Give the Gift of Education: Empower a Child

This Season of Giving, you can double your impact by helping some of the great NGOs on OneVietnam Network with their matching grant challenges. As part of a holiday special, the NGOs are sharing their thoughts and reasons for dedicating themselves to Vietnam’s poor with you. The second article comes from Humanitarian Services for Children of Vietnam (HSCV). Check it out and chip in to their matching grant challenge!

At Humanitarian Services for Children of Vietnam (HSCV), we’re dedicated to investing in the children of Vietnam. We believe that education is a fundamental ingredient in the fight for a better tomorrow, and this belief is reflected across all of our programs. Our staff works with families in Northern Vietnam, assessing their needs, and their potential. We consider opportunity to be the bridge between the reality of today and the potential of tomorrow, and we apply this philosophy to our lives and our work.

Consider the Ngo family:

For Bang Ngo, it had become obvious that a sacrifice was necessary. Faced with the death of her husband, an unstable job, and a makeshift camp literally on the doorstep of a garbage dump she had almost run out of possibilities. A mental disability prevented her from maintaining steady employment and her $1 per day earnings was not nearly enough support herself and three children, Kanh, Hanh, and Duc. The next step was the only viable option for survival; her eldest son Kanh dropped out of school to look for work.

Kanh’s situation reflects the reality for many families in rural Vietnam. In a country that places utmost respect in education, children are often depended upon to supplement income or to assist their parents in the rice paddies. Kanh discarded the potential of his future to keep his family afloat in the present. Consequently, his options as a worker were very restricted. With no education, and no prospects, Kanh was limited to the most basic employment for the smallest return.

HSCV first met the Ngo family in 2007. Since our initial meeting, we have been able to assist the family with their immediate needs by first enrolling the family in our rice program, ensuring that they do not go hungry. Our next step has been to find scholarships for the children.  We were lucky to be able to provide Duc with a scholarship and he is currently relishing in the opportunity to stay in school. We are still looking for scholarships for Hanh and Kanh.

We understand that there is no perfect solution for poor families living in rural Vietnam. Everywhere, life is a struggle and we all struggle to some degree in our own lives. What we do hope for and strive to give is the gift of opportunity, and the potential for possibility. Education has a resonating effect: It empowers children by providing them with social and critical skills; it feeds their imagination and shows them how to expand their goals and their dreams. Around the world, we believe that schooling is an essential part of childhood. At HSCV, we want to make sure that every child receives this opportunity.

These Holidays we are giving new meaning to the word ‘potential’ through our OneVietnam Matching Grant Challenge. For the next seven days, any money that is contributed through OneVietnam will automatically be doubled up to $2500. The math is simple: doubling donations will allow HSCV to sponsor twice as many children with the gift of education, or supplement twice as many families with rice so that their children do not have drop out of school to find work.  That’s exciting! So, this Holiday Season, consider your own potential to empower lives and create smiles.

Happy Holidays from HSCV!