Education Vietnam

There are an estimated 10,000 children living on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City , around a third of who are female, and come from varied troubled backgrounds as a direct result of the poverty in which they have grown up. The children support and shelter themselves on the streets in many different ways. They often work as many as 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, scavenging on rubbish sites or selling chewing gum or lottery tickets on the streets.  They live and work within close proximity to communities dominated by drugs and organised crime, and many are at severe risk of becoming involved in crime, child prostitution or drug abuse. These are the children we need to give the opportunity of an education.

Most of the children attending the Sunshine School would otherwise be unable to attend school for many reasons including being unable to afford school fees, exceeding the school admission age and/or a lack of necessary identification etc. Once they have graduated, students can apply for sponsorship or education assistance which will allow them to enroll in a public school where they have the opportunity to further their education and escape the cycle of poverty they grew up with.  

The Education Assistance Programme

Yearly, CNCF are approached by a number of children who are due to start, or are currently enrolled in mainstream public schools, yet their parents are unable to afford the school's compulsory fees and school supplies. These children are either at risk of having to leave school or have approached CNCF requesting to enroll at CNCF Sunshine School .

In 2002, CNCF established the Education Assistance Programme with the express purpose of providing assistance to children with the desire and motivation to attend school and where they cannot be accommodated by The Sunshine School. The estimated cost of supporting one child in public school is 480,000 VND (approximately USD$30 which pays for the compulsory annual fee, transportation and books/stationary.

Once CNCF have identified the family's legitimate need for support and the childs' desire to continue school, fees are paid directly to the school by CNCF. Where children need longer-term financial support to continue their education, assistance is made available through the Foundation's Sponsorship Programme.   

Kindergartens

In the past twenty years the Vietnamese population has experienced significant growth, almost doubling from 45 million to 81 million with 2/3 of the population under 35 years of age. As a result, many rural schools are unable to accommodate all the children in the area, and in order to attend school, thousands of Vietnamese children travel long distances to neighbouring communities.

Each individual province must use their own provincial budget to construct kindergartens while the budget for the construction of primary, secondary and high schools is sourced from the Central Government.  Due to the lack of funds within the provincial budgets, it is common for children in remote and destitute areas to have poor facilities or to not have access to pre-school education.    

Through CNCF's early work with the poverty stricken community in Ho Chi Minh City, ,the Foundation recognised the educational and social benefits to constructing and equipping kindergarten and school facilities in rural areas. Since 1997 the Foundation has implemented 48 capital projects to provide educational facilities to Vietnam 's children, from the central highlands to southern Vietnam .

If you are interested in more information on this please contact your nearest CNCF office.

The Sunshine Music and Arts Project

The Sunshine Music and Arts Project give the children the opportunity to express themselves through the magic of music and art. Christina herself is a great lover of music and is more aware than most people that the ability to express oneself through music is a means of discovering and nurturing the 'human spirit', encouraging self-confidence and a deeper understanding of others.  

CNCF established the Sunshine Music Programme in 1997 and in 2001 expanded the project to include a full timetable of art and crafts, keyboard, guitar and modern dance. During the summer holidays extra classes such as percussion and collage to children cared for in a number of CNCF's programmes.

The Sunshine Sports Programme

Sport and play have always been an important part of childhood. Through play children learn social skills, gain confidence and crucially, the ability to work alongside others with a common goal in mind.

"Once you feed a child's stomach you then need to feed their spirit". - Christina Noble

In July 1998, CNCF established the Sunshine Sports Programme to offer a full timetable of football, tennis, gymnastics, acrobatics and swimming lessons at no cost to the children or their families. In 2002 the project expanded to include a full-time staff member who was appointed to work solely with the children on a daily basis. The Sports Project has succeeded in guiding many children away from the dangers they face on the street and back into school or vocational training. As well as encouraging fitness and social interaction, these sports sessions are used to educate children about nutrition and exercise. In 2008 over 300 children from various CNCF projects benefited from over 36 weekly sessions in taekwondo, tennis, swimming, football and dance. The children also participated in other extra activities such as competitions and outings.