A group of Vietnamese students have helped build two new kindergarten classrooms and gave scholarships to pupils in a remote area of Dien Bien Province.

Nguyen Ha Duy, who is studying in Russia and a member of the Vietnamese Children's Future Fund said they had the idea to renovate Huoi Lot Kindergarten in Tuan Giao District after receiving a letter from the headmaster of the kindergarten and local Department of Education and Training about their difficulties.

"We are very touched and felt for the children and teachers. We want to contribute a little to build them a better school so that they wouldn’t have to worry about the rain or other harsh weather. This is an investment in the children's future," he said.

New classrooms

Huoi Lot Kindergarten was established in 2009 and has 56 pupils, most are from ethnic minority groups. The kindergarten has three classrooms, two of which had severely deteriorated. The rooms were not safe for the children as the roofs had cracks and the pillars decayed.

Nguyen Ha Duong, who studied in Finland, said she wanted to do something after visiting the school and saw that many children only had a thin shirt to wear despite the cold weather. In addition, the dilapidated classrooms couldn't block the cold.

"I told myself that we should try to do more charity projects to help students go to school and study in a better environment so they won't have to worry about cold or storms," she said.

The group of students who studied or are still studying abroad started a campaign to call for help for the children. In July, the construction of a new USD6,400 school was started and two classrooms have been completed.

Free health check-ups for people

The students then provided school supplies and asked doctors to give the children and people in the neighbourhood health check-ups. They also gave gifts and scholarships to the children.

Dang Hoang Phuong, who is studying in the US, said "I'm really happy to be able to contribute. I'll never forget the happiness on the face of the teachers and the parents, and how the children were so delighted when seeing the new playground."

Dtinews