Families growing more food

Due to Covid, most of our families have reduced incomes, and some none at all. This has brought about creative thinking and actions to help them make ends meet. Many of our families are using all the land they own to grow food, with others borrowing land to do this and then giving produce in exchange. 

We really love seeing the effort most of the families are making towards solving this major financial issue.

 

Climate change and flooding

CEF's Thuy Dinh shares about how climate change is affecting our CEF families:

We have to admit that climate change globally has already had observable effects on the environment. Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier in the year, and trees are flowering sooner too. The predicted climate changes are now occurring: loss of sea ice, accelerated rising sea levels, and longer, more intense heat waves. No country is able to avoid natural disasters, including Vietnam. 

Over recent years central Vietnam has witnessed and has been suffering a lot due to bad weather that has resulted in much flood damage and landslides. Although the floods this year were not serious like the year before, CEF had to cancel home visits in order for us staff to stay safe. Moreover, the precipitation focused on the end of year, the most important time for CEF’s families to do farming and cultivation. The rice seedlings, vegetables, peanuts, and other produce got damaged. The families were very upset with this loss, as already their finances had been affected by the lockdowns, businesses shutting down and the restrictions of movement due to Covid-19.

This year is coming to an end. We are hoping that 2022 turns out to be a lot better than 2021! Happy New Year!

(Photos are on the street of one of our students in Dai Loc in October)
 

Creative thinking helping make ends meet

CEF's Thuy Tran shares about this creative family and the efforts they have been making to bring in an income, especially Kieu who was laid off due to the Covid lockdown in Da Nang:

Currently, Kieu and her twin sister stay at their home on the outskirts of Kham Duc town, a mountainous area of Quang Nam. They graduated from university last June and both got jobs in Da Nang city. Unfortunately, Kieu’s company closed down due to the Covid lockdown, so she lost her job last month. Her twin sister luckily can work online from home. So, they decided to go home to reduce their rental costs and help their parents until the lockdown finished. Although their parents have five daughters, they all work or live far from home, so they feel very happy to have the twins at home for a while. Very early each morning, Kieu helps her mother water vegetables, as well as cut some for her mother to sell at their local market. After doing all the housework, she also crochets some products to sell online. 

 

A new sponsorship

CEF's Kim Chi shares about a newly sponsored student:

Duyen is a new student we took into CEF’s education sponsorship program this year starting with grade 10. Not only is she a ‘good’ student but also caring and responsible. Living with her dear mom and grandparents in a remote area since her parents divorced, she is aware of her family’s poverty and tries harder each year with her studies. It is wonderful that she is sponsored to continue her education. Big thanks to CEF’s big sponsor, Mr Richard for making this possible. Here is Duyen’s message she wanted to share when I called to let them know she got sponsorship from CEF. 

‘I am truly thrilled to receive your support which is also of sentimental value, to motivate me to try harder in the future. I cannot choose the family I live with, but I can opt for the way to live. Although my parents divorced when I was three years old, my mother brought me up in her tiny warm hands and gave me all her love. My grandparents love me so much, and they are nearly 90 years old. Being aware of my family’s poverty, I have always try my best to attain good results over the years. My achievements will bring me a better future and also make my family proud of me. From now on, I have you who will accompany me on my pathway, so I really appreciate it. Thank you!’

School is about to start

School is about to start

It's been a strange year or so for our students with some online learning and some class time. Being in class is not what it used to be though, as now there are half the numbers in class and wearing masks. In the play ground all play has to be without close proximity and some schools don't allow play time.

Many more people have asked for help this year as many have been without employment for some time. It's been a hard time on families here, but this is not an unusual picture around the world now, due to Covid. 

We have scholarship and sponsorship students in need of help and if helping a girl to remain in school is of interest please do get in touch. 

Sponsorship costs depend on the grade the girl is in:

Primary US$260 a year

Secondary US$320 a year

High school US$385 a year

Scholarships are for high school students in the mountains near the Vietnam-Laos border and these are for ethnic students, although occasionally we help others when in urgent need of support:

US$200 a year

Reporting on the students is once a year with photos, a message to the sponsor and a report on their year. 

c.e.f.vietnam@gmail.com

Thrilled to be accepted into university

CEF's Kim Chi shares about Anh, one of CEF's high school graduates:

Anh is another student who decided to put in an application to university using her results in math, literature and English over the three years of high school instead of using her final high school exam results. She received the good news in the late evening and couldn’t sleep as she didn’t believe her eyes. She sent me this sweet message:

‘I had mixed feelings of joy and sadness receiving this news.  I had been sad and had been crying on and off as I read earlier in the day that I required a score of 26.95/30 to study Korean as Da Nang University, and my average score in the three subjects was 26.89/30. I had a strong belief that I would be able to pass this course, but unbelievably this year required a higher score!

On the same day, at 11 PM, I got an email from the university confirming that I was accepted into Da Nang University of Foreign Language Studies, to major in Korean, my first choice for my university studies. The first prize I got in the provincial merit competition in history in grade 12 was a credit which went towards my university application.  I was over the moon and wanted to let my parents know right away, but they were sleeping. I couldn’t sleep that night, so I told my elder sister and sent messages to my best friend and CEF. I am still in seventh heaven right now! It is a result of my three-years of effort and a good start for my future.’

Delays of our CEF support programs due to Covid

Sadly due to Covid and social restrictions we are not able this summer to run some programs we had planned on. At CEF we believe our students need support in many ways, not just the education they receive at school.

One of the programs we run each summer is Water Safety Day, where we teach our students all about water and the ocean and how to stay safe in and around it. We also teach them to float and swim and afterwards we take them to the movies. The children love this day for the socializing, food and movie mainly, but they do appreciate learning about the dangers of water and learning how to float and swim.  

Wishing everyone a healthy and fulfilling 2021

 I know worldwide many have had a challenging year, more than most. It is a sad situation to hear of and see the suffering over the last year here due to Covid19, floods and landslides. We have been deeeply touched by all the wonderful support we have received internationally and locally.  We hope for is that 2021 will not see so many suffering. 

Here in Vietnam many suffered due to Covid19, not because they got ill and died, as deaths were very few and only from the second bout, but due to the results of our very strict social distancing rules and the gradual stopping of international flights, reducing tourism to just some local domestic tourism. It has meant large scale unemployment with many reinventing themselves, to find a way to bring in an income to support their families. The employment situation now is a little better with some having low incomes and domestic tourism has increased and consequently more restaurants, cafes, homestays and hotels have reopened. Sadly too late for many which shut down permantently and have been on the market for six months or more.

Tropical storms brought flooding and landslides with many in low lying lands and in the mountains losing their homes and all worldly possessions. They now are trying to start life from scratch, which is hardest on the middle aged and elderly. 

We at CEF are incredibly grateful for the wonderful support we have received to help bring relief to those suffering. We received funds to give families who needed support during a time of no income due to Covid19 and Covid lockdowns. We received flood and disaster relief funds for those in the mountains and low lying plains to help with damage to their homes or to help give temporary shelter 

and later to give towards their new permanent homes.

                                    

We are most grateful for all the care we received to help others less fortunate, when things have not been easy for many of you too. Thank you so much.

The support of sponsors and donors has been wonderful and without your help very little would have been possible over this year. Girls stayed in school, and we had none drop out even though things were tough for their families. Being sponsored and having Covid support during the toughest months made a world of difference. 

Thank you to all who have helped in various ways over this last year which includes my board, advisors and volunteers as well as all the local people who raised funds too. Together we can make a big difference. Thank you.  

We all wish you a healthy, fulfilling and good 2021,

Linda

Linda Hutchinson-Burn, the CEF staff and CEF management

Children's Education Foundation - Vietnam