Sponsoring young people at St. Anthony’s girls’ boarding house in Taungoo
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Sponsored children: 7 of 15
Building a brighter future for the Children of South Vietnam
Full sponsorship
See all sponsorshipsBETWEEN CULTURAL WEALTH AND SOCIAL CHALLENGES
Ô Môn is a district located north of the city of Cần Thơ, in the heart of the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam. This region is renowned for its unique river landscapes and vibrant cultural traditions.
With a population of 140,000, Ô Môn is distinguished by the harmonious coexistence of different ethnic (Khmer, Chinese, Vietnamese) and religious (Buddhist, Caodaist, Catholic, Protestant) communities. This cultural diversity is a real asset, but it exists in a context marked by great precariousness for many families.
The local economy is based mainly on agriculture, aquaculture, crafts and a few small commercial activities. Most of the inhabitants work as labourers, small traders or day labourers, often in unstable and poorly paid jobs.
DIFFICULT CONDITIONS FOR CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES
In Ô Môn, the average family income is between 4 and 6 million dongs per month (approximately €150 to €220). This is a paltry sum, barely enough to cover food and basic healthcare. For many parents, every expense is a dilemma: send the children to school or fill the family’s plates.
Most live in modest homes built of bricks, cement and corrugated iron. These single-storey houses offer the bare minimum, but lack comfort and insulation. Some families do not even have stable housing: they rent or occupy precarious land, exposed to the risk of eviction at any time.
Added to these vulnerabilities are often debts incurred in order to survive, trapping households in a spiral that is difficult to break. And yet… despite insecurity and poverty, the inhabitants of Ô Môn retain an admirable strength: they preserve family cohesion, draw on their traditions and demonstrate exceptional resilience.
A FRAGILE FAMILY BACKGROUND
Most of the children sponsored live in fragile family situations: single mothers who have to raise their children alone, children who are forced to work while continuing their education, families heavily in debt… The realities are diverse, but they all reflect a high degree of vulnerability!
There are two main types of families:
- Those who live around the church, in a precarious urban environment. The parents have very modest jobs, such as labourers or ragpickers, with unstable incomes.
- Those living in the surrounding countryside: access to their homes is difficult, involving narrow gravel roads that are muddy in the rainy season and crossed by numerous small bridges. These families are far from essential infrastructure (schools, hospitals). The parents mainly work as farmers or day labourers, with irregular and very low incomes.
Added to this is a widespread phenomenon: many parents leave Ô Môn to work in industrial provinces (Binh Duong, Binh Thuan), leaving their children with their grandparents. Unfortunately, the latter do not always have the physical capacity or the means to fully provide for their education. Today, only 2 out of 10 sponsored children live with both parents.
A LIFE DEDICATED TO SERVING OTHERS
Father Nguyên Quốc Khanh is the programme manager. He was born in 1978 and ordained as a priest in 2007. He is originally from Can Tho in southern Vietnam. He is a very dynamic priest, dedicated to helping the poorest members of society. In his previous programme (and parish), in addition to sponsorship, he helped many families put together applications for funding to rebuild their homes. He follows up with the sponsored children. Previously, he was in charge of another sponsorship programme in Soc Trang province for 10 years. He is assisted by Mrs Huê, a parishioner and retired English teacher.
The impact of your sponsorship
The aim of sponsorship is to enable these disadvantaged children to access education and lead them towards a better future by training them in a trade so that they in turn can help their families: this is the long-term ambition.
Your sponsorship enables sponsored children to attend school, help their families, and provide moral support to families and guidance to young people. Your sponsorship is a great support to your sponsored child, both financially and personally, by motivating and encouraging them to excel.
SPONSORSHIP IS A MONTHLY DONATION OF £32 ALLOCATED TO A SPECIFIC CHILD TO HELP THEM ATTEND SCHOOL.
- The sponsorship programme supports children from the poorest families in O Mon.
- The money raised is used to fund school expenses (uniforms, books, school fees) and basic necessities such as food and hygiene products.
- Some children also require medical care due to the lack of healthcare facilities in the village.
- Your financial support helps improve these children’s lives and gives them the opportunity to continue their education in more favourable conditions.
Your sponsored children read you their letters 🤩
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