Continuing on to school

The "Casting the Net of Dreams" scholarship aims to support children in coastal and disadvantaged areas, as well as students with special circumstances in An Giang province. This is a great source of encouragement, providing further motivation for students to go to school and pursue their dreams.

Scholarships and long-term sponsorships were awarded to 80 underprivileged children in An Giang and Ca Mau provinces. Photo: THANH CHINH

Recently, in Rach Gia ward, the Vietnam Children's Protection Fund under the Ministry of Health , in coordination with the An Giang Department of Health and Acecook Vietnam Joint Stock Company, organized a scholarship and long-term support program for 80 disadvantaged children from An Giang and Ca Mau provinces. Among them, 60 children from the province who are in particularly difficult circumstances but have overcome hardship received 1 million VND and a gift from the sponsor; 20 children of fishermen from An Giang and Ca Mau provinces each received a 6 million VND long-term scholarship under the "Casting the Net of Dreams" program. The total scholarship support amounted to 180 million VND, sponsored by Acecook Vietnam Joint Stock Company.

The scholarship recipients are exemplary children from extremely difficult circumstances who have overcome challenges to achieve excellent academic results. Despite the hardships in their lives, they maintain their determination to study and strive for a better future.

In 2024, the "Casting the Net of Dreams" project was formed following business trips by the Vietnam Children's Protection Fund and Acecook Vietnam Joint Stock Company. The project supports children of fishermen in extremely difficult circumstances, providing them with better educational opportunities and encouraging them to help their parents feel secure in going out to sea, maintaining their livelihoods, and stabilizing their lives. With a long-term support of 6 million VND per child per year, the project has supported 166 children in difficult circumstances across 18 coastal provinces and cities, totaling 996 million VND. The children will receive continuous support until they reach the age of 16, with a commitment not to drop out of school.

Many scholarship recipients have provided significant support to the students and their families, such as: Vo Ngoc Khanh An, residing in Nguyen Thai Binh neighborhood, Rach Gia ward, who comes from a disadvantaged background; her father is a fisherman, her mother mends fishing nets, and her family lives with her grandparents. Nguyen Viet Nhi, residing in neighborhood 6, Rach Gia ward, has a father who works on a fishing boat, and her mother works at home cutting fish for hire to support the two sisters' education and care for their elderly grandparents; the family is facing difficult circumstances…

The long-term sponsorship of 6 million VND per student per year acts as a lifeline for families. Tran Minh Huy, an 8th-grade student at Vinh Hoa Hiep High School, shared: “My parents work at sea, casting nets. With this support, I will try my best to study hard.” Danh Thi Quynh Nhu, residing in An Thoi hamlet, Binh An commune, expressed: “My father worked on a fishing boat and passed away 4 years ago. I currently live with my grandmother, and my family is classified as a poor household.”

Deeply moved by the difficult circumstances of the students, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Son - Director of the Vinh Long Branch of Acecook Vietnam Joint Stock Company, said: “We are very honored to accompany and support students in difficult circumstances. Although the gift is small, it serves as a support and motivation for them to strive and excel in their studies. Because only through education can they become better.”

According to Nguyen Thi Hien, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Children's Protection Fund, out of more than 25 million children under 16 years old, over 800,000 are in special circumstances and more than 2 million are at risk of falling into special circumstances, mostly living in poor and near-poor families. These children desperately need the support and cooperation of the community. “Over 33 years of operation, the Children's Protection Funds at all levels have mobilized more than 8,000 billion VND, supporting over 36 million disadvantaged children nationwide. The Vietnam Children's Protection Fund alone has mobilized over 1,800 billion VND and hundreds of thousands of tons of in-kind donations to support nearly 8 million children across the country,” Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien said.

HANH CHAU

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/tiep-buoc-den-truong-a471425.html