Motivating students to go to school
Due to their impoverished circumstances, female students from the Ca Dong and Xe Dang ethnic groups in the mountainous region of Nam Tra My often lack the means to buy new school uniforms. Driven by empathy and love for their students, the teachers at Nam Tra My High School (Nam Tra My commune) collaborated with the Chung Suc Tre Club and the Dien Ban Volunteer Association to launch a program collecting used ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dresses) from graduating high school students for female students in the 10th grade in the mountainous region.
Over four years have passed, and the project continues. The white ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress), though worn by some, has become a source of joy and motivation for hundreds of female students in remote villages to attend class. In the "Ao Dai for High School Girls" project, the white ao dai is not just a uniform, but also a spiritual gift, a bridge of love and sharing from the lowlands to the highlands.
Having received a beautiful traditional Vietnamese dress as a gift, Ho Thi Gioi (from Tra Tap commune), a 10th-grade student at Nam Tra My High School, shared: "I am very happy because I don't have to worry about uniforms for the new school year. This gift has given me more motivation to study harder."
Mai Anh Tuan, a volunteer from the Youth Solidarity Club, who was directly responsible for transporting the traditional Vietnamese dresses (áo dài) to the highlands, shared: “It’s wonderful that these old áo dài dresses were collected, washed, and ironed with all our hearts before being handed over to the female students in the highlands before the start of the school year. It’s a joy for both the giver and the receiver.”
Giving is happiness.
"If you have any old ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress), don't throw them away. Wash them clean and send them to the 'Ao Dai of Love' project, because somewhere there's a little girl waiting for a white ao dai to confidently walk to class," is a message posted on the Facebook page of the Youth Solidarity Club.
Hundreds of comments and shares have spread beyond Dien Ban, creating a ripple effect for the program. From its early days with just a few dozen ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dresses) collected, the program has now spread widely, receiving support from young people in Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Ngai, and other places.
Mr. Le Tu Thinh, Deputy Head of the Youth Solidarity Club, shared that the project has received support from hundreds of 12th-grade female students at high schools in Da Nang city. After being donated, the ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dresses) are washed, neatly folded, and placed in individual plastic bags, each clearly labeled with height and weight according to a list sent from the school, making it easy for the female students to choose and wear a suitable outfit.
On the first day of school, the image of highland girls radiant in their flowing white ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) became a touching and memorable moment. For many of them, it was the first time wearing an ao dai not just as a uniform, but as a source of joy and a feeling of being cared for and shared with.
Mr. Le Tu Thinh said: "The project doesn't stop at the beginning of each school year; we collect ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dresses) year-round and donate them during charitable trips to remote villages. The goal is for each female student in the highlands to have more than one ao dai, so they can change and wear them interchangeably throughout the week, just like their friends in the lowlands."
Ms. Tran Thi Lam, Vice Head of the Dien Ban Volunteer Association, shared: "The white ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) is not only the school uniform of high school girls, but also a beautiful traditional cultural feature of Vietnamese women. We encouraged female students from the lowlands to wash and neatly fold the ao dai to donate to girls in the highlands. This is not only about sharing material things but also about connecting friendships among the female students."
Nguyen Thi Dieu Thuong, a former student of the 12th grade specializing in Literature at Le Thanh Tong High School for the Gifted, shared: "Throughout my three years of high school, my mother sewed three sets of ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) for me to wear to school in rotation. Because the dresses were still very new, I initially intended to keep them as a memento of my school days. However, when I learned about the program to donate ao dai to female students in mountainous areas, I took the dresses to a laundry shop to have them cleaned, carefully wrapped, and sent them as gifts to the students."
Not only did she donate her own ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress), but Dieu Thuong also actively encouraged her classmates and female students in the school to donate the blank notebooks they received as prizes at the graduation ceremony to female students in mountainous regions.
"Ao Dai for High School Girls" is not simply about donating ao dai, but a journey of sowing seeds of love, educating the younger generation about empathy and the importance of preserving national cultural identity. Hopefully, in the coming school years, more similar projects will be replicated to inspire and empower high school girls to attend school.
Source: https://baodanang.vn/ao-dai-tang-nu-sinh-vung-cao-3301532.html
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