A Message from Disadvantaged Children of Friends for Street Children in Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam

A message from disadvantaged children of Friends For Street children in Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam Ladies and Gentlemen, Ho Chi Minh City is an economic city of Vietnam, with a population of more than 8 million. Attracted by the rapid economic expansion of Ho Chi Minh City, a large number of migrants from many parts of the country is coming. However, they mostly are poor in material, education, professional skills which leads to unstable jobs and low salaries. They live together with many other family’s members in a temporary houses or narrow rental rooms. They cannot earn enough for living.

It becomes so difficult for these parents to manage school fee for their children; even they need financial help from their children. Many children of these families have to support financially by selling lottery tickets, newspapers, shoes polishing, or begging. Why we help disadvantaged children? The reality of early labors and dropping out of school of migrant children in Ho Chi Minh City is so common. Adding to these labor migrant children is poor children of Ho Chi Minh City who live in slums. They are also the target for child labors, illiterate and many social issues.

Facing with the reality that many children cannot access school and their rights are neglected, Friends For Street Children Association was established in 1984, purposely to assist the disadvantaged children in their studies. The Association organizes seven Development Centers to serve about 1200 children studying from Kindergarten to Grade 5. What do children benefit from your help? With the help of donors, sponsors, individuals and groups, and organizations for disadvantaged children at cities of development countries like Vietnam, we can prevent and resolve little by little the basic issues such as: Preventing the dropping out of the school of children. – Reducing illiterate. – Resolving child labor. – Reducing child malnutrition. – Increasing child self-confident and self-esteem due to lacking social integrating environment. – Encouraging respect of child basic rights. – Providing a good environment for education in order to reduce social crime concerning children. Your support will help us to organize what activities? Your support will give children chances to access a good education. In FFSC system, we organize free education for children from 5 to 15 years old included Pre-school and Elementary School classes.

This is a very important step to support all children to excel certain knowledge in order to integrate public schools. Without supporting, it will be impossible for poor and labor child to access further education. – At the center, we also organize language classes such as English, Japanese for children; – Vocational training courses such as sewing, embroidery for girls; – Building up child self-confident and social understanding through life skills and life values courses; – Improving children’s creativities through recreation programs according to age such as circle games, drawing; Improving their health through outdoor body exercises; – Healthcare, teeth care and providing milk; – Sponsorships for poor children who study at public schools to prevent dropping out due to financial reason; – Supporting children and families psychologically through home visits. What’s impact of our support for children? Our purpose focuses on and enhances well-being and a better future of disadvantaged children. – These disadvantaged children will have chance to access and integrate the public school and to develop their talents. Some girls who are trained can earn living in the future. – They are served better in nutrition and health. – They will gain a balance on psychology. – They have chances to have fun as any other children. – These poor children can proceed higher education in order to graduate from high school and college. – They are provided necessary knowledge and skills to live healthily, happily and usefully in future society. Our dear guests, we would like to express our deepest gratitude for your kind presence here today. Thank you for your attentive listening.