A need for bikes ~ Guest blog by CEF's Ms Ngoc

 

It is necessary for students to have a means of transport to get to school, as is the case with our CEF children. There are several children who are living far from school and it normally takes them about 30 minutes to cycle to school. However, they are too poor to afford good bikes. They sometimes go with their friends or use very old ones which takes them longer. When they arrive at school, they are totally exhausted. For young kids whose parents cannot take them to school, they usually stand on the edge of the road and ask for a lift from people they know and don’t know.  This is a dangerous situation because they may be kidnapped or abused by those people. CEF is raising funds for 25 girls urgently in need of bikes and we believe that US$100 for one bike, with security chain and lock, light, basket, bell and helmet, not only helps girls get to school much more effortlessly and safely, but also for some, they will be able to study better as they won’t be exhausted.

Art work by some of CEF's primary school children

Many of our young CEF students haven't learned to write a letter, so instead they do drawings

for their sponsors. 

The student who drew the pandas loves them and hope to see them one day.

 The student who drew the doctors working, really admires doctors. 

She drew her fellow students sweeping the school yard.

These are the artist's parents cleaning their front yard.

A simpe and essential need has been fulfilled ~ a new bathroom

 Recently I posted on Facebook that we needed funds to help make a bathroom possible for this CEF student as she has recently been orphaned and then was left living on her own. She was very vulnerable considering she had no wash room and no bathroom and no one to protect her.
Thanks to donations from Zoe and Jacqui towards the costs of building a bathroom, she now has one. She is thrilled as this is the first time in her life she has had a bathroom and we are thrilled for her too!

 Toilet

 Shower and tap

Side of bathroom with water tank on top.

Humans of Children's Education Foundation ~ 1st post ~ translated by CEF's Thuy Tran

Many of you will have seen or read Humans of New York. We are doing some posts that our CEF children have written. So here is the first post on the Humans of Children's Education Foundation.
Our first human is Duong, and this is translated by Thuy Tran:
"I live in a poor mountainous area of Quang Nam and study at a high school downtown. I go to school with my friends by bicycle twice a day, in the morning for the main classes, and in the afternoon for the compulsory tuition sessions. It usually takes me thirty minutes from home to school if I ride as fast as I can, or forty-five minutes if I ride more slowly. By talking to my friends on the way, I feel the trip to school is much shorter. I also enjoy going to school by bike as I have a chance to do exercise and it’s good for my health. Since my brother went to university two years ago, he left his bike for me to use. I really like it as is both cool and in good condition. It hasn’t broken down at all since I started using it, so I haven’t been late for school. "

About a CEF university student ~ Guest blog by Graeme, CEF's Australia manager (in Vietnam at present)

T is in her second year at university studying IT. This year has been a struggle for her because she contracted dengue fever and was still suffering from headaches when I met her a few weeks ago. She works as a volunteer in a blood donation organisation and it was when she tried to give blood that she discovered she had dengue. Her parents are too poor to contribute to her university costs and her  brother and cousin borrowed the money needed for her treatment. Despite her ordeal she was bright and cheerful and keen to resume the English course she had to give up because of her illness. All university students in Viet Nam are now required to attain a TOEIC certificate of English competence before they graduate and she told me she wanted to complete this as soon as possible so she has more time for the essentials of her course in years 3 and 4. Without the generous help of her sponsor, Brian, T would not be at university.

About two of CEF's university students from an ethnic community in Phuoc Son

This CEF second university student is studying to be a biology teacher. It has been hard for her for many reasons, such as having never lived away from home, or in a large city, Vietnamese not being her first language as she is from an ethnic community, and having to live far from her family who are in the mountains outside of Phuoc Son.
She has adapted well and each term her results have been improving. It's been a huge change for her and we are proud of her and how well she is doing considering the challenges.

Life is challenging for this CEF university student, who is determined to do whatever she can to stay in university although she has not been doing well. Her parents who have many children with three of them in school still, thought they could help support her with her living costs, but they can't. So she took a part time job working 5 hours each evening to try and make ends meet. Then she tried to study late at night after work. She got ill, spent some time in hospital and missed lectures and study.

She has now stopped the job to make sure she can care for herself more and have study time for the forthcoming exams and then will return to working part time once they are over and full time through the summer and save for the following year. CEF will provide further support for her living costs. We admire her determination to be university educated in such a challenging situation. 

Event in Hoi An to support Children's Education Foundation

On April 22nd there will be an event to support Children's Education Foundation. Hoi An Social club has organized the event at Hoi An Silk Senses.

The first of the two vouchers is for two nights accommodation for two in a deluxe room at Hoi An Silk Marina including breakfast. The other is a private three hour vegan cooking class for one using local fresh vegetables with an experienced cooking teacher.

More vouchers are on their way and I look forward to sharing the good news.     

About home visits

Today we were in the mountains doing home visits. These visits are a delight usually as we love catching up face to face with the children and families. Sometimes they are challenging as we need to speak sternly with the children about doing sufficient home work. 

We go by motorbike to some homes, but by car to most as they are mainly far away from the office. We sometimes have to walk a while to get to them, past farms and rice fields. 

Most families although poor, are very generous, and provide water or tea and yesterday one family had snacks available and lunch for us too.

We do the updates with both the child and a parent or grandparent or who ever the main person is who cares for them. We finish by taking photos to send to their sponsors with their annual update.