On August 3rd, 2024, two of our group members, Ms. Hoang Yen and Ms. Ngoc Anh, visited seven students from Vo Thanh Trang High School in Tan Phu. These students had just applied for the Young
Leaf Scholarship for the 2024-2025 school year. In addition to talking to the students and their parents at school, Ms. Hoang Yen and Ms. Ngoc Anh also visited their houses.
One of our current scholarship recipients, Vo Huu Tin (our second-year student, Pharmacy major, University of Medicine and Pharmacy), volunteered to escort Ms. Hoang Yen and Ms. Ngoc Anh on the
trip. Tin had tutoring time that morning, but he asked his younger brother, Vo Minh Trung, to cover for him so he could go and help us from morning to afternoon. Kudos to Vo Huu Tin for a very
caring gesture!
Ms. Mai, the school's vice principal, was kind enough to arrange for a school security guard to take us to the students' homes. However, since Tin was with us, we only borrowed a car.
During this trip, GiKaD transferred the gift money of 200,000 VND from Ms. Ngoc Anh's mother to each student to help them buy books and school supplies for the new school year. The students were
all thrilled to receive lucky money. These children are all studious, and despite difficult circumstances, they try very hard at school and help their families outside of school hours. GiKaD
hopes that they will find a sponsor to help them continue going to school to have a solid career.
Any of us who is willing to sponsor the Young Leaf Scholarship (HBLN), 90€/year for these children, please send an email to info@givekidsadream.de. GiKaD will send their detailed documents, which include the following:
- Application for a scholarship
- Academic reports from last school year
- Letter of recommendation
Here are their details:
Nhan’s mother just passed away. His father is a labor worker with an unstable income. Currently, his father is a cleaning janitor for a construction site. Both father and son stay at the place
rented by the owner. One of his father’s duties is guarding the construction tools such as scaffolding, ladders, and vacuum cleaners. Since he knows how to use a computer, he also helps make
spreadsheets to calculate work hours, workload, etc., for the contractors. The father and son's living/study area is behind the owner's computer desk and printer. His father's income is about 5 -
7 million/month when he does have a job. Electricity and water costs are about 500,000 - 600,000 VND/ per month.
Nhan knows how to sweep and clean the place weekly to help his father. He looks weak and relatively small for his age because of malnourishment since childhood.
Nhan likes to study, and he is a good student. He likes Computer Science the most. He loves attending school because it gives him knowledge and friends to play with. His dream is to attend the
university so that he can find a job in the future.
His mother passed away when he was 18 months old. His father raised him alone, and he works as a packaging worker at the Rico manufacturing company in Long An. His father works in the city, so he
leaves very early in the morning and comes home quite late at night. Before leaving early each morning, his father cooks lunch for him.
Nhan and his father live in a rented room. When we arrived, he had just run from the alley back with his friends. The door to his room was not closed or locked; the neighbors said it was because
there was nothing valuable inside.
Nhan speaks very honestly, innocently, and happily, even though his life is difficult. He knows how to cook, do laundry, and sweep the house daily.
Nhan was classified as a good student. He said he wanted to finish 12th grade. He did not think about going to college because it would cost too much money, and he was afraid he would not be able
to afford it.
My My’s father works as a temp in construction work field, and his income is unstable. Her mother sells lottery tickets and has to take My My’s 3-year-old brother along with her every day.
Her family consists of her parents, My My and her two younger siblings. They live in a rented room.
My My has a foot deformity. She has to tiptoe when she walks on her right leg because her calf tendons have retracted after an accident when she was younger.
During the summer, she helps her mother sell lottery tickets in the morning. She sold around 120 tickets, earning around 141,000 VND. She gave money to my mother to save for school expenses. My
My knows how to help with housework, cooking and washing dishes.
She is a good student, and she likes Math. She dreams of being able to study at the university.
Thanh’s father is a construction worker. His job availability is sporadic, so his income is not stable. Her mother works as a housekeeper, the family's primary income, with a salary of about
6,000,000 VND/month.
Her family rents a room. The rent is 1,700,000 VND/month, plus electricity and water, which is 2,400,000 VND/month.
She knows how to help her mother with housework: cleaning, washing dishes and cooking.
Thanh looks sweet and well-mannered. She studies well and likes Literature and Natural Sciences. She wants to go to college and later become a Literature teacher.
Trang’s mother left her when she was 8 months old, and they have not had any contact since. Her father works in long-distance places (Daklak, Binh Thuan, etc.), so her grandparents raise her from
a young age until now.
Currently, her grandparents live in a rented house (3,000,000 VND/month) with Trang and another grandchild. This grandchild's mother (i.e., the grandparents' daughter) pays more than half of the
house rent.
Trang’s grandfather is in poor health with chronic bronchial stenosis and is unable to work. When we arrived at their home, the grandfather was on oxygen aid. The grandmother used to be healthy
and able to buy/sell/trade vegetables, meat, etc., in front of her house. Last year, she broke her arm and had kidney stone surgery. Her health has since weakened, and she can no longer work
regularly. Currently, she washes dishes for a breakfast restaurant (wage 100,000 VND - 150,000 VND/morning). She also cleans houses (wages are 50,000 VND/hour) and other odd jobs. These jobs are
irregular, so the income is unstable.
Her father sends 1,000,000 VND—1,500,000 VND/month to the grandparents to raise Trang. Her father visits the family about three times a year, each time for a few days.
Trang knows how to do housework: cleaning, drying clothes, cooking rice, boiling vegetables, frying eggs/meat.
Trang looks gentle and cute. She wants to finish high school, but she cannot even consider studying further because of her family's circumstances.
Trung’s parents separated last year. His mother sells lottery tickets to support him and his younger brother (8 years old). His mother sells about 250 -270 lottery tickets/day, earning 200,000
VND - 300,000 VND/day.
The room rental is 2,200,000 VND/month, plus electricity and water is 2,600,000 VND - 2,800,000 VND/month.
Trung had to quit school for a year because of all the fights and conflicts resulting from his parents' divorce. He will not be able to return until the new school year 2024-2025.
Trung has to sell lottery tickets to help his mother. On weekdays, he sells tickets for half a day and goes to school for half a day. On the average, he sells about 80 tickets per day. On
Saturday and Sunday, he sells around 100 tickets. Trung knows how to cook and clean the house to help his mother.
Trung is classified as a good student. Since he had to earn money at a very young age, so when asked what he wanted to study, he cautiously answered that he would try to study until grade 12 and,
depending on conditions, go to university.
Thien Phuc’s mother raised him by herself after his father passed away. His mother drives a “Grab” car to deliver food, earning about 5,000,000 VND - 6,000,000 VND/month. However, his mother has
kidney edema and must stop driving for about 10 days every month because her kidneys are swollen and does not allow her to do anything. His mother said this disease is hereditary in the
family.
Currently, Thien Phuc and his mother are staying at his uncle's house. They do not have to pay rent, but they have to pay the electricity and water bills (approximately 1,000,000
VND/month).
He knows how to help my mother with housework: sweeping, mopping, and cleaning up etc.
He is a student with developmental delay, so his ability to communicate and work is limited. He likes to draw and study Civics education. His 6th-grade report was classified as “Good.”