Building a Boarding House for Girls in Dak Tuk, Vietnam
Funds raised so far: 3%
Why Is a Girls’ Boarding House Needed in Dak Tuk?
The village of Dak Tuk is located in the north of Kontum province, in a very rural area home to poor ethnic minority communities. Families live mainly from subsistence farming and are regularly exposed to difficult weather conditions that threaten the quality of their harvests. Some families struggle to feed their children, which can lead to early school dropout.
Alongside economic poverty, families may also face social hardship, including problems linked to alcohol, online gambling, screen addiction and drugs. In this context, education is both an urgent need and a long-term necessity, offering hope for development and improved living conditions.
With this in mind, the Vietnamese Sisters of the Miraculous Medal arrived in Dak Tuk in 2021 to live among local families and serve the education of children.
How Would a New Boarding House Help Girls in Dak Tuk?
The Sisters currently have old and unsuitable buildings where they have begun welcoming children for evening classes to help them with their homework. Gradually, the need emerged to welcome girls as boarders, so they could benefit from better conditions in which to study, grow and thrive. The aim is to prevent early school dropout, sometimes as early as Year 7 or Year 8.
The current facilities are very limited:
- The only dormitory is cramped and becomes damp during the rainy season because it is not properly sealed.
- A single room is used both for meals and study time.
- There are too few toilets and bathrooms, and they are located outside the building.
What Solution Is Proposed for the Dak Tuk Girls’ Boarding House?
The Sisters’ dream for the girls they welcome is to build a new 208 m² building. The old building will be kept and used for other purposes, particularly as a storage space.
The new 208 m² extension will include several separate rooms: a classroom, a dormitory, a bedroom for the Sisters, a dining room, a kitchen, an oratory and sanitary facilities.
This would make it possible to welcome 30 boarders in decent, safe and suitable living conditions.
What Are the Strengths of the Dak Tuk Boarding House Project?
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A safe and stable living environment: the project will provide the girls with a comfortable dormitory and enough suitable sanitary facilities.
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Better learning conditions: dedicated, quiet study spaces will help the girls focus on their schoolwork.
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A healthier daily routine: a functional dining room will create better conditions for meals and shared moments together.
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Well-rounded development: the boarding house will support the girls’ physical, intellectual and personal growth within a structured and caring environment.
Who Will Benefit from the Dak Tuk Girls’ Boarding House?
The twenty girls living at the boarding house belong to the Jeh ethnic minority and come from Dak Tuk or the surrounding area. Their families sometimes live only a few kilometres away from the boarding house.
Even so, living with the Sisters during the week, and sometimes at weekends, is an invaluable opportunity. Here, the girls receive balanced meals and follow a daily routine suited to their age and development. At home, they speak the Jeh language, while their lessons at school are taught in Vietnamese. At the boarding house, each girl receives adapted homework support, helping her overcome the challenges of learning in a language that is not her mother tongue.
