She wants to be an athletics coach ~ Guest blog by CEF's Ms Vy

While most of her classmates want to be teachers, doctors or engineers in the future, Ly wants to be an athletics coach. It’s a passion of hers. ‘I find that running helps me to be healthy and brings me alive. My body feels different as if it has more energy.’ Since grade ten, she has won medals for running at school and in district athletic competitions.

With her love of this sport she wants to inspire the younger generation to run and recommends running to her relatives and friends. ‘Anyone can do it anytime, anywhere’, she told us. She is in her last year of high school and is working hard to make her dream come true.

Making up natural sanitary kits ~ Guest blog by CEF's Ms Ngoc

This morning CEF staff and a volunteer, Mrs Minh, put natural sanitary kits together to bring to our CEF students and other students in Phuoc Son district this weekend. The kits are a wonderful donation from Mrs Sarah (Days For Girls) to these very poor girls who can only occasionally afford to buy sanitary towels. Using these natural kits is good for their health but also very economical. They can reuse them many times as long as they wash them carefully and dry them under the sun. I think for sure the girls will appreciate them.

Thank you so much to Mrs Sarah for donating all the parts for these practical and useful kits and for caring about the CEF girls.

About CEF students letters ~ Guest blog by CEF's Ms Thuy

At this time of year at CEF we receive many letters from our students that they have written for their sponsors. In these letters most of them wrote about their summer holiday. Although many students helped their families with the housework, farming or with the family business, they enjoyed their summer with their families, friends and neighbours.
Translating these letters is part of our work and we always enjoy reading their letters because it not only helps us to know about their lives more, but also brings back our own childhood memories.

Period Poverty ~ Guest blog by CEF's Australian manager Graeme

 I read this recently, "Struggling to afford sanitary products is just another burden for low-income women - who are normally the ones taking care of everyone else too."

The article reported on girls missing school during menstruation because they didn't have anything but rags or newspaper to use. Poor rural girls and women struggling to feed their families and unable to afford what we take for granted to bring some freedom and dignity to their lives? No. This was is Scotland.

It brought to mind the high school girls in central Viet Nam CEF supports. Girls from ethnic minorities who are supported by the government to attend school but whose allowances aren't even enough for education supplies or extra tuition sessions. As they come from poor families their parents can't provide enough funds for these education extras or for breakfast or personal items such as sanitary pads.  A US$200 annual scholarship make a big difference to each girl, apart from reducing the risk of them being taken out of school, it provides them with funds for extra tuition sessions and school supplies.

This Sunday, October 8th we'll be taking sanitary kits, including washable pads, to the girls in the Phuoc Son Scholarship Program.  These colourful and practical kits were donated by 'Days for Girls' and will ensure they don't miss any days of school.

*Guardian 9/8/17