An 18-Year-Old’s Vision: Building a School for Highland Children

With a desire to contribute to the community by supporting the journey of children in remote areas, this young lady established a volunteer project at the age of 17.

Aiming to Support Children in Remote Areas

Le Thi Luong (18 years old), a former student of Minh Khai High School (Quoc Oai district, Hanoi), is fortunate to live a comfortable life. However, this student always reflects on the journey to find literacy for students in remote and far-flung areas.

“”By chance, while watching a video, I witnessed an image of a 6-year-old child from a remote area carrying a load of bricks on their back to a construction site for a school. That image has always haunted me, and since then, I’ve had the idea that in the future, I would have to do something to help build schools for these children,”” Luong shared.

This serendipitous moment led this young lady to engage in volunteer activities and was the reason behind the birth of the “”BaSF Training Journey”” in 2022. It’s a charity organization aimed at raising funds to build schools for children in remote areas, founded by Luong. “”Currently, the project has the participation of 23 members, and we are mainly students,”” Luong said.

Last year, Luong’s group successfully raised 32 million VND, all of which went to support La Van Cau Primary School (Dak Nong province) to build dormitories, kitchens, and toilets for teachers and students at the school.

Despite Challenges, Never Giving Up

Most of the members of Luong’s group are students with little experience, so they faced quite a few challenges. “”We had difficulties in connecting with each other, so some of our plans didn’t go as expected. For our first project, we set a goal of raising 25 million VND in 3 weeks, but after one week, we hadn’t reached 30%. Seeing the issues, I adjusted the plan in the second week and sought the opinions of experienced individuals. Thanks to this, every difficulty was gradually overcome, and the result exceeded our expectations when we raised over 32 million VND,”” Luong recounted.

In addition to the challenges of maintaining the project, Luong also felt the pressure of balancing her studies. “”Nevertheless, I have never thought of giving up because from the moment I conceived the idea until its implementation is a process that requires a lot of dedication and effort. So, if I were to abandon it halfway, the initial value would be lost. Gradually, I realized that difficulties make me stronger and more mature. So, I will continue to pursue it,”” Luong shared.

After receiving support from Luong’s group in building dormitories for teachers and students, Mr. Ha Huu Phong, the Principal of La Van Cau Primary School (Dak Nong province), joyfully shared: “”Here, the roads are difficult to travel, especially during the rainy season. In the past, because it was too difficult to come back, parents and students temporarily built small shelters to protect themselves from rain and sun. But since we have a sturdy dormitory now, the journey to literacy for students is easier, and teachers have less hardship.””

Luong expressed, “”I have been and am contributing to the community, helping to support the dreams of going to school for these little children. I realize that the value we give is not just for a day or two, but it is maintained in the long run. I always feel happy and fulfilled with what I am doing.””

In addition to her community activities, Luong has also maintained excellent academic results. She achieved the title of excellent student for many consecutive years, won the third prize in the city-level history competition in 9th grade, and received an encouragement award in the city-level history competition in 12th grade. Recently, Luong scored 26.2 points in the 2023 high school graduation exam.

(Source: Bao Thanh Nien)