• Number of Students: 647 | 74% Low Income | 100% Minority

• School is located in a very poor commune, 85% of population living under poverty line, 100% of population is Mong and Thai group. School has 74% students whose are low-income family, parents can’t afford to buy school supplies.
• 417 low-income students at semi-boarding school because their villages are located some five (5) kilometers and a series of very steep and risky landslide area to commute to school. Students are allowed to stay overnight during the school week. In the winter season is in Oct – April, students feel uncomfortable to taking cold shower and students said to us that they do not have hot shower for good hygiene, with the neglect of the body’s cleanness.
• The school wanted us provide school supplies that can remain students from low-income families in school.

• Variety of book titles, 2 book shelves, and a PC computer. Distribute into 2 installments.

Ngô Phương Anh – Grade 9 Hanoi Thang Long School

I would like to sponsor a library for the Ban Mu Boarding Primary School because the project is managed by BeCause for Hope- a US non-profit organization with many successful projects in Yen Bai to help children in the mountainous areas with access to educational resources and clean water and so on. 

I have been to Sapa and have seen children in the mountainous area not going to school but selling things on the street to help their families. I wish they know the importance of education which can empower them and change their life economically and support their personal growth.

Our family have been supported by many other people, especially with the financial aid from New Zealand which enabled me to accompany my mother to the country for two years to study there. I really appreciate and value that opportunity which has made a huge impact on my life and my education. I understand the feeling of luck and happiness of a person that has been helped. Kindness goes in circles. I would like to help other people within my capacity as it brings happiness not only to me but also to the people that I help because I can make an influence in their life. In this project, I believe by sponsoring a library for Ban Mu primary school, I can have impact on children’s literacy development. Beautiful books will attract their attention and make them want to read to explore places that they have not been to and widen their mind.

Libraries are so important, particularly for children because at libraries, children can choose the books they want to read. This helps develop their literacy. Books also widen their minds and open a new world to them. Libraries provide a safe space for children to learn, offer a quiet area for students to study, and encourage students to read, to grow, and explore the world. As Ban Mu primary school is a boarding one, this library will be useful for them to read in their free time, even at night.

I have been to many libraries in New Zealand where books are so available for children. Everyone goes to library to read, from young children to old people. I was so impressed with the reading culture which makes me think about the inequality between developed and developing countries in having access to educational resources. 

With that in mind, it is my desire that the by sponsoring a library in Tram Tau, Yen Bai, I can make a small contribution to help the area and its people reaching the Sustainable Development Goals like the SDG number 1 (No poverty), SDG number 4 (Quality Education), SDG number 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG number 11 (Sustainable cities and communities). When people’s literacy in an area is improved, the economic growth will be higher and poverty will be reduced because people can read books for knowledge and communication. Libraries and books help improve education quality. The library helps reduce inequalities as it provides free educational resources. 

Ngo Tho Quang – Grade 10 – International School@Parkcity Hanoi

It was a summer morning in May 2021 when I got the news that I was offered a full scholarship to an international school in Hanoi. No words could describe how happy I was at that moment and that feeling is still with me know, reminding me of the power of giving to the community. The scholarship has had an impact on my education and changed my life. It shows me the value of giving to the community. It also urged me to do something to spread the good acts, pay forward to the community and help people around me within my capacity, feeling confident that it will have impact and make a difference in people’s life.

I came across the information on the projects of BeCause for Hope. I did some research and found that this is a reliable project that has been active in the past few years in the fields of clean water, education and infrastructure in Yen Bai – a mountainous area of Vietnam.

The organization promotes opportunities for children to have access to educational resources which has left great impression on me. As a student, I also believe in the importance of education as it can help make a change in one’s life. 

I have been to Sapa, a mountainous area famous for tourism and close to Yen Bai. I did enjoy the spectacular view of the area but what touched my heart was the school children selling things to tourists. I could feel that they lacked education because they had to help their families’ economy. 

Children in the mountainous areas like Yen Bai are even less fortune because of their parents’ low income and transportation difficulties to the area. With an average income per capita per month of VND 260,000, it is not a surprise if the parents cannot afford to buy books for their children.

My true belief in the role of libraries and reading stems from my observation and experience with libraries in New Zealand. I was so impressed with the libraries there where beautiful and high quality children’s books were available for children to read. I did not have such libraries and books like them in Vietnam then and because of this shortage, I did not read much and did not enjoy reading. So many different things between two countries have made me thought about inequalities and how disadvantaged Vietnamese children were. 

Among the fields that BeCause for Hope support, I decided to sponsor a library for the Ban Mu Primary School because it is my strong belief that reading plays an important role in a child’s development as it helps the mind grows and can have a positive impact on student literacy and learning outcomes. Children can develop their language skills by reading, especially when the language they learn (Vietnamese) is diferent from the language they speak at home because they are Mong ethnic minority. I will feel happier and more fullfilled when I can champion this project and help children in Yen Bai to improve their life.

Providing students with books that interest them is a great way to encourage them to read more. During the break time, or before and after school students have instant access to high-quality books in their language that is engaging, interesting, and educational. This encourages independent learning, intellectual curiosity, and helps spark a passion for reading and it fits with the school context as the majority of students stay at the school and only return home at the weekend. The children’s books will spark their imagination and promote a lifelong love of reading. The impact on children’s literacy and knowledge that a library can bring about will last for long. It helps enrich their soul and make their life better later on. 

Võ Thái An – Grade 8 Ngôi Sao School

I should feel lucky for myself, because I grew up in the era of technology 4.0, 5.0 with adequate economic conditions: being at home, eating hearty meals, and going to school. Such a life is the wish of many children in the highlands and ethnic minorities. 

Housing in the mountainous area is very shabby, just one flood can wipe out all the property. The meal consists of also only vegetables and rice, sometimes with fish and meat is a blessing. Children in the mountainous area have to travel many kilometers in the morning to go to school. The children almost only learn knowledge in textbooks, while we in the city learn more things to improve our knowledge. The reports on the news programs that I have seen show that the children in the areas as I mentioned above have only one wish, that is to study well so that they can help their parents in the future but conditions don’t allow it and it makes me feel touched. 

Building a library at school sites can help children learn more things, provide them with access to a huge amount of knowledge, improve knowledge and potentially eliminate “illiteracy” in Vietnam. Libraries play a very important role in the orientation, research, and inquiry of students beyond the school curriculum. 

What I like about this project is that we are not using our parents’ money or our lucky money to donate, but making it ourselves. In my opinion, it brings two very necessary things. Firstly, we know how to appreciate money more, we know the value of labor. Only when we make our own money, knowing that making money is not easy, then we can appreciate it. Secondly, the fact that we make our own money and support it for charity is meaningful. When we achieve the goal, we are proud to say that this is our effort, although it was hard but we did it.