A little about 2017

2017
Sharing 2017
Some pictures and information 

 Part of a food parcel for a family with three children at home still. Dad does whatever work he can do and mum helps look after the children when she is well enough with is about 3-4 half days a week. 

These two are extroverts. Mum is shy ad dad very shy as she can't hear as his hearing mysteriously stopped and no medical professionals know why. 

One of wonderfully bright and hard working students with photos from her sponsor. Dad is a farmer and mum does some domestic chores but cant do much due to poor health. She has had several heart surgeries.

Sanitary kits ready to make up. These were a gift from Days for Girls. The staff made them up and we gave them to many ethnic girls up near the Vietnam-Laos border who were thrilled to receive them as this will save them money that they can't afford to spend on sanitary products.

Most of the students at the last Water Safety Day. We run these important days every summer. Important as they save lives and this day has saved the life of one CEF child already.

Workshops are to provide our students with useful information to help them with their lives. This was a workshop on Communication Skills which we feel are important skills to have in relationship, in work and in life. Here they are tangled and need to disentangle without any words.

Above in the workshop they were asked as small groups to have only 3 legs on the floor in total or only 2 and had to cooperate with each other without words.

A little about 2017:
It has been a wonderful, rich, interesting, fulfilling and very full year.

Our staff:
We have had our four wonderful staff working really hard and conscientiously through the year. One of the staff was off on maternity leave for some of the year and the other three carried on with their work and shard hers. They were amazing.
It also is lovely to have the CEF family growing.
Two staff married in the last year.
One staff gave birth to a lovely little girl.
One staff is pregnant.

Our children and families:
We have many children in school in Quang Nam and some students in Da Nang.
Officially in Thai Binh there no longer are poor students, so officially we no longer work in Thai Binh or with Thai Binh students.
Many of our students are amazing in sad situations and we can't even imagine how they manage to do so well.
Some are not doing wonderful academically but they are in school, learning and less vulnerable than being at a loose end.

Our needs:
At the close of the year we see there are a few things we need:
Two new staff
And a new office as the present one will be too small with two new staff
Funds to pay new staff and for a office rental
Some cameras for our Creative Photography project

We are blessed for sure:
We have been very blessed with amazing support from sponsors and donors, volunteers, other supporters, partner organizations and board members.

We are most grateful for all the amazing support we receive that makes it possible to help all the children and families that we work with here in Vietnam.

Thank you to all of you and may 2018 be a wonderful year for you all,
Linda

Founding Director and In-Country Manager - Vietnam

Holiday Greetings!

Holiday greetings to all our CEF friends, volunteers, supporters, donors, sponsors, advisors and board members.

We appreciate the support you have given and continue to give, as it all makes a difference in the lives of the girls and families we work with in Vietnam. When poor even a little help can make a difference and an education makes a big difference and changes their lives and opens many doors.

Thank you and may you all have a wonderful holiday season.
Linda

Linda Burn
Founding Director and In-Country Manager
Children's Education Foundation

(Photo by photographer John Cushion)

Colourful art work of a little CEF primary child

A letter from one of our CEF students to her sponsor ~ Guest blog by CEF's Ms Thuy

CEF's Ms Thuy shares some of the letter of one of our students:
‘Dang’, a grade 9 student in our sponsorship program lives with her parents and younger brother in a small mountainous village. Her mother is a labourer, her father almost always stays on his bed because he had a stroke and now has many health issues, and her brother is a grade four student.

This term, ‘Dang’ shared in her letter ‘Now, I am on summer holiday. I really appreciate that I have this vacation each year as I have more time to spend with my parents, and share their happiness and sorrows. During the school year I was so busy with my studies at school, compulsory classes and extra tuition classes that I didn’t have much time to help my mother with housework, or talk with or look after my father. I know he is very sad. This summer, I spent less time with my peers in my village but more time with my family. Besides helping my mother around the house, every day I spend more time to talk to and help my father’.

Wonderful to have CEF's Ms Kim Chi back at work!

CEF's Ms Kim chi has been on maternity leave and is now back at work. We are all thrilled to have her back with us as we missed not having her lovely energy around us. We now also have a new healthy and beautiful CEF family member!