On October 25, hundreds of students of Tieu Can District in Tra Vinh were given scholarships and taught self-defense in the program named “Giving knowledge - Training skills”, organized by FE CREDIT with execution partner Saigon Children to help poor students have a chance to go to school and equip them with necessary skills.

102 students received the scholarships. Photo: Saigon Children

The program is held in Tieu Can - Tra Vinh province, where more than 10,000 footwear workers lost their jobs before Tet 2019, this put many families in the area to such a difficult situation that they are not able to afford their children’s school fees. There were 102 beneficiaries who were Primary and Secondary school students from underprivileged section of the society whose family’s financial situation is classified as poor or near-poor, family’s ability to earn is limited and the students have limited or no support in continuing his/her study.

By taking holistic approach, every major aspect of child’s well-being is addressed, so that not only financial assistance but also personal development is offered. The scholarship package also includes visiting each student frequently to encourage and support them in time, holding regular soft-skill trainings and fun activities for students’ personal development, and collecting student’s study reports.

Loc, one of the students who received scholarships from FE CREDIT partner with Saigonchildren for the last two years shared: “If I didn’t go to school anymore, I would be very sad because I would feel purposeless. I think going to school is a very important thing because it will help me get a stable job and make money for my family...” Loc is an excellent student, with a love for chemistry. He wants to be an agricultural engineer in future and the support from FE CREDIT empowers him to make his dream come true.

Over 200 local children were also taught self-defense. Photo: Saigon Children

Apart from scholarships that were given in this event, over 200 local children were also taught self-defense. The training was to prepare vital skills for these kids to protect themselves in certain situations.

According to UNICEF Vietnam, 68.4% of Vietnamese children under 18 years old have experienced physical or sexual violence at least once. Children fall victims to violent and abusive behavior every year. FE CREDIT felt the need to provide students with self-defense skill, so that they could protect themselves better. This class also aimed to sharpen the children’s perception of risk and strengthen their belief in their own ability to defend themselves successfully against any violence or sexual assault.

FE CREDIT and Saigonchildren hope to expand both the scholarships and self-defense lessons around the country to equip more children with necessary skills so that they can lead brighter, better lives./.

VNF