Help Build a Better Future for Needy Students in Viet Nam

My name is Lan Mee Hong-Chambers, and I have spent my life in Canada since my family left Viet Nam during the fall of Saigon in April 1975. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for my parents’ decision to leave our war torn country so that my siblings and I could be afforded educational opportunities towards a better future. Other Vietnamese families weren't so lucky in leaving. For this, I feel thankful and truly blessed for my life. After my mother passed away in 2018, I felt a need to reconnect with my Vietnamese roots and return after being away for 48 years. Beginning in February of 2023, my life changed dramatically when I landed in Hanoi. I began volunteering at Volunteers for Peace Vietnam (VPV)/CSDS, an organization that coordinates a number of incredible projects, two of which have become very close to my heart: Friendship Village and Bright Future Fund.

Friendship Village (FV) was established in 1998 by George Mizo, an American war veteran in the Viet Nam War, who felt a sense of compassion and responsibility to help Vietnamese citizens, especially the children who suffered due to the Agent Orange dropped during the war. FV is a residential home for over 100 children with physical, developmental and cognitive disabilities and also provides respite care for veterans with medical issues. For the past three years, I have worked in the classroom with students suffering with severe developmental and cognitive challenges. Thanks to your generosity last year, we raised enough money to repair FV's gymnasium roof and install air-conditioning units and fans.

During this last trip to Hanoi, I learned about the Bright Future Fund (BFF), which made me realize how lucky I was to have had the educational opportunities simply by virtue of growing up in Canada. These underprivileged students deserve the same opportunities too. Since 2016, BFF has given out nearly 100 scholarships to students in need from 20 different provinces in Viet Nam. This past April, I was fortunate enough to meet some of these BFF students and visit their family homes. It was inspiring to see how resilient and motivated these students were, given their challenging life circumstances, e.g., poor socioeconomic background, loss of a parent, family history of mental illnesses, lack of educational resources in remote areas. This scholarship program has provided them with an amazing opportunity to pursue higher education and future career aspirations, which they wouldn’t have otherwise been able to even consider.

Here's one BFF student's story:

Lan Anh’s family comes from a poor household and consists of her parents and her younger brother. Her father is a victim of Agent Orange, having undergone a leg amputation in 2020 due to necrosis. Along with his physical impairment, he also suffers from mental health issues, which require daily medication, and renders him unable to work. Her mother works as a brick factory worker with a monthly income of approximately 4,000,000 VND (~$215 CAD). Because they are classified as a poor household, the local government has provided them with an additional 600,000 VND (~$32 CAD) each month. In Hanoi, Lan Anh pays around 1,500,000 VND (~$80 CAD) per month for rent and utilities. Her annual tuition at university is approximately 25,000,000 VND (~$1350 CAD), which is currently covered by her BFF scholarship. To support herself financially, she also works part-time as a tutor, earning just enough to cover her rent and living expenses. Lan Anh is currently completing her undergraduate degree in Chinese Language in order to become a highly skilled professional interpreter. She hopes one day to earn enough money to build a house for her parents.

How the $10,000 raised will be used: $3000 will help support Friendship Village’s daily operational costs, including buying classroom and medical supplies, repair and maintenance of the 5 dormitory houses and medical building, funding monthly Sports Day activities, and etc. The remaining $7,000 will help cover the annual university tuition fees of 5 BFF students.

Please donate as much or as little as you can but more importantly, please share/forward this fundraising campaign to as many of your contacts as possible. Spread the word! Thank you truly from the bottom of my heart for your compassion and generosity.

Lan Mee