Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Hien, now

Hien is an 18 year old girl who was in the original 'intake' of students who joined our Stay In School program back in 2004.

Stay In School supports kids in Grades 5-12 in a rural province just outside Hanoi. We identify those students who are at high risk of dropping out of school due to extreme poverty, and ensure they have the means to complete their education.

The most recent edition of Dragon Tales, our quarterly newsletter, featured the story below about Hien now finishing Grade 12 and preparing to enter university.

Now that her university entrance exams are over, Hien has been helping out at the Blue Dragon centre in Hanoi. That's Hien below, with 3 of the kids hanging out this afternoon.



Many days, Hien helps out with the drop-in centre, which has been very busy during the summer break. But she has also been assisting our staff with administration, and last week she was out in the countryside interviewing new families who have asked for Blue Dragon's support.

It's great to see her now so confident and capable. Sometimes it's hard to believe that she hasn't even started uni yet - she's such a reliable worker around the office!

In coming weeks, Hien will get her uni entrance results, which will determine which course she can take, and at which university. We're looking forward to supporting her through her tertiary studies... and , who knows? Maybe she'll be working for us full time in years to come...

2 comments:

Mosher said...

I remember speaking to Hien when I was there last week, and I recognise the kids in the picture!

Just annoyed that the kids started to recognise me over my last couple of visits just when I was having to pack up and leave after 2 months :(

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much for helping the poor people in our country, I'm grateful for people like you guys, your work is greatly appreciated.