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international and community development in Vietnam

Project Update: It’s a Wrap! Cycle 1 of Vocational Training Comes to an End

June 8th, 2012

Four months ago, a group of 30 Vietnamese youth arrived at the doors of the A Dong vocational school in Saigon (HCMC), hungry for an education and a shot at a stable livelihood. None of these youth really knew each other. Some were from right in the city, passing through A Dong’s school gates for the very first time; others came from distant villages. All were looking forward to a change in their lives, and all formed the first cohort of VNHELP’s new pilot vocational project, which aims to train disadvantaged youth to become skilled motorbike mechanics.

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Education Brief: Why Build A School in Vietnam?

June 6th, 2012

Building schools where needed

According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Vietnam has made major progress in education in recent years. Official figures estimate that enrollment rates in primary education have reached near universal levels, such that more children are receiving an education now than ever before.

But in our view, any one child out of school is still one child too many.

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Program Update: Hello from the Thien An Kids!

June 6th, 2012

As mentioned in yesterday’s post, VNHELP also partners with the Thien An Institute in Can Tho to help orphans, street kids and children with difficult family circumstances. Like at Dieu Giac, each of these children are connected to a kind-hearted sponsor in the U.S. or a different country from abroad. They send letters, correspondence, photos and sometimes even get a chance to meet in person. Thank you again to our VNHELPer, Dang Le, who brought back a packet of photos for us which we’ve scanned to share with you all. And of course, thank you to the wonderful philanthropists and sponsors who are making a difference in these children’s lives. The slide show below is just a small selection of some of the children who are currently being helped through the program.

[slideshow]

Program Update: Say Hello to the Dieu Giac Kids

June 5th, 2012

Since 2006, VNHELP has partnered with the Dieu Giac Orphanage in HCMC (Saigon) to provide a warm, nourishing environment to orphans and street children in Vietnam. Through our Sponsor A Child Program, we connect a compassionate donor from the U.S. to a child in need of support in Vietnam. Some of these children are orphans, some are street kids and some are admitted on a special basis when their families are unable to continue giving them proper care. We sponsor over a hundred children annually at both Dieu Giac and our additional partner, the Thien An Institute. One of our very dedicated VNHELPers, Dang Le, just returned from a personal trip to Vietnam andwas gracious enough to bring back a few photos of the kids currently sponsored through VNHELP for us. Say hello to some of the children below.

[slideshow]

Economic Update: A Snapshot of Vietnam’s Macroeconomic Situation

May 25th, 2012

When you’re dedicated to poverty reduction and community development, it’s important to keep up with the latest economic headlines. Economics, poverty, and development often go hand-in-hand, whether it’s through creating stable employment or through sculpting an ecosystem that gives budding entrepreneurs a chance to start their own enterprises. The relationship between the three isn’t always simple, but they’re all highly dependent on one another.

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