Sponsor's update from Nha Trang, Vietnam

Child sponsorship update from the SOS Children's Village Nha Trang, Vietnam from Winter 2008.

Dear Friends,

SOS Children’s Village NhaTrang is 9 years old now. During nine-year operation, we have experienced a lot of happiness and unhappiness from success and failure in education. However, the village is always a real home for orphaned and unhappy children. And there is an unchangeable thing that You - the kind companions always support and attention to our children with a true love. In the exciting atmosphere of Christmas Season, we are very happy and honored to inform you events and development of SOS Children’s Village Nhatrang during the year.

Children
In the year 2008, some relatives whom family conditions are better asked to fetch their children to home. With the purpose to create as many places as possible for the difficult children having chances to live and study at the village, we agreed to give 15 children back to home and accepted more 6 children in the community. Among them, there is a baby. Now, he is four months old and is developing well. The others also quickly adapted with the life in the village.

Until now, the number of the village children is 128. Among of them, there are 126 children from 4 months to 19 years old taken care of at 14 family houses. Two remaining children who have a stable career came back to their family and have been in semi-dependent program. They are the first village children performing the semi-dependent programme in three years before they leave the village for a completely dependent life. There is a boy who is a welder working in the Khanhhoa forest and aquatic product Company. The other is a cook helper girl at Yasaka hotel.

Academic Performance
In the school year 2008-2009, there are 3 tiny tots attending at SOS Nursery School. 117 of them are studying at the School and other high schools in the neighborhood. 4 children are taking the vocational school where they have a lighter curriculum and learn a trade at the same time. When they have finished school after three years, they will have a high-school graduation certificate and are 3rd grade workers of clothing trade and tourism. Another two girls graduated from the high school and passed the entrance exam to Nhatrang College of Culture and Tourism.

In general, there is a progress in children’s studying attitude in the school year 2007-2008. The children have carried out well their timetables. We always attach much important to the target of improving the studying quality of the students. Fair and good students have been taken extra classes of good teachers. And bad performance students continue to receive the help from tutors. With effort of children and the support of village co-workers, studying results of the students are better than the last school year with 46,3% good and fair students; 2 students (100%) passed the graduation exam from the high school; 6 excellent students honorably received Odon Vallet scholarships at Dalat and 2 good students got the scholarship of sponsoring children Fund of Khanhhoa Province.

With the aim of enhancing the self-study and self-research and thanks to the donation of the project ‘Improving qualify education through activities for children in difficult situations’ financed by World Bank in ‘Innovation Day’ national competition, each of family houses was equipped a bookshelf for the reference. Moreover, the book titles of all kinds at the village library were increasing yearly. Math, English and Literature Clubs were periodically organised in this year. These clubs are useful playground to supply social knowledge and to contribute to open an inquiring mind for the children.

Children growing up at Nha Trang, Vietnam

What success is made of
She is 19 years old now and is one of the oldest girls in the village. One of the most impression about Ngoc Phuc is her optimism. She is always smiling at any situations. She said that smiles would bring everyone a good health, and she affirmed that all should laugh all the time to keep a clear head and a healthy body. Certainly, she laughs and laughs so much when she is happy. In fact, she has bright smiles that they seem bring joyfulness to others as they appear. Even, sadness rarely leave any sorrowfulness on her expression when it comes. In her opinion, the best way to drive it away is finding the solution for it or just smiling. Laughing also helps to modify sadness. Normally, she is fond of making a merry atmosphere by witty jokes. She has a great interest in reading a kind of educational books named 'seeds of the soul'. They consist of many short stories about experiences in life with the aim of educating human personalities. Actually, these stories bring to her many useful things. They make her happier, help her in finding many solutions for life and she is really developing a nice personality that gets others’ sympathy.

Another about her but less impressive then the mentioned one above, perhaps, but more precious in a way is her effort in the school. She is not a clever student but in return she is very hard working. Although she made much endeavor, she just got average marks on natural subjects like Math, Chemistry and Physics for her limited ability. Her mother thought that she cannot enter to the door of university. With her optimistic, she was not discouraged. Instead, she tried to get good marks on social subjects such as Literature, English, History, etc and chose Literature, Geography and History for the entrance test to the college. As a result, she graduated from the high school and then passed the college of tourism- she is one of two first village girls entering to the college. Now, she becomes the proud of her SOS mother and the village as well. Though she will not be a teacher in the future like her wish, we hope that she will have a good job after finishing the college for the tourism is strongly developing in Nha Trang City.

Aptitude clubs
We are maintaining aptitude classes like singing, dancing, athletics, football and organ. They constantly take part in competitions inside and outside the province. This year, athletics club extended member limit to young children. In yearly city-run held in the summer, athletics team ranked the first for young children group, the second for teenagers and won 9 personal prizes. In the passing year, the village football club had a lot of chances to compete in football tournaments with other children football teams inside and outside the Khanhhoa Province. Typically, they took part in football tournament for difficult children - plastic lotus cup 2008 at Hochiminh City and another for teenager team in the local organised by Centre of Sport. Here, the village team went through the quarter-final. Next, they will present in a football tournament of SOS Children’s Village Vietnam in December.

The village volunteering youth club is in well operation. In the year 2008, the club launched a movement of protecting the living environment via practical activities like keeping being the core of village laboring activities and preserving the village green, clean and nice. Besides, social tasks are put in yearly activities of Youth Club. This year, the club visited and gave presents to poor, well-study students who lived in the neighborhood. Moreover, the club often organised exchange activities, outdoor activities and camping trips. All of these help youth having an excitement when participating the club.

Activities at Nha Trang, Vietnam

Traditional Education Activities
As usual, traditional and personality education are much concerned by activities mode with multi-form organised in the year 2008. These activities always attracted the participation of village children and staffs. Specifically, the meetings are accompanied with small fun quizzes or visits of historical places that held in holidays including International Women Day (March,8th), Hung King Death Anniversary (March, 10th following lunar calendar), Hermann Gmeiner Death Anniversary (April, 26th), International Children Day (June, 1st), SOS Day (June, 23rd ), the anniversary of dead and wounded soldiers Day (July, 27th) Vietnam Women Day (October, 20th), Vietnam Teacher Day (November, 20th)… Through these activities, the children knew more about the tradition of the country and then they had the gratefulness towards national heroes following Vietnam moral standard “when drinking water, remember its source”. Those help to set up children’s nice personalities to be good citizens in the future.

Cultural and Sport Activities
We considered it was an importance to maintain multi-form and interesting activities modes which were suitable for each of group age. These modes brought the fun to the children. They also had both comfortable relaxing time and background knowledge when joining these useful activities. One of them is the folk game fair on the fourth day of first lunar month of Tet traditional festival. There, interesting, new games, which are games on computer, bingo, lucky number, throwing a circle on a bottle or catching the fishing basket, created children a merry atmosphere. The other is Sport Festival with the genres of sport like female football, table tennis, badminton, chess, kicking-shuttle, skipping, tug war…attracted the participation of village children and staff. In addition, we successfully hold a village performance competition, a basic knowledge quiz and a quiz concerning to knowledge of SOS Children.

Specially, all of children went camping trip at Song Lo beach on the Foundation Day of Youth Union (March, 26th). They enjoyed a whole day for the sea and games.

In the summer 2008, the children took part in almost big competitions for the children which were organised by Khanhhoa Province and won a lot of high prizes. At the drawing competition of Provincial library following the title “Joining arms of friends from all over the world” on the day of Book and Book Copyright (April, 23rd), three of them were awarded one first prize and two consolation prizes. And a third was given to 12 village children for the telling story about Ho Uncle on a city telling-story competition. Then they entered the next competition of the province. Furthermore, 2 well-behaved children joined provincial well behaved children Festival and another ten excellent children had a trip to SOS Children’s Village Danang.

At this time, SOS Children’s Village Nhatrang was a familiar address for guests to visit whenever they came to beautiful Nhatrang City. This year, the village welcomed many guests who were individuals or organizations from inside and outside the country. The village always makes a good impression on guests about a safe and full of love community for orphaned and unhappy children. Exchange activities were carried out with guests like boys of King School from Australia, Miss Vietnam Universe 2008 Delegation, Miss World Universe 2008 Delegation, Dumex Company, well-behaved children Delegation from Dalat and many other delegations in the Khanhhoa Province.

SOS Nursery School
Through the eighth year operation, SOS Nursery School Nhatrang created parent’s faith in the teaching quality. During school years, the school has always been full. It has been well carried out the renewal of curriculum at every stages; activities suitable with the psychophysiology characteristic of each age of students with the aim “both studying and playing”. Therefore, the students had much fun to take part in. Constantly, the school cooperated with Parent Association to hold outdoor activities for the students. Besides, there were a lot of competitions organised in the school year like “Healthy and well-behaved children”, “Sport Festival”, “Performance to welcome Tet festival” or “enjoying Moon festival”… Through these activities, students improved their abilities, self-confidence and team spirit.

The school always put the importance to the health and nutrition of students. The school kitchen was kept clean and hygienic in accordance with the process of one-way kitchen. In addition, the students had health check twice a year and their health was monitored by diagram. Besides, the school created the condition for parents joining school activities and having a look at students’ meals.

Here above are our main activities that we would like to share with you during the year 2008. Hopefully, your generous concern, contribution and our effort would bring more success and joy to the kids in the upcoming years. On behalf of all members of SOS Children's Village Nhatrang, we would highly appreciate what you have done for them. By the way, we wish you and your family:

A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

Yours sincerely,

Huỳnh Hữu Ngân
Director
SOS Children’s Village Nha Trang