• Overview

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• Vietnam

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• Zambia

Introduction

Located on the eastern Indochinese Peninsula, the lush tropical country of Vietnam is home to 83.6 million people. Its magnificent and fertile setting has attracted numerous foreign powers throughout Vietnam's turbulent history. In 1976, after nearly a century of strife, the country finally achieved a unified independence as The Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Still, difficult years of poverty, repression, and international isolation continued. One of the world's most populous countries, Vietnam is also one of the poorest. The average person in Vietnam earns US$1 per day. More than 50% of the population lives below the poverty level. (1) This stark economic situation coupled with the long history of warfare, results in a country crippled by a poor infrastructure.

In the 1980's, the one-party government introduced a series of wide-ranging reforms in an attempt to improve the economy and living standards. Since then, the Doi Moi (renovation) initiative has made great advances. The goals of the program include encouraging private enterprise, attracting foreign investment, integrating Vietnam into the global economy, and transforming Vietnam from an agricultural to an industrialized nation. In the cities, a young middle class is eager to become engaged in trade with the rest of the world. Because so many urban Vietnamese desire to be in business, numerous shops have opened throughout the country. Two-thirds of the population, however, still works as field laborers trapped in unending poverty. (2) The government aspires to transform Vietnam into a modern country by the year 2020, including the goal of providing education for all citizens.

Educational Challenges

A history marred by warfare and poverty has prevented Vietnam from developing an effective educational infrastructure. And with 33% of the population under the age of fifteen, Vietnam's educational system is particularly burdened. (3) Over half of the country's students do not continue on to secondary school. (4) This means that they stop learning to read and write by the age of ten!

Improving education continues to be a top priority for the Vietnamese government. Through the Doi Moi policy, the government assumes the responsibility of insuring universal education through the secondary years. Yet, the concept of a knowledge-based economy is new both theoretically and practically, and the transition continues to present a tough challenge, particularly in the rural areas. Even though primary education is free for the first six years, in some areas, the school facilities cannot adequately handle all the children, so students must attend on a half-day basis only. Schools are not equipped to provide enough teachers, books, or chairs for their students. In rural areas, war damaged roads make transportation to and from school treacherous, especially where children have to travel miles to reach the nearest school. Society encourages all children to finish high school, but many drop out early to find work to help in supporting their families.

Vietnam is a country committed to educating its youth, without sufficient resources to accomplish the task. That's where Room to Read comes in!

Room to Read's Role

Room to Read Vietnam was founded in 2001. Our first project, a language lab, was the direct result of the government's request to assist in improving the foreign language teaching facilities of the country. Our Vietnamese team on the ground decides what programs Room to Read will focus on there, as they know the communities' needs the best.

They only work with villages that are proactive in approaching us for assistance. Local to Vietnam, our team speaks the language, knows the customs and laws, and understands the issues surrounding the implementation of our various programs. In all of our programs, the team partners with the local community to complete a given project. This "Challenge Grant" ensures the long-term sustainability of a project long after our Vietnam team has moved on to help other communities.

Programs & Results

In order to address the lack of educational infrastructure, Room to Read has developed a comprehensive program of building schools through our School Room Program, establishing libraries through our Reading Room Program, and providing girls' scholarships through our Girls' Education Program. After receiving government approval in 2005, we also began publishing children's books in Vietnam by local writers and artists. Our results to date are as follows:

How You Can Help

"If you want one year of prosperity grow grain.
If you want ten years of prosperity grow trees.
If you want one hundred years of prosperity grow people."

- Chinese proverb

Forever altering the lives of the children of the world by providing them with an education is an essential and attainable goal. Every human being deserves the right to the knowledge and self-determination provided by the ability to read and write. World change starts with educated children. You can make the difference by getting involved in one of the following ways:

	Donate to Room to Read Vietnam.
	Sponsor the construction of a school, help establish one or more libraries, sponsor a local language children's book title, sponsor a computer or language lab, or fund a long-term girls' scholarship in Vietnam.
	Learn about volunteer opportunities with Room to Read.
	Sign up for our email newsletter to get regular updates on the organization, our programs, and more.

Room to Read Vietnam - In Detail

(1) Human Development Report (2005) Human Income and Poverty in Developing Countries

(2) Proquest Information and Learning Company

(3) Human Development Report - Laos (2006)

(4) Global Ministries