require she would then be promoted to the court of the district and become a local court lawyer. 

She has many employment opportunities as one can see from her university’s training objectives:

The Faculty has, since its foundation, trained a large number of bachelor graduates majoring in administrative law to meet the human resources requirements of the State’s administrative agencies such as the People's Committees at all levels, professional departments under the People's Committees and the law enforcement agencies such as the People's Court , People's Procuracy, law offices,  local and international law firms, and Human Resources departments in companies.

She has chosen wisely and we are sure she will do well as she is hard-working and did well in school. We look forward to seeing her fulfil her dream of becoming a lawyer.   

An education makes a big difference to a girl, it gives choices

When poverty is the reason for not attending school, it is a bleak picture for the girl as she will have little choice about her future. The girl is very likely to end up doing what her mother does whether rice farming, collecting garbage or recyclable materials, sweeping streets or selling drinks in a small homemade stall outside their home.

An education gives her choices. The standard to work for a factory has increased and it is essential to be a high school graduate. That may be the worst job she can do after completing high school.  But as awful as that may sound she will receive benefits and a regular income. She has the chance to better herself too with hard work and sometimes may be requested to do some further studies with both giving her a higher income and more 'status'.

A girl with a university education has even more choices, an endless variety as long as she didn't study something that there is no need for.

At present we have many students in need of sponsorship with some needing university sponsorships. The first four girls below need university sponsorships and the last four need school sponsorships.

If you would like to take on a sponsorship for school or for university please get in touch: cef.vn.usa@gmail.com

   

This CEF student is in need of a sponsor for the remaining four years of school

V needs a committed sponsor for her to continue her education and complete the last four years as her father can't earn enough to cover this cost. Mum has died, dad has poor health and works when well enough. To find work he has to travel to a large city as where he lives in the countryside there is rarely any work.

When dad goes away she has to look after herself, with various relatives from the area staying the night with her, so she is not alone at night. When dad goes away to work she is very sad although she knows it is essential to do that to afford their food and household bills.

V's sponsorship for 2017-2018 is US$320. We hope you can sponsor her and if so please get in touch: cef.vn.usa@gmail.com

One of our CEF students is in need of a sponsor to take them through university

K wishes to study Chain Supply Management, which seems a practical and realistic choice, but she needs a sponsor to help her to be able to attend university.

She was thrilled to get accepted at the university of her choice and to do the course of her choice.  It's a university with a very good reputation. K wants to find a good job in a reputable company in Da Nang city after graduation.  

During this summer holiday to help cover her personal costs while going to university, she has been working in a local 'com' rice restaurant.

K was born into a poor family of 6 and is lucky to have parents. Her family home is in Phuoc Son district, a mountainous area in Quang Nam near the Vietnam-Laos border.

In 2012, they had a new small concrete house built with funding provided by the Labour Union of Quang Nam province. Once they had a stable home they were removed from the 'Poor Household' list and moved to 'Nearly Poor Household' list which means although they are poor, they now only have free medical insurance.

Her father works as a security man for the Education Department of the District. He earns US$150 monthly. After working there, he comes home to farm. Her mother is a farmer. Although she has high blood pressure, she still works very hard. She plants rice for eating and grows vegetables for the family and for selling. Most days, she can earn about US$5 from selling vegetable at the local market.

Her parents didn't complete secondary school but they believe that a good education will give  their children a better future so they try their best to support their children’s education. They don't earn enough to send their youngest two daughters, who are twins, to university, K being one of them.

Although K is saving to cover her personal costs and will work while at university, and her parents will get a loan to cover her accommodation costs, she still needs a sponsor to cover her university fees, related charges and study supplies. She only needs a sponsorship of US$400 each year for 4 years.

Please get in touch if you can help her: cef.vn.usa@gmail.com 

Proud CEF parents

Sometimes we feel like the parents of our CEF children. When they overcome obstacles, do well in school or at something challenging we feel very proud of them.

At present we have many students who have recently graduated from high school which we are thrilled about. They all have challenging family situations and to make it this far is a wonderful achievement and we are very proud of them all.

 One girl stands out.  T has had a challenging life and childhood. She and her mother lived in a shack in the countryside where men tried to break in at night, then they moved and built a shack on the edge of Hoi An where mum felt safer. The government gave them a small grant and they borrowed some money and were then able to build a very small solid home. Her mother has done whatever she can to earn money and for many years did heavy labouring work until her health started to suffer. Since then she has made rice porridge, made small lanterns with brightly coloured threads and tried raising a sow, enabling her to have a small income, but not enough to put her daughter through school.

T has been sponsored by a kind sponsor through Go Philanthropic, enabling her to continue and finish her education. They are most grateful for this support which enabled her to continue her education but also take extra tuition sessions and summer English lessons last year.

She has done very well in her final year, final exams and her university entrance exams. She has not only been accepted to possibly the best university in Vietnam, but also has been given two grants for the four years of studies which mean she does not need to worry about any aspect of her education.

That is quite an achievement from a girl who could have easily surrendered to a life like her mothers, but we are so happy to say she didn't. Being sponsored was a big part of the picture enabling her to receive a good education with the extra educational support she needed, but also her strong spirit is part of the picture too. It's been wonderful and heart-warming to see her do so well and become a lovely well-educated young lady.  University starts in three weeks and she is preparing for the move to and change of living in a large city.

We are very happy about her success and very proud of her and wish her well with the next stage in her education and life.
 

School is starting soon and CEF has many students in need of scholarships

School starts soon and we have committed to helping many girls from near the Vietnam-Laos border to staying in high school, but to keep our commitment we need people like you to help them. US$200, approximately the cost of five dinners out for one, will keep one of them in school for another year. At this stage in their lives this makes a huge difference.

Why:
Minority tribes are targeted by traffickers as most parents and grandparents of the girls are uneducated
Near the border the girls are vulnerable to being trafficked
Illegal marriage at 14 or 15 is normal
Having first babies at 14 or 15 is considered normal too
Carrying on the family tradition of farming is expected by most families although they themselves can't make ends meet and support their children
Alcoholism is a problem due to the sad situation of poverty generation after generation
Most are trying to keep it together on a day to day basis and they can't see into the future and what is possible
Their children need the opportunity to complete high school, then they are more employable and they have managed by then to avoid a lot of the above happening to them
 
Below are photos of few of the many girls in need of a scholarship. Please get in touch if you would like to take out a scholarship. cef.vn.usa@gmail.com

  

Time with our newest board member

CEF's newest board member, Robert, lives up in the beautiful Berkshire mountains in Massachusetts.
We had some valuable time together discussing many aspects of CEF. His experience in management, NGO work, living in a developing country, and being on boards is valuable and the meetings together were extremely beneficial. I feel very grateful to have him on our board.

 

Budgeting Workshops

Twice a year  and sometimes more we run simple half day budgeting sessions for a few CEF students at a time enabling us to work with them individually on their university budgets.

We believe it is crucial for our high school graduates and university students to have a grasp of financial literacy as without it they can not manage their money and can't manage to make their funds last while in university. We have had students be so cautious that they lived off instant noodles and vegetables and consequently they have no problem with making their funds last. On the other hand some have seen delicious street food in the streets near by their accommodation and instead of cooking have dined well and been puzzled when their funds have run out.

In the sessions they mainly learn through shopping games and then apply those principles to their personal budgets for university. Some easily grasp budgeting and others don't. Some students are invited to attend the workshops more than once to help them deepen their understanding of budgeting.

Photos are from the most recent July Budgeting Workshop