Why there are so many illiterate adults in their 40's and 50's

I had an interesting talk with a Vietnamese friend. I asked her why she thought so many of the parents of the children we help are illiterate. She told me even though there were some teachers who were brave enough to continue to teach through the war, many children weren't brave enough to go to school.

She told me she had always had a rebellious spirit and loved school so she was determined to go every day even though bombs were dropped near her often. She wore a military helmet to protect her head and a heavy jacket to protect her body on the way to school and back.

Her older siblings all left school and went to work. She too was asked by her family to leave school and work, but she loved school so much that she went to school and then to work.

She also told me that many families had years when they were on the move the whole time trying to avoid the fighting and to try and make a living. Many families needed all their children to work too, to try and make ends meet during this period of time.

12 children waiting for interviews

This is Sanh, the only boy of the 12 children waiting for interviews. He lives with his grandmother, disabled aunt and his mother in his uncles home as they don't have a home. His mothers income of $35 a month doesn't go far enough.

This term has only recently started and we already have been asked to start helping twelve children with their education costs next term. When I read about these children it reminded me of how so many struggle to cover even some of the basics, let alone education.

Some of the children we will be interviewing are Thuy who is cared for by her elderly grandmother. Trinh only has one living relative; her mother who has poor health and when she can work earns 10 cents a day. Suong lives with her mother and little sister; both have poor health and mum works as hired labor when she can. Mai's father is mentally unwell and mum's income isn't enough to care for them. Nga lives with her mother, two sibling and ill grandmother and mum can't earn enough. Thuong's mum has cancer and can't work much any more and is trying to support two children. And so the stories go on....

Bandages for parents and grandparents of children in one of our education programs who are affected by leprosy

We have 14 children in one of our education programs in Danang and 12 of them have parents or grandparents affected by leprosy. The D.O.V.E. Fund sent us beautifully made bandages and stump caps that were made by some of their knitters. Today we handed them over and they were gratefully received.

Hien has just been sponsored through Go Philanthropic

Go Philanthropic (www.gophilanthropic.org) have found sponsors for many of our children in need of educational sponsorship and now they have found a sponsor for little Hien.

Hien's father died and her mother remarried and was not able to take her only child into the new marriage. Hien's granny who care for her makes very little sewing shoes. It's wonderful news that this little one is now sponsored!

Van is now so beautiful and alive knowing she can finish school

Van who was sponsored about a week ago is in the last year of her schooling and without help she can't complete it or get the extra tuition required to get all the information one needs to pass exams.

I wanted to share that we visited Van yesterday and this sweet girl, who I also thought was nice-looking, has now become radiantly happy due to having this support. I wanted to show you how she is also  beautiful and has twinkling eyes now that she knows she can complete her schooling.

I found it quite overwhelming what a difference this news can make to a child who really wants an education and a better future than her mother and siblings.

Dieu is now sponsored

 

Dieu's parents drowned when she was very young. She showed us at the beach outing in the summer that she loved water and had no fear of it at all; we were thrilled about that.   

Dieu is now sponsored due to an interesting organization called 'Thought Threads' (www.thoughtthreads.org). Their goal is to subsidize education of third-world students who can't afford it by generating revenue through an e-commerce platform. They plan on featuring aspiring brands, designers and their own work on their website to generate revenue. 'Thought Threads' wants to make educational dreams become reality. 

They not only collaborates with fashion brands but also are collaborating with Children’s Education Foundation - Vietnam. Dieu is the first child they are helping to have a full education!

Alex of Oriental Heritages Travel

Alex of Oriental Heritages Travel came to visit our office and talk to us about our work, especially our educational sponsorships. His travel company Oriental Heritages Travel (www.orientalheritages.com) is based in Ho Chi Minh City and specializes in boutique travel for small groups, couples and families. He is also the in-country provider of the services for Go Philanthropic (www.gophilanthropic.com), a philanthropic travel company based in New York,  who are very supportive of our need for sponsors and have found many for us in the last year.

Alex hopes to introduce philanthropic-minded individuals to Children's Education Foundation.

Van is sponsored now and this is will make a big difference for her and her family

Van has been sponsored! She is in grade 12 and this is her last year of schooling. Thank you Tracey for helping her to stay in school and to be able to complete it too! Van's parents will be thrilled as both have poor health, are able to earn little and have the responsibility of caring for their married, but blind daughter, their son-in-law who also is blind, and their grandchild.
 
It is hardest to find sponsors for the older girls like Van. Their families need help with education costs the most at this stage as they are the largest in the final years, especially in the last year.  To do well also means children need to pay for extra tuition which is usually $110 a year on top of their school fees and school related costs. For poor farming families struggling to just feed themselves this is unaffordable.


Van is a bright young lady, so this is wonderful news for her. She now will be able to complete school and have extra tuition, and if she does well enough, maybe will be able to do some further studies in the near future too!

Thuy Hang has just been sponsored this evening

Thuy Hang has just  (literally just, as it was about half an hour ago) been sponsored by a lovely lady and her daughter. The mothers emails have been very touching. She has a daughter she adopted of Vietnamese heritage and her daughter wanted to sponsor a girl her own age in Vietnam. Neither girls have fathers. 

Thuy Hang's mother has poor health and a brain tumor and works hard as a garbage collector each day. She naturally worries about the future of her daughter.

In the morning it will be wonderful to be able to pass on this news to Thuy Hangs mother. She will be able to relax and be relieved a little  knowing that her daughter has a sponsor to help her through school and pay for all her school related costs.