Education for Girls in Vietnam helps very poor young women in Vietnam improve their lives through education. The purpose of this program is to give Americans an opportunity to offer our goodwill and financial support to disadvantaged children in Vietnam. This educational support is a personal way to help and also connect with the people of Vietnam. Education dramatically improves a girl’s economic prospects and it lifts up families and communities.
Criteria for selecting recipients
Cash awards of approximately $100 are given to poor children (grades 1-12) in Vietnam to support them in attending school. This assistance is given to students with the greatest financial need, sometimes orphans or children with disabled parents. Female students are chosen because girls have fewer educational opportunities than boys due to cultural gender preferences.
Our educational support program moves around the country and helps the poorest students. The students’ families often have difficulty just getting enough food to eat. School is free in Vietnam, but there are costs for uniforms, school supplies, books, and special fees. School expenses are the single largest cash expenditure for many rural families.
The final criterion for selection is academic achievement. Students who have done well in school are chosen for support, to reward them for trying hard and to encourage them to continue.
Administration of the program
This program was started in 1994 by Bhavia Wagner, leader of a Global Exchange study tour to Vietnam in 1994. It is currently administered by volunteers Bhavia Wagner and Mimi Stephens. They connect with staff in the Vietnam Women’s Union, an organization that works to improve living conditions and opportunities for women. The Women’s Union has local programs throughout Vietnam. The Provincial Chapters of the Vietnam Women’s Union make the arrangements for our award program and local teachers select the students. The administrative costs for this program are donated, so one hundred percent of your donation reaches the students.
$100 supports one student. Please consider sponsoring one or more students. In order to make donations tax deductible, this program is under the umbrella of the non-profit organization Friendship with Cambodia. Please make your check payable to “Friendship with Cambodia,” write Vietnam in the memo, and mail it to Friendship with Cambodia, PO Box 5231, Eugene, OR 97405. Or you can donate online and note that it is for Vietnam. We will send you a report about the program once a year, in the fall. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.