HOME FOR ETHNIC MINORITY CHILDREN, VIETNAM

PleiJut Village, Pleiku

Ministries

Education

WHERE

Vietnam

Context

The RNDM Sisters in Vietnam have embarked on an exciting new initiative to help bring about change in the lives of the ethnic people of PleiJut, a developing area near Gai Lai in the Central Highlights.  Due to geographic isolation, their inability to speak Vietnamese because it is the second language for them, lack of education, very poor and limited living conditions and lack of access to information are some of the issues affecting the ethnic people from the mountainous region in the Central Highlands.  Their lands have been taken from them, forcing the ethnic people to very remote mountainous areas where there are no schools, leading to little hope for the future of the young people.

The provision of a new home and holistic learning centre will help students have the chance to study in their own homeland. In the long term, this project could help to stop the wave of migrant people who are moving from the rural area to cities. It also helps the minority groups value their own culture and improve their own lives in their own places. In addition, this project will support the girls improving their Catholic Faith and being able to evangelize their own people in their own languages and style lives.

This is a community development, with parents providing manual labour for the building of the home and being instrumental in the ongoing education of their children.  The children will be taught how to keep alive their ethnic craft work, helping them to be strong in their own culture and also providing a means of earning money to provide for themselves and their families.

The RNDM Sisters caring for the young girls are highly trained – with extensive knowledge and experience of working with ethnic communities, post-graduate qualifications in social work, education, business management and theology.

Other information

LOCATION: 

PleiJut is a developing area near Gai Lai and will be more developed in the future. It has the potential to belong to Pleiku City where there are many secondary schools for children from grade 6 to grade 12.  At present, the government has built a university and a college of vocational training to educate the children and students around this area.  We believe the people have to live in their own land and according to our discussions with the ethnic people our new home could be a catalyst towards preventingthe ethnic minority peoples becoming migrant students moving to Ho Chi Minh City or other places to college and university

GOALS:

This new initiative will first and foremost provide a home for 50 girls to access education in a supportive environment.  Our approach aims to develop the ethnic children in a holistic way, so that they can become agents of change and transformation fortheir own lives and that of their families and villages. While they will study in academic schools, at home they will also learn and practice life skills and leadership skills to become good leaders.

ACTIVITIES: 

Provide a safe and happy environment for learning academic subjects and life skills eg, cooking, cleaning, personal health, environmental and leadership skills; Helping the children to learn to adapt to their new surroundings, to develop good communication skills which promotes healthy self-esteem and dignity; Improving their health: children will be provided with healthy food, will engage in exercise and sport thereby keeping in balance all aspects of life and integrated development; Preserving their own cultures through cultural activities, craft learning, music and dance and Improving their faith through age-appropriate catechism instruction and daily prayers

BENEFICIARIES: A home for 50 girls

REQUEST:

This new home will require a great deal of financial support, from you our partners in mission.  Food, medicine, electricity and water, school fees, books, clothing, sports equipment, craft work resources to name a few.

 

Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions - Casa Generalizia Roma 00164 (IT) - Phone: 0039 06 6615 8400 - Email: gensec@rndmgen.org